2007-12-13 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SUMMARY MINUTES
December 13, 2007
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
Deborah Binder
Norma Bruns
Rob VanTassell (arrived at about 4:45 p.m.)
Andrew Eccleshal
Daniel Kerege
Michael Plunkett
STAFF PRESENT
Mayor Gary Haakensen
Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager (arrived at 4:06 p.m.)
Diane Cunningham, Planning and Dev. Services
Chair Kindness welcomed Commissioners Kerege and Eccleshal as new Commissioners.
PRESENTATION BY MAYOR HAAKENSEN
Mayor Haakenson recognized Commissioners Binder and Kindness for their service to the Historic Preservation
Commission. He also commended and thanked the entire Commission for the progress they have made to further historic
preservation in Edmonds.
READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
COMMISSIONER BINDER MOVED TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 8, 2007 AS SUBMITTED.
COMMMISSIONER WAITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA
The Commission added a discussion regarding possible dates for a workshop. The remainder of the agenda was approved as
submitted.
REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
Larry Vogel, Edmonds, said he submitted an application to become a member of the Historic Preservation Commission. He
shared history about himself, as well as his desire to become involved in local government. He advised that while an
employee at Seattle City Light he prepared a presentation regarding the history of Seattle's electrical trolley systems, and he
would like to share the presentation with the Commission, as well.
PUBLIC HEARING
There were no public hearings scheduled on the agenda.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Chair Kindness briefly reviewed the responsibilities and activities of the various Commission Committees. The Commission
agreed to conduct a workshop discussion to review and rearrange each of the committees at some point in the near future.
Registration Committee
Vice Chair Deiner-Karr recalled that there are still about a dozen pending property nominations, including some that belong
to the City. A letter must still be drafted and sent out asking property owners to indicate their interest in placing their
property on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. She said she hopes to have this letter drafted and sent out by the end of
the month.
Vice Chair Deiner-Karr recalled that the Commission also previously discussed sending out form letters to owners of
property that would qualify for the Register. She also reported that she would be contacting owners of property on the
Register regarding the placement of plaques on their properties. The Commission agreed that more Commissioners should be
assigned to the Registration Committee to help Vice Chair Deiner-Karr notify property owners.
The Commission discussed what could be done to encourage property owners to list their properties on the Register. For the
new Commissioners' benefit, they briefly reviewed what has been done to date in this regard.
Education and Outreach Committee
Chair Kindness reported that an elementary school in Edmonds did a study unit on historic Edmonds. Each of the children
did a project, and they were displayed at the Museum. She suggested the Commission announce the projects in their next
news release to show that children in the City are aware of its history. Commissioner Bruns recalled that the Museum
distributes activity books to children, and they also provide a list of questions for children and adults to answer as they go
through the museum. Vice Chair Definer -Karr once again expressed her interest in conducting a historic scavenger hunt for
children as part of an upcoming City event, and pointed out this would require support from the local merchants.
Commissioner Eccleshall recalled the Commission previously discussed the option of preparing an art print of some of the
historic homes in Edmonds. He provided an example of this concept that he prepared for his home town in the United
Kingdom. The Commission viewed the sample project and agreed to hold a workshop discussion in the near future to
identify 10 or 15 properties that could be included in an art piece. Commissioner Eccleshall offered to prepare the art print
free of charge, and suggested it could possibly be sold to raise money for historic preservation. It was noted that perhaps
inclusion on the art print could be offered to property owners as an incentive for joining the Register.
Preservation Planning Committee
Commissioner Waite reported on his recent attendance at the Architectural Design Board (ADB) meeting at which he
presented the Commission's comments and recommendations related to the proposed design standards for the BD zone. He
shared their comments as follows:
Rather than having two Commissioners participate in the ADB review and decision making process when historic
properties are involved, the ADB supported the idea of forwarding applications for projects that involve historic structures
directly to the Historic Preservation Commission to obtain a certificate of appropriateness. Offering this more streamlined
process would provide an incentive to owners of historic properties.
The ADB also discussed the concept of routing projects in the BD1 zone through the Historic Preservation Commission
for review and recommendations. A Commission designee could then present the Commission's position to the ADB, but
would not be a voting member.
The ADB was supportive of adopting the building standards presented by the Historic Preservation Commission, with just
a few minor changes.
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• The ADB agreed the threshold for requiring ADB review of projects in the BD zone should be lower than the SEPA
threshold. However, they have yet to decide exactly what the threshold should be. They emphasized the importance of
avoiding situations where the review process would be unnecessarily made slower and more complicated.
• The ADB felt the Commission's proposed name for the BD zone (Heritage Center) was too vague. They recommended
the Commission come up with an alternative name that is more closely associated with the downtown.
Mr. Chave provided the one -page summary of the ADB's recommendations, which was presented recently to the Planning
Board for consideration. He noted that the ADB did not respond to a number of the Commission's recommendations because
they felt they were outside of their purview. He noted that the Planning Board would make the final recommendation to the
City Council, so it would be appropriate for the Commission to forward their additional comments to that body as soon as
possible. The Commission agreed to discuss the ADB's comments further at their January loth meeting and prepare a
response for the Planning Board to consider at their February 131h meeting.
Commissioner VanTassell arrived at the meeting at 4:45 p.m.
Mr. Chave reported that the draft amendments to the non-conformance standards have been reviewed by the Planning Board
and forwarded to the City Council with a recommendation of approval sometime in January. He noted that the Planning
Board made some revisions to address the concerns raised by the Historic Preservation Commission. The Commission
requested the Preservation Committee review the draft amendments and prepare comments to forward to the City Council.
Commissioner Eccleshall reported that he recently met with Commissioners Waite and VanTassell in a brainstorming session
to discuss what the Commission could do to change the potential outcome of the property at 555 Main Street. One option
would be to approach the owners of the historic properties in the City and ask them to voluntarily offer the properties to the
City for purchase at market value when they decide to sell before putting them on the open market. This would allow the
City an opportunity to save or control the use of landmark historic structures.
Commissioner VanTassell pointed out that the City does not have a compensatory historic preservation program. Until this is
changed, the Commission would not likely make significant headway. The Commission agreed it is their responsibility to
offer the community an opportunity to debate the issue in the open, recognizing it could impact private property rights.
Commissioner Binder agreed to contact Mr. Tate, the owner of property at 555 Main Street, and ask him what his plans are
for the property. They further discussed the need for the City to become involved, particularly the Economic Development
Director, and consider potential alternatives for using this historic structure rather than tearing it down. Commissioner Waite
also agreed to approach the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department regarding the possibility of using park acquisition
funds to purchase the property at 555 Main Street. They could also ask the Parks Department to consider the possibility of
relocating the home to existing City property.
OTHER REPORTS
Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society
Commissioner Bruns reported that Eleanor MulHolland, George Brackett's granddaughter, recently passed away, shortly
after reaching her 1001 birthday. She was a docent at the Museum until several months ago. The current exhibit is Needle
Art, and the next exhibit will be the History of Jazz in the Seattle Area.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Historic Sites Draft Plaques Agreement
Deiner Karr noted that the agreement recently approved by the Commission indicated the City would purchase the plaques,
but property owners would be responsible to maintain and/or replace them if damaged or stolen. If a property is removed
from the Register, the plaque would be returned to the City. It was decided the agreement was ready for use when locating
plaques on properties.
NEW BUSINESS
Election of 2008 Historic Preservation Commission Officers
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Commissioner Bruns expressed her belief that, in the future, the Commission should appoint a nominating committee to
recommend candidates for Commission Officers. Several other Commissioners agreed.
THE COMMISSION NOMINATED COMMISSIONER DEINER-KARR TO SERVE AS CHAIR OF THE
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FOR 2008.
COMMISSIONER ECCLESHALL MOVED THAT NOMINATIONS BE CLOSED. COMMISSIONER
VANTASSELL SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, AND
COMMISSIONER DEINER-KARR WAS ELECTED CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION FOR 2008.
THE COMMISSION NOMINATED COMMISSIONER VANTASSELL TO SERVE AS VICE CHAIR OF THE
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FOR 2008. THE NOMINATIONS WERE CLOSED, AND THE
COMMISSION UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED COMMISSIONER VANTASSELL TO SERVE AS VICE CHAIR.
Applications for Vacant Commission Positions
Chair Kindness announced that the Commission received seven applications for the two vacant Commission positions. The
Commission reviewed the City's process for interviewing and appointing new candidates. They agreed to interview the
candidates at their January l l' meeting, followed by a workshop meeting on January 22' or January 23rd at 5:00 p.m. The
Commission concurred that qualified applicants who are not accepted to fill the vacant positions should be encouraged to
participate in the Commission's activities in other ways.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS
Chair Kindness thanked the Commissioners for their hard work in 2007. She indicated she would continue to help the
Commission as an off -sight volunteer.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
The Commissioners expressed appreciation to both Commissioners Kindness and Binder for their service on behalf of the
Commission and wished them well in their new endeavors. They also welcomed Commissioners Eccleshall and Kerege to
the Commission.
Commissioner Binder thanked the Commission and said her tenure on the Commission has been a good experience for her.
Commissioner VanTassell once again stressed the need for a public discussion about historic properties, the community,
private property rights, etc. He suggested this discussion take place in the near future.
Larry Bollo thanked the Commission for allowing him to sit in on their meeting. He said it was enlightening and reassuring
to see a group so dedicated to preserving the historic character of Edmonds.
ADJOURNMENT
The Commission meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
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