Loading...
2006-01-11 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesHISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION SUMMARY MINUTES January 11, 2006 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Kindness called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 4:00 p.m. in the 3" Floor Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5' Avenue North. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Barbara Kindness, Chair Christine Deiner-Karr, Vice Chair Steve Waite Brian Hall Norma Bruns Rob VanTassell Deborah Binder (arrived at 4:06 p.m.) Michael Plunkett READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES STAFF PRESENT Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager (arrived at 4:06 p.m.) COMMISSIONER HALL MOVED THAT THE COMMISSION APPROVE THE MINUTES OF DECEMBER 14, 2006 AS CORRECTED. COMMISSIONER WAITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA Commissioner Waite asked that a report on the intersection sign at Holmes Corner be added under "Unfinished Business." Chair Kindness agreed that this report could be provided as part of the "Holmes Corner Report" that is already scheduled on the agenda. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE Tracy Tallman, Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission, said she was present because of her interest in learning more about the concept of historic districts. PUBLIC HEARINGS No public hearings were scheduled on the agenda. COMMITTEE REPORTS Registration Committee Council Member Plunkett recalled that the Commission is ready to move a number of nominations to the City Council for consideration. Mr. Chave reported that staff is trying to prepare as many of the nominations as possible for presentation to the City Council on the same night as the Commission's Report. He noted that staff was asked to explore other possible dates for the Commission's Report because some of the Commissioners indicated they would not be available on January 16''. Council Member Plunkett volunteered to make follow up calls to property owners after the City Council approves the nominations to encourage them to follow through with placing their properties on the Register. Education and Outreach Committee Commissioner Binder reported that because the logo designer misunderstood her direction, the final logo designs would not be ready for Commission approval until the next meeting. She agreed to forward the new logo designs to the Commissioners via email as soon as they become available. Commissioner Binder asked at what point the Commission should start working on the second brochure. Mr. Chave advised that the grant funding for the new brochure must be used by mid 2007. Mr. Chave further advised that the design consultant would be ready to start once the Commission comes up with the language they want to include in the new brochure. It was discussed that the new brochure was supposed to include an insert of "Frequently Asked Questions." Commissioner Binder volunteered to spearhead the new brochure project and agreed to provide a draft for the Commission to consider at their next meeting. She asked that Commissioners forward their comments about things that should be included that weren't in the last brochure. The Commission agreed that some of the "Frequently Asked Questions" could be included in the hard copy of the brochure, but the remainder of them could be listed on an insert. They agreed that the headers found in the existing brochure should remain in place, but perhaps additional information could be provided. Commissioner Bruns said it is important that the brochure clearly identify the Historic Preservation Commission's responsibilities. It should clearly indicate that the Commission was officially established by the City Council by ordinance. The Commission agreed that rather than listing the individual Commissioners, a section of the brochure could focus on the professional expertise of those who participate on the Commission. Preservation Planning Committee Commissioner VanTassell indicated that the bulk of the Preservation Planning Committee's work would be discussed later on the agenda. OTHER REPORTS Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society Commissioner Bruns advised that the Society's Board meets on the first Monday of each month. An annual meeting is scheduled for February, and the new officers and board members would be installed at that time. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes January 11, 2007 Page 2 UNFINISHED BUSINESS Holmes Corner Commissioner Bruns reported that she is still working with the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society and Jim Underhill to get a historic plaque placed at Holmes Corner. She said she is confident that the issue would be resolved soon. Commissioner Waite reported that on Monday, January 151, the Public Works Department would install two signs at the intersection of 2121 Street and 761 Avenue to identify Holmes Corner as a historic site. Commissioner Hall suggested there might be opportunities for the Commission to identify other historic sites in the City, as well. The Commission agreed and suggested that all of the identification signs should be uniform. Plaque Program No additional information was provided regarding the plaque program. Frequently Asked Ouestions Council Member Plunkett advised that he is still waiting to receive more Frequently Asked Questions from the Commission. Zoning Commissioner VanTassell reminded the Commission that the City Council recently directed them to come up with a recommendation on how to proceed with historic preservation in the BD1 (downtown) zone. He referred to the draft conceptual design standards that were created by consultant, Mark Hinshaw, for the possible creation of a heritage neighborhood. The document defines the characteristics of downtown Edmonds that should be preserved. It also provides details about how these sites could be preserved through urban planning, community/citizen input, and resolving legal issues. Commissioner VanTassell reported that the Preservation Planning Committee conducted a walking tour of downtown Edmonds with the document in hand, and Commissioner Waite showed them how certain building characteristics were used to create a specific look or feel. Commissioner Waite said it is important to recognize that Edmonds is an eclectic town, which involves not only the history of buildings, but the history of retail and construction methods. A Commission tour would enable them to identify the various facets that create the history of downtown Edmonds. The Commission agreed that agreed a tour would be appropriate. Mr. Chave noted that Steve Bullock could be invited to participate in the walking tour, since he has a lot of knowledge about the history of various buildings in the downtown. The Commission discussed the timeline and process for creating the new design guidelines. They also discussed the role the Historic Preservation Commission, the Planning Commission, the staff and the City Council would have in creating and adopting the new code language. Commissioner VanTassell suggested that while the draft document represents a good start, additional review is necessary to make sure all of the Commission's concerns are addressed before it is forwarded to the Planning Board. Mr. Chave explained the difference between design guidelines and design standards. Design standards are mandatory requirements that all developers must meet. Design guidelines are intended to steer development but are not requirements. He cautioned that the Commission must decide if they want their document to be adopted as a standard or a guideline. The Commission agreed that the document should be put forward as design standards, which are requirements instead of guidelines. Commissioner VanTassell summarized the Commission's intent to draft a discussion document outlining how they intend to proceed with historical preservation in the BD1 zone. He advised that the Commission has agreed to review the discussion Historic Preservation Commission Minutes January 11, 2007 Page 3 document and then forward it to the City Council's Community Services Subcommittee. Once they have received direction from the Community Services Subcommittee and/or the City Council to move forward, the document could be presented to the Planning Board. The Commission could then work with the Planning Board to create draft code language. The Commission decided to continue their review of the draft document at their February 8t' meeting in anticipation of forwarding it to the Community Services Subcommittee for discussion on February 13t''. They agreed it would be appropriate to schedule a walking tour of the Edmonds downtown. They also agreed it would be helpful for the City Council Members and Planning Board Members to participate in the walking tour. Council Member Plunkett said he would report to the City Council that the Commission's Preservation Planning Committee anticipates coming to the next Community Services Subcommittee Meeting with draft historic preservation design standards. Update on Grant Mr. Chave advised that he reported on the status of the grant funding as part of the Education and Outreach Committee Report. Informational Editorial Chair Kindness reported that she sent the informational editorial back out to the local newspapers. Hopefully, it would be published sometime during the next week. WORKSHOP SESSION Open House/Report to Council The Commission asked staff to schedule their report to the City Council for February 27`". At that timc, the Commission could also report on their progress with the historic preservation design standards. The Commission agreed to hold a workshop discussion at their next meeting to consider the items that would be included in their report to the City Council. NEW BUSINESS Consideration of Properties for Streamlined Registration Process Commissioner Deiner-Karr advised that this issue was discussed earlier in the meeting. Resolution and Possible Action on Open Meetings Chair Kindness noted that this item was tabled until a future date. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Kindness thanked the Commissioners for their time and dedication in coming to the meeting during such inclement weather. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Historic Preservation Commission Minutes January 11, 2007 Page 4 Commissioner Deiner-Karr announced that the Main Street Preservation Conference would be held in Seattle in early April. She questioned if the City would pay the registration fees for Commissioners who want to attend the conference. The Commission agreed that would be appropriate, and Commissioner Deiner-Karr agreed to provide more information to each of the Commissioners. Commissioner Bruns said she was disappointed that the recent informational article that was published in the newspaper regarding the new Performing Arts Center glossed over the fact that the City's most historic building was lost. There is a common misconception that the auditorium was a historical building that was saved. She noted that none of the chronology of the new building mentioned that the 1910 building was torn down. Council Member Plunkett clarified that all of the City Council Members have expressed a desire to have better design standards for the downtown. However, there are various ranges of what they want the design standards to be. The Commission asked the Preservation Planning Committee to work with staff to schedule the walking tour on a day that is convenient for the City Council Members to all attend. It was noted that the tour would have to be advertised as a public meeting. ADJOURNMENT The Commission meeting was adjourned at 5:45 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes January 11, 2007 Page 5