Loading...
2008-08-14 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION SUMMARY MINUTES August 14, 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 Planner Rob VanTassell, Vice Chair (arrived at 4:45, left at 5:05) Diane Cunningham, Planning and Dev. Services Steve Waite Norma Bruns Andrew Eccleshal Daniel Kerege Larry Vogel Jenny Anttila Michael Plunkett READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES COMMISSIONERS ABSENT Sue Bauer COMMISSIONER ECCLESHAL MOVED THE COMMISSION APPROVE THE MINUTES OF JUNE 12, 2008 AS PRESENTED. COMMISSIONER KEREGE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA No changes were made to the agenda. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE There was no one in the audience. COMMITTEE REPORTS Registration Committee Chair Deiner-Karr reported that the Registration Committee determined that five different template letters would be necessary to meet the needs of the Commission's current process for designating properties on the Register. They are currently reaching out to other cities for guidance in creating the templates. She suggested they first focus on the letter that would be sent to all current homeowners with properties already listed on the State's Register. Commissioner Antilla reminded the Commission that she prepared a rough draft of this letter and is awaiting feedback and finalization. Council Member Plunkett voiced frustration that while the Commission has discussed sending letters to the ten property owners whose properties are already on the State's Register, nothing has happened to date. The Commission agreed to focus their efforts on notifying these ten property owners first, inviting them to contact the City to have their properties added to the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. Council Member Plunkett agreed to assist the Registration Committee in completing this project. COMMISSIONER WAITE MOVED THAT THE COMMISSION AUTHORIZE THE REGISTRATION COMMITTEE TO DRAFT THE LETTERS AND GET THEM SENT OFF. HE FURTHER MOVED THAT THEY FOLLOW UP EACH LETTER WITH A TELEPHONE CALL. The Registration Committee agreed to get the letters sent out by August 18t''. Commissioner Antilla and Council Member Plunkett agreed to make the follow up telephone calls within the next 30 days. VICE CHAR VANTASSELL SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Education and Outreach Committee The Education and Outreach Committee did not have any new items to report. Preservation Planning Committee Council Member Plunkett recalled that the Preservation Planning Committee has been working on the design guidelines for the downtown core. The City Council has accepted the document, and an ordinance would be presented for their formal approval on August 26th. Mr. Chave reminded the Commission that some issues related to the design review process are still being discussed. The Commission briefly discussed whether or not they were interested in pursuing a different name for the BD1 zone to denote its historic character. Mr. Chave recalled that the Planning Board would like to discuss this issue further with the Historic Preservation Commission. OTHER REPORTS Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society Commissioner Bruns announced that the new exhibit at the Museum is on buttons. They have had a lot of interest in the exhibit, and she encouraged the Commissioners to visit. She emphasized that the Museum opens at 12:00 p.m. rather than 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays to accommodate people who are visiting the summer market. She also encouraged the Commissioners to join the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society. NEW BUSINESS Media Events Commissioner Vogel reported that he and Commissioner Bauer had intended to meet to plan a media event when the plaque is replace don her historic property. However, they were unable to get together. The Commission noted that the new plaque has not been placed on the property yet. The Commission encouraged Commissioners Vogel and Bauer to schedule this event for sometime in late September. Commissioner Vogel said they have already prepared the template for future press releases, and they have contacted various news media. EHPC Website Maintenance Commissioner Vogel reported that he has not made any progress working with staff to update the website, which hasn't been changed since December of 2007. Mr. Chave invited Commissioner Vogel to send him an email with his contact information, and he would forward it to the responsible staff person asking him to move ahead with the project as soon as possible. Discussion on Status of the 2008 Goals This discussion was postponed to the September 1 lth Meeting. Planning Board Update by Rob Chave Historic Preservation Commission Minutes August 14, 2008 Page 2 Mr. Chave did not have any additional information to report to the Commission during this portion of the meeting. BettinEer House Status Commissioner Eccleshal announced that he was recently contacted by a private property owner who is interested in relocating the Bettinger House to property a few blocks away from the Edmonds Performing Arts Center. The project is in the very early stages, but it appears to be a possibility. Vice Chair VanTassell pointed out that all of these downtown residential properties are zoned RS-6, and most of the homes are considered non -conforming because they violate the setback requirements. He urged the Commission to consider potential changes to the code to address this problem. He noted that height could also be an issue in the downtown residential zones. Mr. Chave agreed to review the current code language to determine what restrictions would potentially apply to situations that involve non-conformance and historic structures. The Commission discussed the importance of informing the property owner of the advantages of listing the house on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. Commissioner Eccleshal said he has discussed these advantages with the property owner, and he offered the Commission's help in facilitating the proposal. The Commission concurred that, at this point, it is up to the property owner to submit a proposal for the City to consider. The Commission discussed the importance of having appropriate incentives to encourage the preservation of historic properties. They suggested it would be appropriate to consider potential code changes that would enable the City to make exceptions to the height and setback requirements, etc. to accommodate and encourage historic preservation. The Commission discussed their disappointment that the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society was not successful in their effort to save the Bettinger House. They discussed that although several members of the Commission offered their expertise, the Society did not express interested in their help. It was suggested they work to resolve this concern before similar proposals come up in the future. They agreed it might be appropriate for the Commission and Society to meet together on a regular basis. Another option would be for each group to appoint a liaison to keep abreast of what is going on. The Commission commended Commissioner Waite, Commissioner Eccleshal and Vice Chair VanTassell for their efforts to relocate the historic structure that is currently located at 555 Main Street. They did an outstanding job coming up with ideas to accomplish the task. It was discussed that these Commissioners could help the interested property owner obtain the necessary permits to relocate the structure. ACTION ITEMS News Article "Then & Now" Commissioner Vogel reported that a "Then & Now" article was published in THE EDMONDS BEACON. Commissioner Vogel and Commissioner Eccleshal agreed to consider possible topics for the next article. Contact List Commissioner Vogel reported that the Education and Outreach Committee is continuing their effort to assemble the contact list, which would not be published on the website. Instead, it would be used internally by the Commission to disseminate announcements and press releases. The committee agreed to assemble a final draft of the list and present it at the next Commission meeting. Chair Deiner-Karr agreed to forward the contact list from the open house to Commissioner Eccleshal. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Deiner-Karr asked the Commission to consider the option of conducting a fall open house at their next meeting. They were encouraged to identify potential goals for the open house. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Vogel reported on his attendance at the National Alliance for Preservation Commissions Conference, which was excellent. He collected materials to share with his fellow Commissioners. He also agreed to distribute copies of the Historic Preservation Commission Minutes August 14, 2008 Page 3 notes he took of various sessions. He announced that the National Preservation Conference is scheduled for October 21" through the 25t' in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commissioner Bruns said she was sorry she didn't know of the conflict that occurred with the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society. She said she knows the people in the Society well, and she could have been a factor in helping them all get together. Commissioner Eccleshal summarized that the problem was lack of communication, but there was no conflict or animosity involved. ADJOURNMENT The Commission meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes August 14, 2008 Page 4