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2009-06-11 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION SUMMARY MINUTES June 11, 2009 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Eccleshall called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 4:30 p.m. in the 3" Floor Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5`h Avenue North. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Andy Eccleshall, Chair Larry Vogel, Vice Chair Sue Bauer Alan Macfarlane Eric Norenberg Steve Waite Michael Plunkett READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES STAFF PRESENT Rob Chave, Planning and Development Services Manager (arrived at 4:45 p.m.) Diane Cunningham, Planning and Dev. Services Frances Chapin, Cultural Services Manager COMMISSIONERS ABSENT Jennifer Anttila (excused) Christine Deiner-Karr (excused) Daniel Kerege (excused) COMMISSIONER BAUER MOVED THE COMMISSION APPROVE THE MINUTES OF MAY 14, 2009 AS SUBMITTED. VICE CHAIR VOGEL SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA The agenda was accepted as presented. 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. Review and Vote on Commission's Recommendations for a Historic Preservation Plan for the 4`b Avenue Cultural Corridor Proiect The Commission and staff reviewed the latest draft of the proposed language. It was noted that this is a preliminary document that is intended to be a statement of the Commission's position and recommendation on the concept of creating a Historic District or Overlay. Further details and criteria would be worked out in the future. As the Commission reviewed the document, they made the following observations and changes: • The title of the document should be changed to "Recommendations for a Historic Preservation Plan for the 4 h Avenue Cultural Corridor Project. • While the corridor for the project extends 'h blocks further on 4`h Avenue, the Commission felt it would be less complicated to start the Historic Overlay Area at the boundary of the BD1 zone. The area could be extended at a later date. • The 15` bulleted item on Page 1 should be changed to read, "The Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission recommends the establishment, with input from citizens and property owners, of either a Historic District or Historic Overlay, which incorporates and helps to preserve..." It was emphasized that creation of a Historic District or Overlay would require citizen and property owner input, and the City Council would be responsible for deciding what the appropriate public process would be and what level of property owner consent would be required. • The 3rd bulleted item on Page 1 should be changed to read, "Develop and apply incentives for context sensitive rehabilitation, maintenance and development of properties within the corridor, such as ..." It was discussed that in order to protect the character of the corridor, the incentives should apply to properties that are listed on the Register, properties that have been surveyed but not yet listed on the Register, and properties that contribute to the historic character. At some point, it might be appropriate to use incentives to encourage the remaining properties to develop in a context sensitive way, as well. Ms. Chapin explained that the document would be attached to the overall 4`h Avenue Cultural Corridor Report, which would be presented to the City Council on June 23`d. The document would eventually be submitted to the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and the National Historic Preservation Office. Mr. Chave noted that approval of the document would be subject to minor technical corrections that might be identified before it is submitted to the State and National Organizations. CHAIR ECCLESHALL MOVED THE COMMISSION ACCEPT THE DOCUMENT "RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN FOR THE 4TH AVENUE CULTURAL CORRIDOR PROJECT," WITH THE CHANGES NOTED ABOVE. VICE CHAIR VOGEL SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Discussion of Boundaries for 41h Avenue Area Historic Overlay and How to Proceed Chair Eccleshall suggested the Commission schedule a special meeting to tour 41h Avenue and identify possible boundaries for the 4`h Avenue Historic District or Overlay. He clarified that the current map identifies properties within the proposed area that have been surveyed, but it does not identify the actual boundaries. He emphasized that the overlay boundaries do not have to match the boundaries identified in the 4`h Avenue Cultural Plan. The Commission agreed a special meeting would be appropriate. Status of Previously Nominated Properties that Have Not Responded Chair Eccleshall referred to an email he sent to the Commissioners identifying those properties that have been nominated but the property owners have not responded. He reported that the owner of Great Northern Railway Section Foreman's House (Mr. Nicholson) has submitted his agreement to the City, but the owners of the Railroad Station have not responded. Commissioner Bauer reported that three City -owned properties (Ganahl-Hanley Log Cabin, Edmonds Memorial Cemetery, and Brackett's Landing) are scheduled for review and approval on the City Council's agenda. She further reported that she hasn't heard back from the owner of the Beeson Building. The Stevens Hotel has been scheduled on the City Council's June 16`h consent agenda. Chair Eccleshall advised that the owner of the Briggs House, a craftsman house on 3rd Avenue, expressed a desire to be nominated for the Register, as well. The Commission discussed the need to develop a strategy for getting owners of significant historic properties (Beeson House, Princess Theater, and Mowatt House) to sign the required agreement so that the properties could be included on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. The Commission directed the Registration and Education and Outreach Committees Historic Preservation Commission June 11, 2009 Page 2 meet together to identify some possible ideas for the Commission to consider at their next meeting. It was noted that if more than three Commissioners would be present at the committee meeting, the meeting must be advertised to the public. It was noted that Sound Transit and Amtrak have plans to refurbish the Edmonds Railroad Station, and concern was expressed that the changes could decrease the historic value of the structure. Mr. Chave said his understanding is that the changes to the building would be fairly minor in nature and most of the project would involve platforms, lighting, etc. COMMITTEE REPORTS Registration Committee Commissioner Bauer reported that the Registration Committee did not meet during the past month. She suggested that before the Registration Committee moves onto another batch of properties, the Commission should consider opportunities for expanding the incentive program and addressing some of the issues that have been raised by property owners. She agreed to investigate what other successful small cities have done to provide incentives for historic preservation and report back to the Commission at their next meeting. The Commission brief discussed ideas for obtaining support from the majority of property owners on 4`h Avenue. It was suggested the Commission start with a template from another comparable City, make changes to address their goals and ideas, and then present it to the property owners for feedback. The Commission agreed it would be better to go to the property owners on 4th Avenue with an idea rather than a finished product. It was also suggested the Commission invite property owners who are in favor of the concept to help the Commission sell the idea to their neighbors. Education and Outreach Committee Chair Eccleshall reported that the Education and Outreach Committee did not meet during the past month. However, THE PRESERVATIONIST is ready to be published. Vice Chair Vogel advised that he would post THE PRESERVATIONIST on the Commission's website, and it would be forwarded to both THE EDMONDS BEACON and THE ENTERPRISE as a press release, and Commissioner Norenberg has agreed to distribute copies of the document throughout the community. He suggested the Commission consider opportunities for improving the quality of the printing, and members of the Commission agreed to split the cost of professional printing. Chair Eccleshall advised that the next edition of THE PRESERVATIONIST would feature an article on the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Hall, and he has started collecting information. He has contacted the local head of the Order of Odd Fellows who agreed to come up with a list of the original members. Once he has collected the information, he would invite a Commissioner to write the next article. Preservation Planning Committee Chair Eccleshall reported the Preservation Planning Committee did not meet during the past month. Commissioner Norenberg reported that the Federal Government has put together a project to record and document historic buildings, feats of engineering, and significant landscaping and open space features. The goal of the project was to create jobs, but it resulted in a large document that can be accessed via the Smithsonian Institute's website. He suggested it would be fun to create a local version of this document, especially in the case of buildings that may be compromised or lost in the foreseeable future. The Commission agreed that a local version of the document would be a great asset to the City, particularly for properties that are not identified in the BOLA Report. However, they recognized that a project of this type would take a significant amount of time. Commissioner Norenberg agreed to brainstorm the concept further and provide suggestions for moving forward at the Commission's next meeting. Historic Preservation Commission June 11, 2009 Page 3 Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society Mr. Macfarlane did not provide any report during this portion of the meeting. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Cunningham advised that the ordinances for the Edmonds Memorial Cemetery, Brackett's Landing and the Olympic View Hotel would be presented to the City Council on June 16d' as part of their consent agenda. However, there is nothing in the minutes to indicate the Commission took formal action on the Brackett's Landing and Edmonds Memorial Cemetery sites. While the items have been moved forward to the City Council, she cautioned that the Commission should make sure they take formal action on items in the future. Ms. Cunningham reported that staff ran out of time to complete the ordinance for the Ganahl-Hanley Log Cabin. It would be scheduled on the City Council's consent agenda at a later time. Chair Eccleshall and Commissioner Bauer agreed to work with staff to finalize the ordinance. ACTION ITEMS The Preservationist This item was discussed earlier on the agenda as part of the Education and Outreach Committee Report. Media Events There were no media events to discuss during this portion of the meeting. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Eccleshall announced that he would not be in attendance at the next two Commission meetings. Vice Chair Vogel would serve as chair on those two dates. Chair Eccleshal reminded the Commission of a previous discussion that it would be interesting to identify how much the owners of the Edmonds Bank building would have saved if their property had been listed on the Register before they started their remodel. Commissioner Waite agreed to help Chair Eccleshall calculate this savings and report back to the Commission at their next meeting. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Vice Chair Vogel encouraged Commissioners to attend the current feature at the theater. Ms. Cunningham announced that the City received a letter from the City of Everett announcing a public meeting on their Downtown Historic Preservation Plan on June 23rd. She provided copies for interested Commissioners. Vice Chair Vogel reported on his recent visit to Bellingham, particularly the Fair Haven Historic District. It is clear that the residents in the area value the district, and it is difficult to describe the positive energy that exists. His visit inspired him to think about what could be done in Edmonds. 0 0141" t1lelu 1010 1 The Commission meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission June 11, 2009 Page 4