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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Landmark Commission - 02/23/1995 MINUTES LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS FEBRUARY 23, 1995 MEMBERS PRESENT: Mr.Edwin Goodman, Chairman Mr.James Cat:on Mr.Joe Dove Mr. Neel Fulghum Mr.Adam Stager Ms.Pam Lakhani Mr.Ronald Smith Mr. Charles Speed Ms.Bunny Tinker MEMBERS ABSENT: Ms.Melissa Nucete (Excused) Mr. Leslie Mabrey,Advisory Mr. Govind Nadkarni (Excused) Mr.Joe Williams (Excused) Mr.John Wright (Excused) STAFF PRESENT: Mr.Michael Gunning, Senior Planner Ms.Faryce Goode-Macon, City Planner Ms.Linda Williams,Recording Secretary The meeting was called to order by Mr. Edwin Goodman, Chairman at 4:40 p.m. The roll was called and a quorum was not present. Upon arrival of Mr. Joe Dove, a quorum was declared. ACTION 1TE IS) Approval of Minutes for January 28. 1995; The minutes for January 28, 1995 were approved with the following corrections: Page 1, second paragraph, third sentence -- the word feels was replaced with the correct word "fills." Page 3,first paragraph,second sentence, "After a brief discussion, Mr.Joe Dove was appointed to chair...Ms.Lakhani and Ms.Nucete SCANNED Landmark Commission Meeting February 23, 1995 Page 2 were appointed as members." Ms.Lakhani's name was deleted as a member of the committee. Approval of Nominating Committee's Recommendation FotChairman and Vice Chairman: Mr. Joe Dove, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, stated they met and the committee's recommendation was that Edwin Goodman be re-elected as Chairman and Pam Lakhani as Vice-Chairman. There being no other nominations, the following action was taken IT WAS MOVED BY MR.DOVE AND SECONDED BY MR. CATRON THAT THE NOMINATIONS BE CLOSED. MOTION PASSED. The Landmark Commission accepted and approved the Nominating Committee's recommendation of Edwin Goodman as Chairman and Pam Lakhani as Vice Chairman of the Landmark Commission for 1995. Review "HC" Zoning Procedures & Potential Properties for "HC" Mosta Ms. Macon stated that at the January meeting, Staff was instructed to bring to the February meeting slides of potential potential structures that the commission could review for possible "HC" designation. Ms. Macon continued she compiled approximately twenty (20) slides on structures to be reviewed and, after the review, the commission could select four(4) properties for further research before pursuing a"HC"classification. After Ms.Macon's statements,Mr. Goodman asked if Ms. Victor would be commenting on the slides,and if so,she could begin her presentation. For benefit of new commissioners, Ms. Sally Victor introduced herself. Ms. Victor stated she was a preservation consultant who resided in Mason, Texas, but she was born and raised in Corpus Christi. Ms. Victor stated she began with working with Planning Staff in 1988 when the first phase of the Preservation Site Survey was done through a windshield survey. Landmark CommisslolMeethng February 23, 1995 Page 3 Since 1988 additional phases have been completed:Phases II, H-A,and Phase Ha will be completed by April 30, 1995. At this point, Mr. Goodman asked if Ms. Victor would be commenting on the "HC"zoning and Ms.Macon explained that she requested Ms. Victor to add further comments on the slides of potential government buildings that could be zoned "HC" since she was the consultant who Initially surveyed the structures. Ms. Macon continued that in addition, the information provided In the packet did not include all of the public buildings because all of the phases have not been completed. Ms. Victor Is here today to expand the list of public structures that she surveyed during Phase II-B, which included the downtown area. At this point,Ms. Macon referred to the site survey data sheets and explained that the structures were previously rated by the consultant and on some of the structures, the commission changed the priority rating. On the sheets that the commission gave a different rating, the rating was typed underneath the consultant's rating with the meeting date in which it was changed. Ms. Macon continued that the goal of the Landmark Commission Is to be able to present two to four properties to City Council for "HC" zoning. It should be decided If the properties are to be designated as"HC-1" or"BC-F."Properties zoned"HC-1 means the entire property and grounds are zoned"BC-1"and under"HC-r- the facade of the building abutting the street Is zoned"BC-F"only. Mr. Goodman added that a year ago, the Landmark Commission created the "HC" Ordinance and the Ordinance provided a temporary delay so that the structures could not be arbitrarily torn down. Mr.Goodman gave as an example, an item on today's agenda that the commission will be making a decision on whether to release the stay of demolition on three properties. Mr. Goodman continued that the properties are listed on the Preservation Site Survey and under the new"BC"Ordinance,the Landmark Commission has thirty(30)days to review the properties and contact the owners to see if a workable alternative can be found other than tearing the structures down. Mr. Goodman continued that after the thirty-day review and no Landmark Commission Meeting February 23, 1995 Page 4 workable solution was found,the owners would be able to continue with their original plans; which is to tear the structures down. After further discussion,the following slides were shown: o Blucher Park• 110 North Carrizo Ms.Tinker asked if any commissioner knew why the priority rating was changed to medium and Ms.Macon answered she thought the rating was changed because it was felt that the park was not in jeopardy. Mr.Eager stated that there was no danger of the park being altered because of the deed restriction placed by the Blucher Family. If the park was altered in any way,the park would revert back to the Blucher Family. Ms.Tinker commented that whether a property was in danger should not be part of the criteria for rating a property or deciding whether it can be designated. Ms. Tinker continued that If the commission Is looking at structures to determine whether or not they can be designated, the rating should be based on their importance and how they relate to the community,not whether they are in danger. Ms.Macon added that she envisioned that a majority of the structures included in the packet would eventually be designated "BC," but the purpose at today's meeting is to determine which four(4)structures would be selected to initiate the process. Ms. Tinker interjected that the selection would be based on, more or less,whether the commission can successfully anticipate getting the designation on a structure, not whether it is in danger. Ms.Macon commented that is why the commission wanted to start with government properties,and the selection can be narrowed to City government properties. Mr. Goodman added that he felt Blucher Park would be an excellent candidate to pursue"BC"designation on. Mr. Goodman asked Mr. Gunning what was his thoughts and Mr. Gunning replied that he concurred with Mr.Goodman's statement and continued that one of the things that the commission should be trying to do is to test the zoning process for properties for"BC" designation through one of the classifications and also to begin establishing the"BC"districts Landmark Commissio%eeting February 23, 1995 Page 5 based on the commission's recommendations. Mr. Gunning stated his feeling, from Staff's point of view, is that Staff wanted to initially identify three or four properties that they felt comfortable with and move forward with in submitting applications on. Mr. Gunning went on to say that It did not mean that Staff would not follow through on other properties within the next several months and recommend"HC"zoning on those also. Mr.Gunning went on to say that it was real important that the commission pursue those properties that would result in a high level of success on the first attempt on getting properties designated. Mr. Gunning continued that the Preservation Plan calls for a re-evaluation of the protected properties. Mr. Gunning explained that for properties that may be rated medium at this time, later on the rating could be changed. o Kinney Street Bridge-806 Kinney. Bridge is immediately adjacent to Blucher Park and It abuts Harry Pond's property. Ms. Victor interjected that the bridge was included in the survey because the possibility of a National Register District was envisioned, which included Blucher Park,the bridge, and the houses that front onto Blucher Park. Ms.Victor continued that this was one of the reasons all of the properties were rated "high." It did not matter whether there is a covenant or not. Ms.Victor continued that she normally totals the number of properties that are rated high, medium, and low in an area so as to come up with a good balance. W. Victor went on to say that, as a result, there is a small percentage of high priority properties and the major percentages fall in either a "medium"or low"category because if everything is rated"high," the rating system would be ineffective. Ms. Victor continued that only the important structures should be rated as a"high"priority. Ms. Tinker added that the bridge may not be adjacent to Blucher Park because of the old railroad trestle located In between. o Carancahua Street Fire Station-209 S. Carancahua(City owned) o Apartment Building-801 S. Carancahua(City owned) Landmark Commission Westing February 23, 1995 Page 6 o South Bluff Park• 900 Park Avenue(City owned) o Centennial Museum-902 Park Avenue(City owned) o BluttlTunnel Improvements - 600-609 Lower North Broadway(City owned)and listed on the National Register of Historic Places o French-Galvan House & Heritage Park - 1581 N. Chaparral (application would include the entire Heritage Park complex) o Leathers Housing Projects I & H - 1800 Winnebago (statelfederal owned) o Building at 1621 N.Mesquite-across the street from Heritage Park o Water Street Storm Water Pumping Plant- 1218 North Water(City owned) o CCISD maintenance Department Building- 1220 Agnes Street(CCISD owned) o Oak Park Elementary School-3701 Mueller(CCISD owned) o Miller High School Stadium & Gymnasium - 1 Battin' BIN (CCISD owned) o Lamar Elementary School•2212 Morris(CCISD owned) o New Bayview Cemetery,Nueces City Cemetery• 1501 Kennedy(City owned) o Booker T. Washington SchooIIHIALCO Building - 1114 Sam Rankin (City owned) o Solomon Coles Elementary School-924 Winnebago(CCISD owned) A question was asked why the school was rated "high" and Ms. Victor responded that the Black community really grow and evolved Landmark CommissionMeting February 23, 1995 Page 7 around the schooL It was the "black" school in the city for many years and it was named after Solomon Melvin Coles, a former slave,and he was the first principal of the schooL At this point,Mr. Eager asked if the zoning ordinance would restrict alterations made to this building and it was answered that any changes proposed would be reviewed by the Master Review Committee and the Landmark Commission. Mr. Eager continued that it seems that since alterations have already been made to the facade of the building, it would be pointless for the commission to further restrict the school district if more alterations are needed. Ms. Victor commented on Mr. [(lager's statement by saying that the gymnasium located adjacent to the school is virtually intact and there are other elements of that complex that are still in good architectural condition. Ms. Victor continued that this particular facade shown on the slide has been altered drastically, but what she was trying to do was to look at the entire complex of buildings. Ms. Victor went on to say that in her opinion, schools were one of the category of buildings that were most likely to be renovated. Schools go through more renovations almost more than any other category of buildings. Ms. Victor continued that if the commission could have reviewed that building before facade changes occurred, better decisions might have been facilitated. After reviewing the slides presented by Staff, the floor was opened for discussion and Ms. Victor was asked to present her recommendation of structures to be added to the list. The following sites were submitted for consideration: o Retaining Wall o Breakwater o Cooper's Alley L•Read Landmark Commission keeting February 23, 1995 Page 8 o Lawrence Street T-Head o People Street T-Head Ms. Victor commented that the above sites were considered to be an engineering complex built between 1925 and 1941. It is City-owned and it is very important to flood water,tide retention--keeping flood waters out of the downtown area. Ms.Victor explained that the retaining wall is the steps leading down the beach area; the breakwater - is the semi-circle rock construction that makes and protects the harbor,Cooper's Alley L- Head and the Lawrence Street T-Head and the two other sites associated with the above at which are the stormwater pumping plants built in 194& All of the other engineering elements were built between 1925 and 1941. Ms. Victor continued that it was her feeling that building the retaining wall, breakwater, and L and T-heads were very important planning construction projects after the destructive 1919 hurricane. They were built very soon after the 1919 hurricane for $2.5 million. Mr. Goodman asked if the projects would be included as one item for designation as opposed to doing each one and Ms. Victor answered she saw the entire area as one Item. It was constructed over a span of twenty years. Mr. Gunning commented that if the commission wanted Staff to review them as one item, it could be submitted as such, but he was not sure if they could all be processed as one application. Generally speaking, zoning regulations apply to single premises -- and unless the premises are contiguous and under the same ownership, it is required that the properties be spilt into separate zoning applications. Since we are dealing with public properties,Staff will have to review them and report at a later date. Ms.Macon commented that the sites are contiguous. Ms. Victor suggested that the pumping stations not be included on the same application because they are not contiguous and are separated. Mr.Smith voiced concern regarding if the L and T-heads were designated, how would the designation affect future expansion of the Lighthouse and Landry Restaurants. Mr.Mager also voiced concern that as the T and L- heads deteriorate they will have to be repaired and It may not be feasible Landmark Commission(Meeting February 23, 1995 Page 9 to repair them in the same fashion when they were first constructed. Mr. Eager went on to say he did not know if the commission should tie the City's hands by trying to force them to repair the heads as they were originally constructed when that time came. Mr. Goodman added that this may be one of the projects that the commission should not try to pursue at this time. Mr. Goodman continued that the commission has reviewed enough sites to be able to select three or four. Mr. Gunning stated that the commission should just review the possible sites today and try to Identify the issues that may come up and there may be some that cannot be resolved at this time and we may look at other properties. Ms. Tinker commented that when the bluff balustrade improvements were made,the Landmark Commission did not request the City to use the same type of cement that was used in the 19305. The balustrade has a white shiny plastic type paint on it and that was not typical originally. Mr. Gunning commented that in the water area,new technology is constantly being developed and new and better ways are found to reinforce the breakwaters and the seawall area. Ms.Tinker asked Ms.Victor If she had any further sites to recommend and Ms.Victor submitted the farmer's market building,she did not know if the building was City-owned, she had not completed research on the downtown area. Ms. Macon stated that the City was instrumental in getting the farmer's market started and off the ground at that location. The Art Center, located along Shoreline, was originally built as the DSO headquarters and later became City offices and is a good candidate. Ms. Tinker requested to see the slides on 801 Carancahua and 1621 Mesquite Streets before discussion begun on selecting the final four sites. The site at 801 South Carancahua is a two-story stucco and stone residence, possibly apartments,with alterations to the porch and windows. The site at 1621 Mesquite Is a one-story brick and hollow tile commercial building with alterations to the windows. Mr. Smith commented that he thought the purpose of the "HC" ordinance was to allow the commission to accomplish something and he did not understand what was being accomplished by designating the cemetery as taid Landmark Commission Meeting February 23, 1995 Page 10 a historical site. Mr. Smith asked if it was possible to"BC"designate the Star of the Sea Catholic Church located on North Beach. The church was moved to that location a long time ago and It would make a better selection than the cemetery. Ms.Macon explained that the strategy is to begin with City-owned properties to pursue"HC"zoning to test the process and get them approved before we begin asking other public agencies and private citizens to participate. Mr. Smith commented he was really disappointed In the selections-•they offer no pizzazz. Mr. Goodman stated that he, Cindy Hill, Staff, and other commissioners spent a lot of time at City Council meetings trying to get the current"HC" ordinance passed last summer. Mr. Goodman continued that in his opinion, the city is in no way ready to have a comprehensive preservation program and "BC" Ordinance with any real "teeth" that will result in a real sense of significance In preservation. Mr. Goodman went on to say that the commission is in the beginning stage of trying to do something with the "HC" Ordinance, as it Is currently. The commission Is trying to select sites that would create little opposition and be easier to get them approved. Mr. Goodman stated he went to the city of Galveston and had the opportunity to tour their historical district and he felt ashamed that the city of Corpus Christi has not done more with its resources than it has. There is tourists dollars in historical preservation. Ms.Macon added that Ms. Victor Is the first preservation consultant that the City has hired to even document our historical inventory. Ms. Victor has been the consultant for this survey since Its Inception. There was no available documentation of recorded history (slides, photos, written research in detail)available of potential sites in the city. Ms. Victor commented that "HC"zoning Is a hard pill to swallow for a lot of Individuals,but if the City takes the lead and designate some of its own property, private citizens might be more acceptable of having their properties designated. After some discussion, the following sites were proposed: BlufflTunnel Balustrade, New Bayview City Cemetery, L and T-headslWater Pumping Landmark CommissioiSeeting February 23, 1995 Page 11 Station (it was brought out that the station was built in 1948 and, therefore,did not meet the age criteria of 50 years or older),Carancahua Street Fire Station(built in 1944 South Bluff Park/Centennial Museum. At this point, Mr. Smith asked If the commission had explored a privately owned site that the owner might agree to the "110" zoning. Mr. Smith continued that he knows of an individual who would be interested In pursing"HC" designation. Mr. Goodman stated to Mr. Smith if he knows of an individual who would be interested in designating his site, pass on the information to Staff and they can follow it up. Ms.Tinker asked what if the commission sent the list of nine sites to City Council and let them select four to pursue for "HC" designation and commissioners stated that was not a good idea. The commission should determine which four to pursue. After further discussion,the commission selected the following sites to pursue further research for "HC" designation:BlufBalustrade/Tunnel,New Bay View Cemetery, 1942 Fire Station, and South Bluff Park/Centennial Museum. Presentation of Phase II-B Preservation Site Survey - Sally Victor, Preservation Consultant; Ms. Victor provided brief background information and update on Phase II•B. Ms. Victor stated there are four areas in this phase. Ms.Victor added that she wanted to emphasize that this was a survey never intended to Include every single historical site in the city of Corpus Cbrlatl--to survey every site was beyond the scope of this project Approximately 1,110 sites were surveyed and in each of these phases, additional sites were added(between 15 to 20). The four areas included in this phase are: Area 12-Downtown,Area 13 • South Morgan Avenue to North Louisiana Parkway(includes an area west of Brownlee and follows Staples Street), Area 14 - West side of Agnes StreetlLaredolAirport Road Area, and one of the largest areas that has been surveyed is Area 15-South Louisiana Parkway/Ocean Drive/Airline Road and Staples Street as boundaries. Ms. Victor continued there were not a large number of properties in these areas because it is one of the later developed sections of Corpus Christi, but there are very nice properties In that area. Mr. Goodman asked if the area between Landmark Commission Ilfeeting 'I./ February 23, 1995 Page 12 Louisiana Parkway and Ocean Drive contained any properties that would be old enough since some of the street names were named after troops coming from different locations in the Mexican War of 1812 and it was answered that the street names were changed from their original names and the properties are not really that old. Ms. Victor continued that Bessar Park is an older section of the city, between Santa Fe and the bay. Ms. Victor added that there was a camp located north of Louisiana Parkway in the Del Mar section. Ms. Victor stated that when the survey was conducted,they not only looked at the architectural significance,but the age of the structure was considered as well All of the structures have three different classifications: ownership(privatelpublfc), property type, which includes residential, commercial, landscaping, engineering, institutional,religious, and educational The properties were ranked as "high,medium,or low." Ms.Victor stated she will begin with Area 12-the first slide shown was the retaining wall,which was a big project at the cost of 82.5 million of bond monies allocated to protect the downtown area, Irish Town, North Beach from hurricane waters. Ms. Victor continued that one source of research indicated one of the designers for the project was the same sculptor that did Mt Rushmore in South Dakota. Mr.Cation asked if the retaining wall was one of the WPA projects during the 1930s and Ms.Victor answered she did not know. Ms.Victor stated she found documentation that one of the projects in Cole Park was a WPA project Because of this project, Shoreline Boulevard was created. The shoreline use to be on Water Street and this project created a large area of fill from Water Street to the bay. The breakwater was built by building railroad tracks in the bay. They avoided using too much manual labor through the use of barges and the railroad track to place those massive boulders out in the bay. Cooper's L-Bead,Lawrence Street T-Head and Peoples Street T-Head were Included in this phase. The little bandstand on the Peoples Street T-Head was designed by Richard Colley In 1951 or 1952. Landmark CommissioiWeeting February 23, 1995 Page 13 The Harbor Bridge was a transportation project and It was a very interesting historic site to research. After conducting the research,it was found that a large controversy on the City Council before the bridge was constructed. Ms. Victor continued that a large segment of the Council wanted to construct a tunnel underneath the deep water channel and the Texas Department of Transportation's position was if the City wanted to build a tunnel,no federal funds would be allocated to build the bridge.The Transportation Department felt the tunnel was not a good engineering idea and It would leak and they did not want to assume the responsibility of maintaining it. At that point,several members of the Council resigned and the bridge was constructed. The old Bascule Bridge(which was a lift bridge)was used until the completion of the Harbor Bridge in 1963. The Harbor Bridge was the tallest bridge in the State at that time. The bridge does not meet the criteria of age, but it can be considered In the future. One of two Stormwater Pumping Station Buildings - located behind Tradeswind Ford on Shoreline on Water Street. Large amounts of water are pumped and pulled out into the bay. It Is very important to remove waterlstormwater in the downtown area. Memorial Coliseum-Taunted as a very forward thinking design in 1954 when it was built by Richard Colley. It is a very useful building. Art Museum-Has undergone some transition. It was originally built as the DSO In 1942. The building has gone through several entities and Is now owned by the CIty!County. Federal Courthouse - This building will be vacated once the new courthouse is constructed. The building Is worthy of some review. Farmers'Market-was formerly the old CP&L garage. Art Museum -was designed by Philip Johnson and at some point In the future,it can be considered. Landmark Commission keeling • February 23, 1995 Page 14 Artesian Park• currently zoned "BC." Mariposa Park• owned by the YMCA-means"butterfly." Tradeswind Ford Building-is a good example of art moderne. In 1946,it was occupied by Gillispie Buick dealership. Water Street• Has undergone a lot of changes. JC Penny's Building • has changed ownerships several times since JC Penney's vacated the building. CentrelRitz Theaters - two very important interior centers for the downtown area. Both buildings are in relative good condition. Nueces Building-was constructed in two par- - first eight stories were built in 1930 and the additional stories were built in 1937. 509 LawrencelMesguite Street Park Place-building has horizontal bands on the building,which are seen often in the downtown area. Peerless Cleaners(corner of Mesquite and Taylor Streets) -was the site of the old Magnolia Gas Station. This concluded Ms.Victor's update and presentation on Phase H-B of the Preservation Site Survey. Ms.Victor expressed thanks for the opportunity to address the commission. Ms. Victor stated that Phase H-B will be completed by Apra 30, 1995. Mr. Goodman thanked Ms. Victor for attending today's meeting. moo)NOT SCHEDULED* Ms.Macon emphasized that everyone's attendance is needed at the March meeting to take action on several items. Ms.Macon referenced one of the handouts given out at the meeting. The handouts were information bit Landmark Commissiokeeting February 23, 1995 Page 15 regarding two properties listed on the Preservation Site Survey. The first site is a house located at 1219 Second Street and the second site is Carpenters' Hall at 2101 Morgan Avenue. Ms. Macon explained that the "HC" Ordinance approved by City Council last summer contains a section entitled "Potential Landmarks," which are the structures In which Ms. Victor has included in the site survey. These sites are Included in that survey,and according to the Ordinance,anything listed on the site survey as a potential landmark cannot be demolished or removed unless It is reviewed by the Landmark Commission. The commission has thirty(30) days in which to review the properties. The owners of these properties came to the Building Inspections and requested demolition permits. Because these sites have been assigned a special code in the system, Planning Staff was notified of the request I am requesting that a special sub-committee be appointed to review the sites and talk with the representatives. The representative for the 1219 Second Street site is Mr. Johnny Cotten,Architect and the owner is the law firm of Brin and Brin. The law firm is requesting a demolition permit to tear the house down to allow for future expansion of their law offices;which in turn,will require more parking spaces to accommodate the expansion. The representative for the 2101 Morgan Avenue site is Mr.John Peacock,President of Peacock Properties, Inc. and Mr. Gene Urban Is the engineer for the project Mr. Peacock has a contract to purchase the property to build a new Waigreen's Drugstore. Currently, the Carpenter's Hall is located at this site and a Super-Mex grocery store. After further discussion,the following commissioners were appointed to serve on the sub-committee:James Cation, Charles Speed,Bunny Tinker, Joe Williams, and John Wright. The sub-committee will schedule a meeting representatives of Erin and Brin Law Office and Peacock Properties to discuss alternatives other than demolishing the structures. Ms. Macon was requested to make arrangements for the meeting. Mr. Goodman requested Staff to provide more detailed Information and history regarding the buildings for the subcommittee's review before the meeting with the representatives. Landmark Commission eting NedMe February 23, 1995 Page 16 For informational purposes, Mr. Gunning stated that the public hearing before the Planning Commission for the Peacock Properties' zoning case is Wednesday, March 8, 1995 and the City Council public hearing is Tuesday, March 18, 1995. Ms.Tinker asked what was the rezoning from and to and Mr. Gunning answered that the property to the rear is zoned for a multifamily use since there are two duplex apartments on site. The company is requesting the zoning change to allow for a general commercial business use and also to make the entire site compatible for commercial development Mr.Gunning continued that this is one point in the process where the commission can have input at the public hearing. There being no further business,the meeting was officially adjourned at 5:50 pm. J : ‘ igbio-macFaryce Goode• on, Clanner Staff Liaison to dmark Commission µemmiau LIMA)