2006-06-08 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesHISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SUMMARY MINUTES
June 8, 2006
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Commissioner Waite called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 3:30 p.m. in the 31d
Floor Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5' Avenue North.
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT COMMISSIONERS ABSENT STAFF PRESENT
Steve Waite Brian Hall, Chair Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager
Barbara Kindness Rob VanTassell, Vice Chair Diane Cunningham, Planning and Dev. Services
Deborah Binder (arrived at 3:32 p.m.) Michael Plunkett
Norma Bruns
Christine Deiner-Karr
Commissioner Hall, Commissioner VanTassell and Commissioner Plunkett were excused from the meeting.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA
The agenda was changed to place the committee reports before the public hearing. In addition, the Commission added a brief
discussion regarding the template letter Commissioner Deiner-Karr was asked to create to send to individuals on the survey.
READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
COMMISSIONER KINDNESS MOVED THAT THE MINUTES OF MAY 11, 2006 BE TABLED UNTIL THE
JUNE MEETING BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT A QUORUM PRESENT TO APPROVE THEM.
COMMISSIONER DEINER-KARR SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
There was no one in the audience who expressed a desire to address the Commission during this portion of the meeting.
REGISTRATION COMMITTEE REPORT
Commissioner Deiner-Karr reported that Council Member Plunkett sent her an email containing a phone number of someone
who owns historic property. She has contact this individual and left a message for her to call back. She said she has been
very busy over the past month and was unable to follow up with some individuals.
Commissioner Deiner-Karr requested help from another Commissioner to create a template letter to send out to property
owners on the survey of historic properties. She said she plans to review records and create a spreadsheet so that the letters
could be sent out quickly. Ms. Cunningham advised that once Commissioner Deiner-Karr provides a spreadsheet of names,
as well as the necessary information, staff could prepare the letters and mail them out. Commissioner Binder agreed to help
Commissioner Deiner-Karr prepare the letter template, and Commissioner Deiner-Karr agreed to forward her ideas via email.
Once a draft letter template has been created, she would forward it to each of the Commissioners for comment.
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH COMMITTEE REPORT
Commissioner Kindness announced that she plans to present a press release regarding the application by Susan Bauer and
Stephen Bernheim to have their property placed on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. She agreed to forward a copy
of the news release to staff for their information.
Commissioner Kindness advised that the date the Commission wanted to set up a booth at the Summer Market is not
available. She said she would contact the market representative regarding an alternative date. She agreed to email the
possible dates to the Commissioners as soon as possible so that a date could be selected prior to the next meeting.
Commissioner Binder said she sent out a press release regarding the Commission's new Historic Preservation Brochure. She
pointed out that Photographs 15 and 16 were switched around, but the titles didn't get switched to match. She reported that
she sent thank you notes to all of the donors. She also sent a copy of the brochure to the State Historic Preservation Office,
as well as a variety of architectural heritage groups throughout the State. She suggested the Commission set up a walking
tour, utilizing the new brochure.
Commissioner Binder reported that she received permission from Mayor Haakenson to pursue the logo piece, and she would
utilize the services of the brochure designer to develop a logo design.
Commissioner Waite said he has been researching possible designs for the plaques. He suggested that the logo designer
contact a company for information about the requirements for affixing logos to castings. He agreed to provide this contact
information to Commissioner Binder so she could forward it to the designer. Commissioner Waite reported that an 11" by 7"
plaque would cost between $70 and $150, depending on the design and size selected. There would also be a set up fee of
about $150.
The Commission briefly discussed funding options for the plaque program. They also discussed possible design ideas,
including a logo. They reviewed pictures of sample plaques provided by Commissioner Waite, and identified the styles they
preferred. It was pointed out that people are most interested in learning when a structure was built. Commissioner Waite
said it would cost about $20 to have the date routered into the plaque.
Commissioner Binder agreed to work with the designer to discuss guidelines for making the logo for both paper/print and the
plaques. Commissioner Waite agreed to approach the plaque company to obtain more detailed cost estimates based on the
Commission's input. They agreed that the plaques should be simple, with as few words as possible. They also agreed that
perhaps a date identifying when the building was constructed could be routered onto the plaque, as well. They asked
Commissioner Waite to provide more detailed cost information, as well as some possible designs to consider at their next
meeting. Commissioner Waite also agreed to contact Council Member Plunkett and ask him to research possible funding
options for the plaque program, including funding from the City Council.
PUBLIC HEARING
AN APPLICATION BY SUSAN BAUER AND STEPHEN BERNHEIM TO DETERMINE THE ELIGIBILITY OF
THE AUGUST JOHNSON HOUSE FOR PLACEMENT ON THE EDMONDS REGISTER OF HISTORIC
PLACES. THE SITE IS LOCATED AT 216 — 4TH AVENUE NORTH AND IS ZONED COMMUNITY BUSINESS
(BC) (FILE NUMBER HP-06-54)
Mr. Chave advised that staff recommends the property should be considered to be eligible for the Edmonds Register of
Historic Places. However, the Commission must decide what aspects of the building should be designated as historic. He
referred them to the additional information that was provided in the Staff Report regarding significant features. The
Commission might also receive additional insight from public testimony regarding the history of the structure.
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Darrell Marmion advised that he was the previous owner of the home at 216 — 4' Avenue. In January of 1996 they tore
down the two -bedroom structure, and the house that was on the corner of 4t1i Avenue and Bell was relocated there in March.
Mr. Marmion said that the records indicate that some rebuilding took place on the front porch, and they tried to duplicate the
design style that existed in a 1905 picture they obtained from the Museum. The roof structure and deck are original, but the
posts had been replaced at some point. The front door is in its original location. In addition, the upper story originally had
two windows that were changed to one aluminum window. When the house was moved, they wanted to change the one
window back to the two smaller windows, but this was not allowed because City fire code required a certain size of opening.
Mr. Marmion said the colored lights in the main bay window are original. He noted that the garage in the back has a sliding
door on it. They used duplicate art glass to try to match it. He noted that the small piece of crown molding underneath the
upstairs window was custom built to match the rest of the molding on the house. When updating the house, they tried to
repeat the trims that were originally used.
Commissioner Waite pointed out that the State has expressed concern about buildings that are moved out of their context.
However, he noted that the proposed structure was only moved across the street. The Commissioners agreed that the
building was not moved out of its context. In addition, Mr. Chave pointed out that the application is related to the
architectural value of the structure rather than the site, itself.
Mr. Marmion said that when the building was moved, they applied for a setback variance. It only has an 11-foot street
setback so the front of the house is in plane with the rest of the street. A standard setback would have been based on the front
port. Since the building has a high -roof front porch, the building would have had to be set back further.
Mr. Chave suggested that if the Commission clearly identify, for future reference, that the upper story window was changed
as per a code requirement. This would allow a future applicant to change the window back to two, side -by -side windows.
He noted that the roof materials were altered, but the roofline has not been changed. Commissioner Bruns agreed to
reproduce one of the historic pictures of the structure so it could be added to the file.
COMMISSIONER DEINER-KARR MOVED THAT THE COMMISSION APPROVE FILE NUMBER HP-06-54
FOR THE EXTERIOR OF THE AUGUST JOHNSON HOUSE AT 216 — 4TH AVENUE NORTH WITH THE
FOLLOWING NOTES:
■ THE BEDROOM WINDOW ON THE FRONT OVER THE PORCH HAD TO BE REPLACED TO SUPPORT
FIRE CODES.
■ THE PORCH HAS BEEN RESTORED PER OLD PHOTOGRAPHS
■ THE ROOFLINE IS CONSISTENT WITH OLD PHOTOGRAPHS, EVEN THOUGH NEW MATERIALS
WERE USED.
■ GENERALLY, THE NOTES UNDER SIGNIFICANT FEATURES HAVE CALLED OUT SPECIFICS FOR THE
HOME BEING 100 YEARS OLD.
COMMISSIONER BINDER SECONDED THE MOTION.
Commissioner Bruns commended any property owner who makes an effort to preserve a historic building.
THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Mr. Chave advised that staff would update the application to more clearly identify the significant features.
PRESERVATION PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT
Commissioner Deiner-Karr requested an update on Mr. Chester's (850 Alder Street) application. Mr. Chave said there was
not enough information provided in the application to fill out a staff report for the Commission to consider. Commissioner
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Deiner-Karr noted that her attempts to find more information were unsuccessful. The Commission discussed the designation
criteria they must consider when reviewing applications for the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. They asked staff to
send a letter to the applicant, informing him that they do not have enough information to consider the house for possible
inclusion on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places.
Commissioner Deiner-Karr reported that she has been working with property owners to nominate the First Congressional
Church Parsonage for the Edmonds Register of Historic Places.
EDMONDS SOUTH SNOHOMISH COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY REPORT
Commissioner Bruns reported that her volunteer time at the Museum has been increased. She said she would be involved
much more as a docent at the Museum than she was before. She asked the Commissioners to share their ideas for recruiting
more volunteers.
Draft Ordinance on Streamlined Registration Process
Mr. Chave announced that the City Council recently approved the ordinance to streamline the registration process. The
owners of property identified on the State Register must still apply to be identified on the Edmonds Register. While no
public hearing would be required, the Commission must identify what is historic about the properties.
Holmes Corner
Commissioner Waite reported that he has been working with the City's Public Works Director regarding the possibility of
signage at Holmes Corner to identify it as a historic site. He said they are also waiting to hear back from the School District.
They will continue to explore options for this site.
Frequently Asked Ouestions
Council Member Plunkett was not present to provide an update on this project. Commissioner Waite reminded the
Commissioners to forward their questions to Council Member Plunkett as soon as possible.
Historic Overlay Zone
Commissioner Waite reported that historic overlay districts could be very problematic and time consuming to put into the
ordinance. A historic overlay zone would be a much easier concept to implement and would allow the City to offer
incentives for historic preservation. Mr. Chave explained that a historic overlay district would likely receive significantly
more opposition from property owners. Commissioner Waite advised that the Preservation Planning Committee would
continue to explore the concept and report back to the Commission.
NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Chave reported that he recently visited the State Office for Historic Preservation for a grant application interview. They
received applications for about $200,000 and only have $50,000 to offer. He said he is optimistic that the Commission's
application would be successful. They were particularly impressed with the Commission's new brochure, particularly its low
cost and high quality. He said he would notify the Commissioners when he finds out new information.
Commissioner Waite said he still attends the State Building Code Council Meetings. They meet twice a month to work on
the State Historic Building Codes, but they plan to take the next few months off. Eventually, the City would have a historic
building code they could rely on.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS
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Chair Hall was not present to provide comments.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Commissioner Kindness thanked Mr. Chave for his efforts in writing and presenting the grant application.
ADJOURNMENT
The Commission meeting was adjourned at 5:02 p.m.
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