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2008-03-13 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION SUMMARY MINUTES March 13, 2008 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Deiner-Karr called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 4:30 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5th Avenue North. Commissioners Present Staff Present Christine Deiner-Karr, Chair Rob Chave, Planning and Development Services Manager (arrived at 4:40 p.m.) Rob VanTassell, Vice Chair Diane Cunningham, Planning and Dev. Services Steve Waite Norma Bruns Guests Andrew Eccleshal Fred Bell, Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society Daniel Kerege Verna Rauscher, Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society Sue Bauer (arrived at 5:00 p.m.) Jack Hall, Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society Larry Vogel Bill Lambert, Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society Michael Plunkett Jenny Anttila Bryce Nevermann Melissa Parker Donna Yamamoto READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES COMMISSIONER WAITE MOVED THAT THE MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 14, 2008 BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. VICE CHAIR VANTASSELL SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA Chair Deiner-Karr said she has information to provide the Commission from the Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission as part of new business. In addition, they added a discussion about a CAMP Workshop and a review of the draft press release related to the structure at 555 Main Street. 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. PRESENTATION Presentation by South Snohomish Countv Historical Societv Regarding Historic House at 555 Main Street Fred Bell, President, Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society, presented the Society's proposal that a partnership of City, private, community organizations and individuals be formed to consider the feasibility and capability of relocating the house that is currently located at 555 Main Street to a site in or near the area called the 4t' Avenue Cultural Corridor. He read a letter he sent to the Commission on behalf of the Society. He explained that the property is to be redeveloped in 2008, and the property owners have offered the house to anyone who can move it to a new location. In addition, they have offered a significant financial contribution to facilitate the relocation. He shared a brief history of the home that was built in 1907 by William H. Bettinger, owner of a local mill, and later owned by Dr. Harry Kretzler, a prominent local physician in the community. Mr. Bell advised that a campaign to "Save the Kretzler House" would be consistent with the Society's goals and objectives, and they are prepared to work with others to develop a feasibility plan, to work actively as a community partner to promote the project, and to assist in other ways deemed practical. He invited the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to support this initiative and provide on how to proceed. The Commission and Society Representatives particularly discussed the following: • The first step in the process should be to investigate and confirm that the structure is sound and could be moved. • It would be appropriate contact Frances Chapin, Edmonds Cultural Services Manager, and seek her help and recommendations for possible locations and funding opportunities. • They discussed two possible sites for relocating the structure: the property at the corner of 4th Avenue and Daley and the property that is currently owned by the Edmonds School District. It would also be worthwhile to pursue opportunities for relocating the structure to a City park. • The majority of the citizens of Edmonds do not know the building is in danger. Perhaps the public could be invited to an open house to tour the historic structure. They should also seek opportunities to publish more information in the newspaper. Because the City's buildings maintenance budget is behind right now, perhaps a foundation could be formed to support the relocation and future maintenance of the structure. • It would be appropriate to get the word out to the citizens and invite them to share their ideas and offer financial support. A sign could be posted on the property at 555 Main Street to inform the public of what is going on. Commissioner Definer -Karr suggested they put together a watch list to identify historic properties in Edmonds. This would allow the Historic Preservation Commission and the Edmonds South Snohomish Historical Society to watch the properties and be ready to take action if changes are proposed. The Commissioners indicated their desire to coordinate efforts with the Society. The two groups discussed the need to come up with a plan for furthering their goal. They discussed that the following items sould be part of their action plan: • Begin an extensive public relations effort to get the community involved. • Invite the Edmonds School District to participate by emphasizing that part of their charge is to educate youth, and this involves history. The property could eventually become a "living classroom" for school groups to visit. • Contact other groups and communities that have developed "historic village settings" to find out how they got started and how they support their programs now. • Make a presentation to the City Council, asking them to consider opportunities for relocating the structure to an existing park site. They agreed a committee should be formed to come up with a publicity strategy and a plan for moving the project forward. Commissioners Eccleshal and Vogel volunteered to represent the Commission. They agreed that while the Commission would provide significant input into the process, the Society should be the authority body since they have more freedom to take action. It was stressed that time is of the essence, so the committee should meet as soon as possible. Chair Deiner-Karr suggested they invite Frances Chapin, Edmonds Cultural Services Manager, and Brett Lambert, Chair of the Snohomish Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 13, 2008 Page 2 County Historic Commission, to participate on the committee, as well. The group agreed it would be appropriate to accumulate names of individuals who express interesting in becoming involved in the program. They further agreed the press releases would go out under the auspices of both the Commission and the Society, but Fred Bell was designated as the spokesperson and person to contact. Commissioner Eccleshal pointed out that the property owners are also concerned about preserving the structure. However, the public's perception of developers is often not very good. It is important to insure that negative press is kept to a minimum in order to keep the property owners involved in the program. COMMITTEE REPORT Registration Committee The Registration Committee did not have any new activities to report. Education and Outreach Committee The Education and Outreach Committee did not have any new activities to report. Preservation Planning Committee The Preservation Planning Committee did not provide any report during this portion of the meeting. 2008 COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS After a brief discussion, the Commission made the following committee assignments: Preservation Planning Committee Commissioner VanTassell Commissioner Eccleshal Commissioner Waite Education and Outreach Committee Commissioner Eccleshal Commissioner Vogel Commissioner Kerege Commissioner Bruns Commissioner Bauer Edmonds South Snohomish Countv Historical Society Registration Committee Chair Deiner-Karr Commissioner Bauer Commissioner Anttila (not yet appointed) Commissioner Bruns indicated she did not have anything to report on the activities of the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society. Commissioner Bauer said that while she understands the immediate concern about the structure at 555 Main Street, it is also important to develop a process for handling situations like this in the future. Chair Deiner-Karr recalled her earlier suggestion that a watch list be formulated of historic properties in Edmonds. Commissioner Bauer said it is also important to consider opportunities for making historic preservation irresistible to property owners. The remainder of the Commission concurred. NEW BUSINESS Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 13, 2008 Page 3 Vacancies on the Snohomish Countv Historic Preservation Commission Chair Deiner-Karr reported that she had a conversation with Brett Lambert, chair of the Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission, regarding the mission of the two groups. Mr. Lambert indicated they still have one vacancy to fill on their commission, and he questioned if an Edmonds Historic Preservation Commissioner would be interested in the position. She suggested they invite citizens from cities throughout the county to participate. . I,,.Yin M IM Commissioner Waite said he attended this event a few years ago and found it quite useful. Mr. Chave indicated the City could pay the $40 registration fee for Commissioners to attend, but they would not be able to pay the travel expenses. The two events would be held in Tacoma and Spokane. Interested Commissioners should contact Chair Deiner-Karr. Draft Commission Press Release Regarding the Property at 555 Main Street The Commission indicated they liked the press release prepared by Commissioner Eccleshal. They encouraged him to pursue its publication. Design Standards for the Downtown BD1 Zone Mr. Chave reported that the Planning Board decided to forward the Design Standards for the BD 1 zone to the City Council with a recommendation of approval. However, they did not recommend adopting the proposed language associated with historic preservation. They concluded that this language was more closely allied with historic preservation and should go through the historic preservation code and not the zoning code. They would likely ask the Historic Preservation Commission to provide a recommendation for how these policies could fit into the historic preservation program. The Commission noted that their ability to preserve historic structures is limited at this time because the City does not have a mandatory program. They discussed the concept of obtaining a grant to conduct a scientific survey to determine how the public feels about historic preservation. This would enable the Commission to clearly communicate the public's support for historic preservation to the City Council. They agreed that the press releases related to the property at 555 Main Street would provide a good opportunity to bring historic preservation to the forefront of community discussions. The press releases should encourage the citizens to provide feedback. Mr. Chave suggested, and the Commission concurred, that it would be appropriate to start conversations with the Parks Department and Edmonds School District about possible future uses for the sport fields that are located in the downtown area. It would also be important to have a conversation with Frances Chapin, Cultural Services Manager, about the possibility of incorporating preservation incentives into the 41h Avenue Cultural Corridor implementation plan. These same incentives could be applied in other areas of the downtown, as well. Chair Deiner-Karr reported on the public open house that was conducted by Bob Gregg, a developer of property near the waterfront. He invited the public to provide comments related to view, and he shared his plan to conduct a 3d survey to illustrate what the views would be from many points in the City. Another public meeting would be conducted in the near future to discuss architectural design issues. She encouraged Commissioners to participate. ACTION ITEMS Review of Workshop Action Items Chair Definer -Karr asked the various committees to review the action items that pertain to them and provide a timeline for implementation. Committees should be prepared to report on the action items at the next meeting, as well each monthly meeting for the remainder of the year. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 13, 2008 Page 4 HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Deiner-Karr did not provide any comments during this portion of the meeting. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS None of the Commissioners provided comments during this portion of the meeting. ADJOURNMENT The Commission meeting was adjourned at 6:10 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 13, 2008 Page 5