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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Packet 3.10.16.pdf MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 25, 2016 EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Kent Ackerson, Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Kate Corcoran, Andrew Litton, Pam Michaud, Ben Sandell, Ginalie Swaim, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Gosia Clore STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo OTHERS PRESENT: Anne Burnside, Alicia Trimble RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Swaim called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS: 610 Ronalds Street. Miklo said this property is a contributing structure in the Ronalds Street extension of the Brown Street Historic District. He said the current proposal is for the removal of an addition on the back of the house and then rebuilding that with a pitched roof. Miklo stated that the application also includes the removal of a window that is of a somewhat unusual shape for this type of house and replacing it with a more appropriate window. He showed where a window would be closed and where a new window would be installed where it is believed there was one historically. Miklo showed a photograph of the north side of the house where the work will primarily occur. He said the packet contains some very clear illustrations showing what is proposed. Miklo showed where, on the east side of the house, the inappropriate window would be replaced with a double hung that is more appropriate for the style of the house. He showed the window that would be closed in and where a new window following historic patterns would be located. Miklo said there would be two skylights, which would not be visible from the street, on the roof. Miklo showed the west side of the house with the old addition being replaced with the pitched roof and a set of clear story windows. Miklo said the south side of the house is essentially staying the same. Miklo stated that there is aluminum siding on the house, and that may be removed as part of this project or at a later date. He said the proposed reconstruction of the addition will include HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2016 Page 2 of 6 wood or an approved wood substitute siding to match the profile of the original siding that is under the aluminum. Miklo said staff finds that the proposed changes comply with the guidelines. He referred Commission members to the staff report for more detail. Miklo said staff therefore recommends approval subject to staff and chair approval of the doors, if they are replaced. Burnside said that she and Linda Maguire are now the owners of 610 Ronalds Street. She thanked the Commission for continuing its consideration of the project. Burnside said there is an addendum/correction that she would like to make. She said that the addition that they would like to remove is not a porch, as indicated in the report. Burnside stated that it was a kitchen that was added in the 1940s, as was revealed by the previous owners who did the work. Burnside said the addition is beyond saving. She said the flat roof has leaked for years, and the walls are completely rotten. Burnside said that in the basement in the concrete, they found initials scratched with an apostrophe 17, which supports staff's belief that the house may have been relocated here in 1917. Burnside said that, with the help of hundreds of hours of labor from friends and neighbors and family, they have completely gutted it and are down to the studs. She said that the odor from cat urine that was of concern during the previous application for this property is gone. Burnside said the foundation has been repaired and is solid, and the joists have all been sistered. She said they are looking forward to getting this rebuilt. Baker referred to the upper window on the north elevation. She said that is obviously going away if the roof is peaked. Baker asked if that is an original window. Burnside said it may well be an original window, as that portion of the house where the window is does seem to be original. Baker asked if the window will be salvaged and reused. Miklo stated that the proposal does not include the reuse of the window. Corcoran asked if the upstairs of the house can be used at all. Burnside responded that it is not habitable according to City code. She said that it has a high roofline but is just not wide enough to be habitable. Burnside said they intend to go ahead and drop knee walls so they can use a lot of it for storage. She added that on the east L and the south L, both of which will have windows, they will probably have a sitting area and a desk area, since there is not room downstairs for that sort of activity. Burnside said that it cannot be a bedroom or a bathroom. Swaim asked Burnside if she was aware of the salvage barn in the event they intend to discard the window. Burnside confirmed this. Sandell referred to the rendering and asked if a sloped walkway or stairs is proposed for the area that says “new walk.” Burnside said that is something that they are still discussing. She said they plan to use this home in their later years and are doing the work so that, if need be, they can get around in a wheelchair or a walker. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2016 Page 3 of 6 Burnside stated that the access from Ronalds Street is incredibly steep and will not be accessible when they are less mobile. She said they will have to have some way to get in the house from the alley. Burnside said that at this point, they have not yet figured it out. Sandell asked what the guidelines say about this kind of thing on the back of a house. Miklo said that all sides of a property are looked at, and there are guidelines for ramps. He said this may be able to be done with grading and without a structure, but that is something that could be approved administratively by staff. Miklo said that if it is simply a matter of grading and putting in a new concrete walk, that does not require review. MOTION: Wagner moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 610 Ronalds Street as presented in the application with the following condition: staff and chair approval of the doors if replaced. Baker seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0 (Clore and Michaud absent). 623 College Street. Wagner recused himself from discussion of this application. Miklo stated that this is a two-part application. He said it involves a demolition, and the guidelines require that, before the Commission approves a demolition, it also has to approve the replacement building. Miklo said the property was damaged by a fire last fall, and there are obvious signs of damage, as discussed in the report. He said that because of the fire, there was some water damage, and mold then began to grow in the building. Miklo said that has become more severe over the past months. Miklo said that, based on the fire damage and especially the mold damage, staff is finding that there is a case to be made that this property is irretrievable in terms of the expense necessary to correct the damage. He said staff recommends approval of the demolition of this property. Miklo stated that the second part of the application involves the Commission approving the replacement structure at the same time it approves the demolition. He said that is to help ensure that the city is not left with vacant lots or someone coming back later to propose an inappropriate structure. Miklo said the proposal is to remove an existing house from 422 Iowa Avenue to 623 College Street. He said that 422 Iowa Avenue is slated for demolition if it is not moved, as part of a redevelopment project based on the current zoning. Miklo said the current owner of the property has indicated a willingness to donate the building, provided it is moved off the property in time for the redevelopment. He said the building is somewhat older than the current house at 623 College Street. Miklo said staff believes the 422 Iowa Avenue house was built before the turn of the century, whereas the house at 623 was built slightly after. He said that they are similar in style and design, since both of them are Queen Anne style houses. Miklo said it is also very similar in scale and size to the existing house, so staff feels that it does meet the criteria in terms of what a replacement building should look like. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2016 Page 4 of 6 Miklo showed an image of the footprint of the 422 Iowa Avenue building, comparing it to a footprint of the College Street building. He said one can see that the Iowa Avenue building does not extend into the lot as far, and the College Street building is slightly wider when considering the porch, but otherwise they are similar in scale and height. Miklo said staff feels the Iowa Avenue house would be an appropriate addition to the historic district. Miklo showed more images of the building to show its character. He said that the window design is also found on the house on College Street. Miklo said, based on the criteria, that it is staff’s opinion that the building at 422 Iowa Avenue has an appropriate design and scale for the College Green Historic District. He added that if the Commission determines that 623 College is basically beyond repair because of fire damage and mold damage and votes to demolish it, then staff would recommend that the house at 422 Iowa Avenue house be approved to be moved onto the property. Miklo said that the applicants for the demolition and the current owners of the house are Hans and Barbara Breder, and the applicant for moving the house on Iowa Avenue is Friends of Historic Preservation. Agran said he noticed on the property that would be moved that the front porch is supported with what looks like original brick peers. He asked if it would be standard for all the foundation to be new and/or if the bricks would be repurposed. Miklo said the intent is to pour a new concrete foundation. Agran asked about the parts that are exposed to the street. Miklo responded that the Commission may want to subject the design of the new peers to chair and staff approval. He said he did not believe that this has approached that level of design, as this is a time-sensitive application in terms of fulfilling the need to move the house. Miklo said that is a detail that will need to be worked out. He said he believes it would be appropriate to use a new brick or a rusticated, concrete block that looks like stone. Litton said, as a matter of public record, that he had once looked into purchasing this property. But because he did not pursue it, he feels that he does not have a conflict. Trimble said she could answer questions on behalf of Friends of Historic Preservation. With regard to Agran’s question, Trimble said the porch will sit a little bit lower because of the grade of the lot. She said therefore there probably will have to be a couple of steps taken off the porch. Trimble said that right now, the house sits on a limestone block foundation, but it will have a poured concrete foundation. She said they are trying to figure out a way to face the concrete foundation with some sort of limestone so that it looks more like it did originally. Trimble said that as far as what the porch will sit on, she is not sure, but they will do whatever is historically appropriate. Trimble said the movers right now plan to cut across the City parking lot to Washington Street, go east on Washington Street, go on Dodge Street, turn back down onto College Street, and then back the house onto the lot. She said there is a pin oak in questions that the movers have said they can avoid. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2016 Page 5 of 6 Trimble said Friends of Historic Preservation has entered into an agreement with Hans and Barbara Breder to purchase the house, with the transfer to take place after the house is demolished. She said they have asked Friends of Historic Preservation to come in and salvage whatever can be saved. Trimble said it is clear that the mold problems have made the house unsalvageable. Miklo stated that there is an exterior stairway that was added to the side of the house with a doorway halfway up, and staff would like to have that removed. MOTION: Corcoran moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 623 College Street as presented in the application with the following conditions: 1) foundation design and materials to be approved by the chair and staff according to the guidelines for foundations (section 4.5); 2) any exterior alterations not approvable as a certificate of no material effect will be reviewed by the Commission; and 3) removal of the doorway, exterior entrance, and the exterior staircase on the east side of the building. Ackerson seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0 (Clore and Michaud absent). Corcoran stated that, based on the staff report, photographs and Trimble’s comments, it does appear that the mold is absolutely overwhelming. Michaud arrived at the meeting. MOTION: Michaud moved to approve the demolition of the house at 623 College Street, based on the information that the house is structurally unsound and irretrievable. Litton seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Clore absent). CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 11, 2016: MOTION: Corcoran moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's February 11, 2016 meeting, as written. Ackerson seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Clore absent). ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 5:26 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2015-2016 KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member NAME TERM EXP. 3/12 4/9 5/14 6/11 7/9 8/13 9/10 10/8 11/12 12/10 1/14 2/11 2/25 ACKERSON, KENT 3/29/16 X X X X X X X X X X X X X AGRAN, THOMAS 3/29/17 O/E X X X X X O/E X X X O/E X BAKER, ESTHER 3/29/18 X X X X X X X X O/E X X X X CLORE, GOSIA 3/29/17 X X O/E O/E O/E X O/E X X X O/E X O/E CORCORAN, KATE 3/29/16 X X X X X O/E X O/E X X X X X DURHAM, FRANK 3/29/16 X O/E O/E X X X O/E X X X -- -- -- LITTON, ANDREW 3/29/17 X X X X X O/E X X X X X X X MICHAUD, PAM 3/29/18 X X X O/E X X X X O/E X X X X SANDELL, BEN 3/29/17 X X X O/E X X X X X O/E X X X SWAIM, GINALIE 3/29/18 X X X X X X X X O/E X X X X WAGNER, FRANK 3/29/18 X X O/E X O/E O/E O/E X O/E X X X X