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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Landmark Commission - 08/24/2006 MINUTES ��y" LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS Sr 2008 s� AUGUST 24, 2006 ���j /ED te' ` OFFICE �r MEMBERS PRESENT: Ms. Bunny Tinker, Chairman ��' Ms. Michelle Geiger = Mr. Myron Grossman Dr. Thomas Kreneck Dr. Richard Moore Mr. Herb Morrison Mr. Craig Thompson MEMBERS ABSENT: Ms. Susan Abarca (Excused) Dr. David Blanke (Excused) Mr. David Brown (Excused) Ms. Nita Selby Excused) STAFF PRESENT: Mr.Wesley Vardeman, Planning Technician Ms. Linda Williams, Recording Secretary The meeting was called to order at 4:40 p.m. by Ms. Bunny Tinker, Chairman. The roll was called and a quorum was declared. ACTION ITEMS: Approval of the May 25, 2006 minutes will be approved at the September 28, 2006 meeting. DISCUSSION ITEMS: Submittal of Potential Properties to Review For Possible Designation: Ms. Tinker stated this item was originally scheduled for Mays agenda but no one submitted anything so the item was rescheduled for today's meeting. Ms. Tinker continued that since no one was prepared for today's meeting she asked if the item should be rescheduled for the September 28; 2006. Ms. Tinker continued that if no one submits anything at the September meeting, she didn't think it would be rescheduled. Mr. Thompson stated he had reviewed several sites in the Saxet Heights Subdivision that he thought would be good prospects for designation, and also an apartment complex on Elizabeth Street. Dr. Moore stated he found several houses in the Edgewater Terrace Subdivision that were good examples of post war era that would possibly be good prospects. Ms. Tinkerencouraged commissioners to please have their list at the next meeting. Ms,Tinker informed commissioners that she was contacted by Tanya L. Swails with Gault Aviation, who was interested in pursing "HC" designation on the architectural design of their building. Ms. Tinker continued that the aviation company was owned by Signature Flight Support, which is based In Florida. The company also owns a wooden airport hangar In California. Ms. Tinker added that she had also had a discussion regarding possibly of pursuing a "HC" designation for the old Gainan Chevrolet dealership building located at the corner of Port and Leopard. ,Ms. Tinker continued that the designation would have been based on the architectural design of the structure. Ms. Tinker continued that after further research into the possibility, it was found that there were problems in finding the architectural plans and the engineering plans had not been sealed due to changes in the original design. Ms. Tinker requested staff to send a letter of thanks to Ms. Swails for her interest in pursuing'a designation for their structure and also include a zoning application.. -SCANNED . Landmark Commission Minutes August 24,2006 �_1 Page 2 Proposed Boundary Expansion of Heritage Park to Include the Block West of and/or Adjacent to Heritage Park: Ms. Tinker stated this item came about as a result of Mr. Tom Utters presentation at the May meeting. Ms. Tinker continued that with the relocation of the Mary Carroll House to its present site, 'discussion ensued regarding the Landmark Commission coming up with an overall plan that would connect the two block area of Heritage Park with the additional and adjacent city property, Mr. Morrison stated he had contacted a member of the local chapter of the AIA and briefly discussed the idea of the chapter.hosting a chareffee with the local historical community, staff, commissioners and others interested in developing an overall development plan for the area. The response received to the idea was lukewarm. Ms. Tinker stated it would be great if city staff, together with the commission, could come up with an overall plan for the Heritage Park area. Mr. Wesley Vardeman, city staff, addressed the commission, Mr. Vardeman stated he would contact Mr. Utter to see what could be done in getting a dialogue started and what possible steps should be taken in developing a plan for the area. Ms. Tinker requested staff to get pictures of the blocks south of the Seaman Center which would lead into this area. Ms. linker continued that if the commission would have had design review over the two-blocks,the Mary Carroll House would not have been located where it is today. Mr. Grossman stated when the deal was initially made, the house was to be relocated and placed in Heritage Park, but instead it was relocated to where it now sits. Mr. Vardeman stated that the only problem that might be a hindrance to obtaining "HC" designation for the structure would be the parking. Ms. Tinker stated the commission should already have design guidelines for the block that the Seamen Center Is located in. Dr. Moore asked outside of parking requirements, what would be the vision for the area and Ms. Tinker answered that ultimately the goal would be to designate the area as a district, but since the city does not have historical districts, developing an overall plan for the area would be the first priority. Mr. Morrison stated that since the city already owns the property between Hughes and Brewster Streets, the Landmark Commission could pursue designation of those properties and worry about the others at a later date. Ms. Tinker stated she would like to request staff to be available in helping the commission create design guidelines for the Ropes' Home. Update on the Unified Development Code: Ms. Sylvia Arispe, City Planner, addressed the commission, Ms. Arispe stated that the Unified Development Code was in public review draft form and the consultant has requested that all comments be submitted by the end of October with a projected date of adoption in November. Ms. Arispe continued that substantial public comment has been received on the draff document and some of the comments have raised concern for some people. There was a lot of information contained in the document to be disseminated,and to understand. Ms. Arispe stated the developers expressed great concern of implementing the Code, as is, because it would greatly Increase development costs. As a result, staff has been requested to slow down and create a new time table to implement the Code in phases instead of the entire document. Ms. Arispe continued that there were some changes added to the "Historic Overlay District" which would be of interest to the Landmark Commission, Ms. Arispe stated one of the proposed changes was to designate entire areas rather than parcel-by-parcel. Also included would bearchitectural standards that include stricter guidelines regardingupkeep of property to what colors to use, type of grass, landscaping and prohibiting parking in the front yard. Ms. Arispe continued that ft was found in one community meeting that landscaping was not readilyaccepted because, in this particular community, landscaping was not viewed as an aesthetic enhancement, but as a possible safety issue. Ms. Arispe stated that the code would allow the Landmark Commission to exempt certain parking requirements. SUMMARY SHEET LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 24, 2006 1, Ms. Sylvia Arispe, City Planner, presented an update on the Unified Development Code. No action was taken. Landmark Commission Minutes August 24,2006 Page 3 Ms. Tinker asked if the new code would eliminate what is already in place and Ms. Arispe responded that the code would be in addition to. Mr. Thompson asked if there would be a checklist for the commission to use and Ms. Arispe answered that the code itself would be the checklist. Ms. Arispe continued that the"HC overlay would be indexed as the"10"District. Ms. Tinker stated when an area has been designated; design guidelines were established for each district. Ms. Arispe added that if the underlying zoning district was too stringent, the overlay district would even more stringent. Mr. Morrison stated that if the overlay was going to be more problematic, that could be a negative impact on what the commission was trying to accomplish in getting properties designated. Ms. Arispe continued that a matrix for the UDC had become a contentious document and was becoming a watered-down version of what was originally proposed. The UDC was divided into four (4) modules: administration, infrastructure, landscaping and development. Mr. Morrison asked which areas were the largest areas of contention and Ms. Arispe stated any requirement or restriction that increased the overall cost. Examples given were landscaped islands in parking lots, buffers between the different districts, and infrastructure fees. Ms. Tinker asked if the document was inline with other communities throughout the nation and Ms. Arispe answered yes. Ms. Arispe continued that to fully implement what was originally proposed in the UDC would greatly enchance the quality of life for the city, but because of the cost factors, what would be actually adopted could be something totally different. Mr. Thompson asked if there was a new time line and Ms. Arispe answered staff was looking at February or March of 2007 for possibly adoption instead of November. Ms. Arispe stated a "Blue Ribbon" Committee was created to be a part of the process and staff is working on doing a better job in educating the public regarding the UDC, since its implementation will adversely affect others more than some. After all comments and discussion concluded, thanks were expressed to Ms. Arispe for attending todays meeting and providing an update on the status of the UDC. Other Matters: Ms. Tinker stated commissioners need to be actively recruiting members for the commission. There are four vacancies that need to be filled. Anyone interested should contact staff or the City Secretarys office for an application to complete and submit. Ms, Tinker updated commissioners on the result of the request of renaming Winnebago Street. Ms. Tinker stated that instead of pursuing the name change, the developers decided the high-rise building would have an Upper Broadway address. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m. 411 Linda- Williams Wesley Vardeman Recoding Secretary Acting Staff Liaison to Landmark Commission (H:PLN-DIR\WORDILANDMARKIMINUTES AUGU2406,MINS) SUMMARY SHEET LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 24, 2006 1, Ms. Sylvia Arispe, City Planner, presented an update on the Unified Development Code. No action was taken.