2010-11-18 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SUMMARY MINUTES
November 18, 2010
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Chair Vogel called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 5:35 p.m. in the 3Td Floor
Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5th Avenue North.
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT STAFF PRESENT
Larry Vogel, Chair Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager
Sue Bauer, Vice Chair Diane Cunningham, Planning and Development Services
Jennifer Anttila
Andy Eccleshall COMMISSIONERS ABSENT
Alan Macfarlane Christine Deiner-Karr (excused)
Eric Norenberg John Dewhirst (excused)
Steve Waite Michael Plunkett
READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
VICE CHAIR BAUER MOVED THE COMMISSION APPROVE THE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 14, 2010 AS
PRESENTED. COMMISSIONER NORENBERG 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.
PRESENTATION BY MEGAN DUVALL. DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORIC
PRESERVATION
Megan Duvall, Certified Local Government (CLG) Coordinator, Washington State Department of Archaeology and
Historic Preservation, explained that Edmonds already offers a special tax valuation incentive to owners who place their
properties on City register, but this incentive really only benefits owners who are getting ready to make improvements to
their buildings. Beyond that, there are not a lot of additional incentives to offer property owners unless the City was to
identify independent local incentives for owners who list their properties on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. These
local incentives would be attractive to primarily commercial properties and larger developments and could include relaxing
parking requirements, waiving building permits, offering fagade easements, and establishing a fagade improvement program.
Ms. Duvall referred to Hillyard, an old railroad town that was annexed into the City of Spokane that received a CLG Grant
for $10,000. The grant was matched by the City of Spokane, and the money was awarded to property owners to complete
fagade improvements with the condition that the properties must be listed on the local register. This same program has been
used successfully in Cle Elum. Upon the request of Chair Vogel, Ms. Duvall agreed to share some before and after
photographs of properties that participated in the program.
Ms. Duvall advised that CLG grant opportunities will be announced by the end of January, and applications are typically due
in April. Applicants will be invited to present their proposals to the panel sometime in May, and the panel would make their
final decision shortly thereafter. Grant funding would be available October 1st. If the City receives grant funding for fagade
improvements, they could solicit applications from property owners and use a design review process to award the funding to
properties listed on their local Register. They could require property owners to provide matching funds. The City would be
required to provide upfront funding for each project, and the State would reimburse the City when the project has been
satisfactorily completed. She emphasized that no specific project designs must be submitted as part of the application for
CLG grant funding.
Vice Chair Bauer questioned if the City could mention the fagade improvement program as a potential incentive for listing
properties on the local Register. Ms. Duvall agreed they could announce that their next intended grant application would be
for a fagade improvement program. However, she cautioned that there is no guarantee the City will receive funding for the
program next year. The majority of the Commissioners agreed it would be appropriate to obtain the grant funding before
announcing the program to property owners.
Mr. Chave asked if other jurisdictions have voluntary historic registers. Ms. Duvall answered that there are 48 Certified
Local Governments (CLGs) in Washington State, and almost all are voluntary registers. Mr. Chave asked if other
jurisdictions allow owners to remove properties from their registers. Ms. Duvall answered that she tries to convince
jurisdictions to take this language out of their ordinance before it is formally adopted. Most ordinances state that only the
historic preservation commission can remove a property from the register. Mr. Chave explained that, as currently adopted,
the City allows owners to remove their properties from the local Register unless they have taken advantage of a specific
incentive. He noted that, absent of incentives, the City does not have the ability to require owners to keep their properties on
the register. Ms. Duvall suggested the City could require property owners who take advantage of a facade improvement
grant program to sign a contract with the City that the property would remain in its current condition for 10 years.
Commissioner Eccleshall asked if the application for CLG grant funding would require the Commission to identify specific
properties that would be eligible for the program. Ms. Duvall clarified that the Commission could request the money without
identifying specific properties. She suggested that the application should, however, indicate the number of fagade
improvement projects the Commission wants to sponsor and the amount of money each project would receive. Changes to
the number of projects and the amount each would receive could be worked out as the year progresses. Mr. Chave
emphasized that it would make the application stronger to have at least a few potential property owners lined up to
participate in the program. Ms. Duvall agreed this would be helpful to include in the application, but not mandatory. She
said it would also be helpful if the City Council were to commit some matching funds for the program.
Chair Vogel asked if the City would lose any grant funds that are not spent by the end of the grant period. Ms. Duvall
answered that there is some room for flexibility. She pointed out that property owners that participate in the fagade
improvement program could be encouraged to also take advantage of the special tax valuation incentive and perhaps do
additional improvements to the building.
Ms. Duvall asked how Snohomish County has used their funding from House Bill 1386. She explained that approximately
five years ago, an additional $5 fee was attached to every title and deed recorded in the county, and this money was
specifically earmarked for historic preservation or historic document preservation. She suggested the Commission research
how this funding has been used in Snohomish County. Perhaps there are opportunities for local funding.
The Commission discussed various options for obtaining mitigation funding to protect Brackett's Landing as a result of
future Washington State Ferries projects. Ms. Duvall noted that Section 106 of the Federal Historic Preservation Act
requires that any projects that include federal involvement must be looked at by the State's Department of Archaeology and
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November 18, 2010 Page 2
Historic Preservation for its impact to historic resources. Therefore, the State has a voice in this process to encourage the
creative mitigation of impacts.
Vice Chair Bauer asked Ms. Duvall to share information about the Federal tax credit program. Ms. Duvall answered that the
Federal tax credit is a one-time, 20% tax credit that can be used in combination with other incentives such as the special tax
valuation. Eligible properties must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, it only applies to
commercial, income -producing properties that are not considered the property owner's place of residence. Properties that
participate in the special tax valuation program are reassessed each year for 10 years, and the amount of money spent on
improvements is subtracted.
Vice Chair Bauer pointed out that the City's ordinance appears to imply that the Commission is responsible for ferreting out
candidates for the National Register. Ms. Duvall said local CLG's are required to review any National Register nominations
that come out of their jurisdiction. Therefore, the Commission would be the first body to review nominations for properties
in Edmonds before they are forwarded to the State advisory group for consideration. She summarized that while the
Commission could create a nomination for the National Register, they should focus their time on the local Register.
At the request of Commissioner Waite, Ms. Duvall explained that historic districts are wonderful, but probably the most
controversial tool available to the Commission, depending on the level of support from the community. Mr. Chave said that,
as per the ordinance, the City Council authorized the Commission to pursue a historic district, but they did not specify the
percentage of votes that would be required. Ms. Duvall said most communities in Washington require a positive vote from a
simple majority of property owners. She suggested that establishing a fagade improvement program and emphasizing the
special tax valuation incentive would help sell the historic district concept to the community. She explained that the benefit
of a district is that every contributing property would be eligible for the incentives. However, changes to any property in the
district, whether contributing or non-contributing, would be subject to design review and approval by the Commission.
The Commission discussed the difference between historic districts and historic overlay zones. Ms. Duvall explained that
although an overlay would impose certain regulatory requirements, it should not be used as a vehicle for getting incentives
because properties would not actually be listed on the register. Mr. Chave clarified that every property within a historic
overlay zone would be subject to specific design standards and design review procedures, but the overlay would not
necessarily apply the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for rehabilitation. He added that although a majority vote is not
required for a historic overlay zone, the Commission previously discussed that it would be politically difficult to impose this
concept without support from the property owners.
Mr. Chave explained that, as per the ordinance, the Commission has the ability to nominate and recommend approval of
properties for the Register. However, the properties are not actually added to the Register until the owners have given their
consent. Ms. Duvall said that in other jurisdictions, owners typically nominate their own properties for the historic register
so they can utilize the special tax valuation and other incentive. She noted that Seattle, King County, Tacoma, and
Lakewood are the only jurisdictions that do not require owner's consent before listing properties on their local registers.
Ms. Duvall said plaque programs are also great incentives. The Commission indicated that their program provides plaques
for each property listed on their Register. Mr. Chave pointed out that because owners can withdraw their properties from the
Register, the plaques are generic and can be reused.
Commissioner Anttila expressed her concern that it might be necessary to create historic districts in downtown Edmonds
before it is demolished. Vice Chair Bauer noted that all owners of historic property in downtown Edmonds have been
notified that their properties have been nominated for the Register, but most have either declined or failed to respond. Ms.
Duvall said many other jurisdictions are struggling with this same problem. Mr. Chave observed that communities that have
been established as CLG's for longer periods of time have a track record and momentum. The benefits of listing on the
Register are more visible, and it is not so hard to get property owners on board. He suggested one positive approach would
be to invite property owners on the Register to participate in the fagade improvement program. These improvements would
be highly visible and would allow other property owners to better understand the benefits associated with the Register. To
help educate the public, Ms. Duvall suggested the Commission consider establishing a blog that provides stories and photos
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about local history and historic properties. She said she has been very surprised at the positive response the State has
received for their blog.
Vice Chair Bauer asked why no other jurisdictions, besides Spokane and Seattle, have used fagade easements as an incentive
for historic preservation. She expressed concern about Downtown Edmonds, which is quickly being ruined by speculative
real estate. Many property owners in the downtown are no longer appropriately maintaining their buildings because they
anticipate the economy will improve and they can sell for redevelopment. The City has limited buildings heights and
increased parking requirements to discourage mixed -use redevelopment of historic buildings, but it is difficult to get people
to recognize the value of the traditional downtown. She expressed her belief that a fagade easement program could be a
valuable incentive for encouraging historic preservation. Ms. Duvall said she does not have extensive knowledge about
fagade easements. She questioned if owners would view them as a property value reduction because the building's fagade
would be owned by the City. Vice Chair Bauer pointed out that property owners who are on the National Register and
participate in a fagade easement program are eligible to receive a Federal tax credit equal to the difference between a pre -
appraisal and an appraisal of the property if it had been redeveloped to its highest and best use.
Mr. Chave said the tax credit is an incremental amount relative to the total value of the property. Seattle uses the fagade
easement as part of an overall incentive package for larger projects. However, it is typically not the driving incentive. Ms.
Duvall added that the fagade easement process is almost too daunting to be a desirable option for small projects.
Ms. Duvall invited the Commissioners to call her with more questions at her office (360-586-3074) or on her cell phone
(360-584-5900). Her email address is megan.duvall@dahp.wa.gov.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Registration Committee
The Registration Committee did not have any items to report.
Education and Outreach Committee
Chair Vogel provided a draft of the next edition of THE PRESERVATIONIST, which features the Palmer House. He said he
would try to include a picture of the inscription on a log in the attic of the house dating back to 1895. He would also contact
Council Member Plunkett, who indicated a desire to sponsor the cost of printing.
Chair Vogel announced that a press event is scheduled for December 1, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at the Palmer House. He agreed
to notify the various local newspapers and invite them to attend. Copies of THE PRESERVATIONIST should be available for
distribution at the event, as well. The Mayor has indicated enthusiastic support for the event.
Preservation Planning Committee
Commissioner Waite reported that the Preservation
Comprehensive Plan as it relates to historic preservation.
OTHER REPORTS
Edmonds South Snohomish Countv Historical Socie
Planning Committee is in the process of reviewing the City's
Commissioner Macfarlane announced that a new Exhibit titled, "Playing with the Past: A Festive Trip Down Memory
Lane," opened on November IOth and will remain on display through December 31st. The exhibit is a display of antique
childhood toys. He read an article about the exhibit, which was published in the November 10tn ENTERPRISE.
NEW BUSINESS
Discussion on Updated Strategic Plan
Ms. Cunningham reminded the Commission that their Strategic Plan needs to be updated. Commissioner Waite advised that
the Preservation Planning Committee would work on this project and report back at a future meeting.
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Final Calendar Photo Selection
Commissioner Norenberg agreed to review the photographs for the calendar and present his preferred choices to the
Commission for final acceptance. To aid in the final selection process, he invited Commissioners to forward him their
individual lists of what they view as the top 10 dates in Edmonds history.
Potential Property Nominations
Vice Chair Bauer indicated she would revisit the status of the Beason Building nomination. Ms. Cunningham reported that
Commissioner Eccleshall recently turned in a nomination from Ms. Muir for property that is referred to as "the Edmonds
Arboretum" and is located near South County Park. While Ms. Muir provided a stack of documents, none of them provided
sufficient information for staff to prepare a report, and they have been unable to locate additional information elsewhere.
Vice Chair Bauer agreed to contact Ms. Muir and invite her to provide the necessary information for staff to proceed with the
nomination.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS
Chair Vogel reported that Commissioner Eccleshall invited the Commissioners to visit the museum after the meeting, where
refreshments are being served.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Commissioner Anttila asked that a discussion regarding plaque location be placed on the December 9th agenda.
Commissioner Norenberg asked if the Commission could apply for grant money to help the City and/or Commission
purchase and preserve historic properties. Commissioner Anttila suggested it might be better to approach Snohomish County
for money from the House Bill 1386 fund. Commissioner Norenberg suggested the Rose House would be a prime candidate
for grant funding.
ADJOURNMENT
The Commission meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.
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