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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Packet 12.14.17 IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Thursday, December 14, 2017 City Hall , 410 E. Washington Street Emma Harvat Hall 5:30 p.m. A) Call to Order B) Roll Call C) Public discussion of anything not on the agenda D) Public Hearings- Discussions for landmark designations of the following properties: 1. 410 North Clinton Street 2. 412 North Dubuque Street 3. 213 East Market Street 4. 319 East Bloomington Street 5. 504 East Bloomington Street 6. 1029 North Dodge Street 7. 715 West Park Road E) Report on Certificates issued by Chair and Staff Certificate of No Material Effect –Chair and Staff review 1. 8 23 Bowery Street – Governor-Lucas Street Conservation District (deteriorated porch roof and column reconstruction) 2. 529 Church Street – Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (front step replacement) 3. 106 S. Dodge Street – College Green Historic District (damaged rear porch recons truction) Minor Review –Staff review 325 South Summit Street – Summit Street Historic District (asbestos siding removal ) Intermediate Review –Chair and Staff review 717 East Davenport Street – Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (rear deck and sliding glass door opening removal, new rear door and new front porch railing) F) Amendments to the Historic Preservation Guidelines 1. Driveway curb cut as minor review 2. Front door replacement of certain types as minor review 3. Roof shingle replacement of certain t ypes as minor review 4. Synthetic siding removal as minor review 5. Window and door modifications on the back of a primary structure as minor review 6. Carriage house-style (two-story) garage as minor review G) Consideration of Minutes for November 9, 2017 H) Commission Information and Discussion 1. 2018 Commission Schedule 2. “Saving Iowa City’s Oldest House, by Alicia Trimble and Ginalie Swaim 3. Invitation to Board and Commissioner training at Kirkwood Iowa City, 5:30 pm, Tuesday, December 19, 2017 4. 2017 HP Awards I) Adjournm ent If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Bob Miklo, Urban Planning, at 319-356-5240 or at bob-miklo@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION EMMA J. HARVAT HALL NOVEMBER 9, 2017 MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Kevin Boyd, Zach Builta, Gosia Clore, Sharon DeGraw, G. T. Karr, Cecile Kuenzli, Pam Michaud, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Ginalie Swaim STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Bob Miklo OTHERS PRESENT: Jerod Leupold, Julia Leupold, W.C. Leupold, Shawn Meaney, Derek Perez, Alicia Trimble RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Vice Chairperson Baker called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 725 Summit Street. Bristow said this house is in the Summit Street Historic District. She said that over the past few years, it has had metal siding removed, and that has been replaced with cement board siding. Bristow said that last year there was an addition put on the back. Bristow stated that the current application is to remove the garage that was built with a 1993 certificate of appropriateness and replace it with a new garage. She said that because of the fact that the garage was approved by the Commission, it is not an historic garage, so there is no need to really put it under the same evaluation as an historic garage to remove it. Bristow said that it can just be taken down, especially since it is going to be replaced with another garage. Bristow showed an aerial view with the existing garage. She showed the approximate location of the new garage. Bristow stated that when the 1993 garage was approved, it replaced an original barn-type garage that was roughly in the planned location for the new garage. Bristow showed the site plan, pointing out the house and Summit Street. She showed the current, existing garage and the new garage location. Bristow showed the front elevation. She said the garage will have board and batten siding. Bristow said she discussed some of the barn-type and garage structures that are seen in the College Hill and Summit Street neighborhoods with the architect. She said the architect took that as inspiration for this. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 2 of 14 Bristow said this will be a two-car garage, as opposed to the one-car garage that is currently here. She said the shingles currently would not match the house, because the house has an older kind of flat-style shingle, and when that does need to be replaced, staff would want them to use an architectural shingle. Bristow said staff therefore suggested using that kind of shingle on the new garage so that it does not need to be replaced later on. Bristow said there is an overhead door on the north side. She said that the windows will be a metal-clad, single hung that meets the guidelines. Bristow said that basically this meets the guidelines, and if it did not need to replace another garage, could probably be a minor review and staff review to approve the design of this garage. She said that staff does recommend approval. Meaney, the owner of the property, said that where one can clearly see the foundation of what he assumes was a carriage house or barn of some sort, there was a structure there, although he does not know if it was original to the property. MOTION: Kuenzli moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 725 South Summit as presented in the application. Boyd seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Swaim absent). 817 Iowa Avenue. Bristow said this house in the College Hill Conservation District has undergone significant changes over time. She showed what the house currently looks like and what it looked like prior to the 2006 tornado. Bristow said there has been some window replacement and the whole addition structure really altered the appearance of the house. She showed what the house looked like right after the tornado. Bristow said that one can see where there was a picture bay window and another pair of windows. She showed where, once the house was rehabilitated after the tornado, it was left with a single window and a pair of double hung windows below. Bristow said it is set up the way it typically would be on a house of this style, but the upper window is actually a little bit undersized. Bristow said the applicant needs to install an egress window. She said that typically, code doesn’t require a change, but this would be for a new bedroom. Bristow said this is kind of a unique case, as this has not been a bedroom recently, according to the Building Inspector. Bristow said that in many cases, what staff ends up doing is approving a casement window with some type of muntin bar so that it looks like a double hung window. She said those are usually only approved for a basement or on the back of a property, partly because when a casement is open, it does not really look right on an historic building. Bristow said she has talked to the owners about putting in a bigger window that would meet egress requirements and still be a double hung window. She showed a rough, Photoshop mockup of what that might look like. Bristow added that staff really feels like this would be the way to go as far as putting an egress window in this room. Bristow said the new window would fit the proportions in an acceptable way. She said staff recommends approval of putting in a double hung window as an egress window in this location. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 3 of 14 MOTION: Wagner moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 817 Iowa Avenue as presented in the application. Clore seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Swaim absent). 318 Gilbert Street. Bristow stated that this property is on the southern end of the North Side Historic District. She said that at the time of the survey, this was categorized as a non-historic house. Bristow said the house was built in 1958, so that at this point, it would meet the 50-year threshold to be considered historic. She said that if the district were to be re-evaluated, this house would be considered non-contributing to this district. Bristow said the application is to replace the siding, and staff assumes replacement of the soffits and fascia as well, with an aluminum smooth siding that would probably have the same wide plank, lapped look to it. She said that as the Commission starts to look at mid-century, modern houses, she does research on these types of houses. Bristow said this house is almost pristine on the outside as far as having its original materials. She said the house has original storm windows, original windows, a front stoop that matches the stone veneer at the entry, is shaped like an L, and has an entrance that is recessed into that L and actually recessed into the wall, which is very typical of this style of mid-century ranch home. Bristow stated that having shutters on just one face and the configuration of the picture window in the recess of the L are also typical features. As far as having its own historic integrity, Bristow said this house is very intact. Bristow said that at the same time, this house needs to be painted. She said that she has spoken to the applicants, who have done some touchup work over time. Bristow said that she visited the property in September, and it needs to be scraped and the rest of the paint needs to be removed. She said that except for a few areas up near the gutters, she did not see any big areas of rot or deteriorated siding. Bristow said the house is bound to have rot in a couple places, but what she saw in places on the west and south that she could get to is basically peeling paint. Bristow said it needs to be made sure that the wood is the right moisture level. She said that she does not know whether or not it needs to have linseed oil applied to it like any other wood lap siding. Bristow said that once the wood has the right moisture level, if the applicants use a high-quality oil-based primer and then paint the house, it should last for at least ten to 15 years. Bristow said the proper methods must be used. She said that when she visited more recently, it looked like someone had gone over this same wall in probably a primer or paint coat, which covered up the paint but is not the kind of job that needs to be done to make the paint really last. Because the siding is not heavily deteriorated and is original siding, Bristow said that at this point staff recommends that the owners paint the siding properly and not replace the siding. She said that if the Commission decides to disallow the replacement of the siding, it will need to form the motion in a positive but then vote it down. Bristow said the motion needs to be worded as a positive, and Commission members may vote yes or no based on their findings. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 4 of 14 Wagner asked about the siding and whether it was wood or something like medium density fiberboard. Bristow confirmed that it is wood siding and she could see the grain in it. Karr asked Bristow about the status of the property and type of district. Bristow confirmed that this is a non-contributing property in an historic district not a conservation district. She said that if the district were to be reviewed again, it would still be classified as non-contributing. Bristow said that each district has a period of significance, and the current period of significance for this district does not extend up to 1958. Miklo stated that the property would be considered historic though, but it is from a different era. Kuenzli said that if the Commission were to approve replacing the siding with aluminum siding, people who were aware that this is in an historic district would say that they should be able to do the same thing. Bristow commented that every property is evaluated for siding individually anyway, whether it is historic or non-historic, contributing, or non-contributing. Bill Leupold said he wanted to give the Commission the history of how he wound up with a house in Iowa City. He said that in 1999, his son and daughter-in-law were living in an expensive apartment in Iowa City. Bill Leupold said his son and daughter-in-law planned to buy a house as a solution. He said he began house hunting, and eventually they bought the house on Gilbert Street. Bill Leupold said it became an issue as to whether this area should become an historic district. He said that he was not in favor of that, because he felt there would be problems in terms of maintaining this building as he wished. Bill Leupold said he received a call before the vote and was told that since the property was non-contributing, he would not have to worry and could do about anything he wants. Bill Leupold recently found out that the house needed to be painted, and he instructed his son to get it painted. They contacted three different painters. He said they could not find anyone to do the work, so he decided to try siding. Bill Leupold said the siding will last a long time, will satisfy the City, and will not require painters. Jerod Leupold said that he has lived at the house for the past 18 years. He said that he called the City several months ago and said he understood that the property is non-conforming/ noncontributing and asked if he needed to worry about anything as far as getting siding done. Jerod Leupold said he got a call back with a message saying that he was not part of that, this is non-contributing, go ahead and move along, and there were some suggestions, if he wanted to call back. Jerod Leupold said he did not need suggestions but just wanted to move forward and get this done. He said he went through a couple of different people for bids. Jerod Leupold said that when the contractor came to turn in the plans to City Hall was the first time he saw that there was any sort of issue and there may be a problem. Julia Leupold said that when it did not seem possible to paint this structure and there were all kinds of roadblocks and they had contact from the City Inspector, Miklo, and Stan Laverrman saying this doesn't look good, they understood that and knew that something needed to be done. She said that when they could not find a painter, she said they needed to do something and decided to do siding. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 5 of 14 Julia Leupold said that at that point, Miklo referred her to Bristow, because Jerod Leupold had already sent for vinyl siding. Julia Leupold said they did not put the vinyl on, but it was Jerod Leupold's understanding that as a non-contributing and non-historic structure, the guidelines in the handbook did not have to be followed. Julia Leupold said that Jerod Leupold met with the Acri Siding Company several times and spent a lot of time selecting a vinyl siding. She said that Miklo then informed them that vinyl would not be a good thing, as it is a synthetic. Julia Leupold said she talked to Bristow over the phone, who told her that a siding that is aluminum with a smooth surface, if it had the same profile as the existing siding and is paintable, would be appropriate for this structure. Julia Leupold said she then called the Acri Company to tell them that they wanted to comply with this district. She said it is not their intent to not respect a historic place. Julia Leupold said that the Acri Company spent some time and did find what they felt would be appropriate 1950s siding. She discussed the history of aluminum siding and asked if aluminum would be considered synthetic, as aluminum is on the periodic table. Julia Leupold said the siding that the Acri Company found meets all the criteria that she was told would be acceptable. She said they had been told that the stonework should not be covered. Julia Leupold said that was fine with them, as they loved the stonework. She said she was also told that the shutters should remain, and they were fine with that as well. Julia Leupold said they have tried very hard to meet the guidelines that they were given. She said previous discussion stated that the style encompassed by the North Side goes up to the 1930s. Julia Leupold said the handbook also references numerous housing styles and structures, and this little house does not fit. Julia Leupold said the handbook also really directs one to those historical architectures. She asked what the implications are and if the district will stay at that era or if other architectural styles may be added. Julia Leupold said that currently, little ranch houses are not part of that. Bristow agreed that ranch houses are not listed in the current styles for that district. Regarding whether they could be added, Bristow said she did not know but said that would be done as part of a re-evaluation of the district. Julia Leupold said that re-evaluation has not been done at that point in time, and Bristow said that is correct. Bristow said that is why this property is considered non-contributing. Julia Leupold said that is her understanding and is why they have moved forward the way that they have. Julia Leupold said that she is a teacher. She said that when one looks at a school system, it is actually very much like one of these historic districts. Julia Leupold said that through the handbook or the grading system, everyone is pretty much expected to tow that line. She said that as a teacher, however, her student body is not like that. Julia Leupold said she had all kinds of students, some more capable, some requiring more effort, more time, and more caring. She said this little house sits on the very fringe of this district. Julia Leupold said it is not contributing. Julia Leupold asked what they can do. She said she is not going to allow this little house to not be cared for, but she may need to do it in a different way than the guideline in the handbook. Julia Leupold said there are also clauses in the handbook that say that there are exceptions for non-historic and non-contributing properties. She said that she believes siding is one of them. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 6 of 14 Miklo said there is a section regarding siding that he could quote from when Julia Leupold has finished her statement. Julia Leupold said they are just trying to be the best caretakers that they can be and know how to be to this home that they cherish. She said they have owned it and cared for it for 18 years. Julia Leupold said they are asking the Commission for an exception to be flexible to allow the use of a 1950s appropriate aluminum siding and meet all the criteria that they were given. She thanked the Commission for its consideration of this issue. Derek Perez said that he is a friend of Nick Acri, owner of Acri Siding Company, and also owns a couple of businesses in town. Perez said that some of the conversation made it sound like the Leupolds planned to replace the siding. He said that they plan to cover the siding, not replace it. Perez said that one of the specifications, either the appeal or the thing, is that one covers the siding and leaves the original in place, and this fits that mode. Perez said that if one looks at the house, one can see where it is painted well. He said that the house sits on the corner alley between the two buildings, and there is nothing there that can protect that south side. Perez said that no matter how many times it is painted or what kind of paint is used, the heat of the sun will hit it and the cool of the night will cool it down. He said that is why the side that looks so poor is the south side, and this will continue to happen. Perez said, with regard to historic homes, the Commission is trying to do the best that it can, and the Leupolds are trying to do the best that they can with the house that they have, and they want it to look right. Perez said that the 1950s aluminum siding is definitely within the historic parameters of that era. Perez said the moisture freezes in our climate and causes the paint to not stick. He said that the Acri Company has put siding on many historic homes in the Quad Cities, and the Historic Society in the Quad Cities has decided that the best way to protect the structures is to put siding on it. Perez said that although the owners wanted to put vinyl siding on the house, they changed to do something more historically accurate. Regarding non-contributing, Perez said that some of the people at the meeting live in the area. He said there are beautiful homes all the way throughout, but this isn't one of them. Perez said it is a nice house, but it does not have ornate details and there is nothing to it that is any different than a house over by Twain or over by his house on Brookside. He said it is not a foursquare; there are not dental applications. Perez said he can see why the Commission does this; the houses on Summit Street look great, but this is not one of them. He said the definition of historic is "famous or important in history." Perez said that in Iowa City, this house is not famous or historic. Perez added that there will be a difference in price between having to paint the house, especially on the south side where it will have to be painted more often because it cannot be shaded. He said the boundary lines show that it makes no sense that this house is in that area. Perez said that at the corner of Bloomington and Linn, there is a beautiful house that is not in the district at all. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 7 of 14 Perez said he was reading through the historic information, and as they progress from 1992 to 2007, it says that every five to ten years it is supposed to be resurveyed. He asked when the last time was that this district was resurveyed. Perez said if it has not been, the City is not following its own rules. Bristow said that if the district were resurveyed, this house would be found to be non- contributing. Perez said the house is non-contributing, but then somehow it became historic. Bristow said it is historic if it is over 50 years old; that is the definition that is used in historic preservation. Perez said he understands that 50 years is the margin, but if there is ever something that should be a reason for an exception, it is this house. Miklo stated that at the 50-year mark is when properties are considered to be potentially historic. He said that characteristics are also looked at, such as the interest in mid-century, modern architecture, and that is where this property falls. Perez said that in the case of the North Side District, the idea is to protect houses from the 1930s era. Miklo said the plan is to protect a whole neighborhood. Perez stated that this house doesn't have anything to do with the 1930s; it was built in 1958. He said that if one would go through the course of the thing from when it was put into place in 2007, 50 years before that would be 1957. Miklo said that mid-century modern is now being recognized as an historic architectural design. Perez asked if this house is important architecturally. Bristow said it is, because it is very characteristic of its style and because it has its original materials. Bristow said that part of the overriding goal of historic preservation is to preserve the historic character of the property, whatever it is. She said that the historic character is usually defined by the materials that are used, as well as the forms, and this has both. Perez said the goal is to protect the historic materials, and by putting on something, to save the taxpayers the money of having to repaint it over and over again, what they could do is put something over it to protect it. He said that is part of it, and aluminum is not synthetic. Bristow said there are also goals in historic preservation to not cover historic materials with something that will then trap the moisture in and deteriorate them further. Perez said there was a house there before this one. He said that if that house had been saved, he could understand but said that this house was built in 1958. Perez said the Leupolds bought it in 1999. He said he did not understand how this house got included, and the house on the corner is not in a district. Perez said the owners want to do the right thing. He said there is no way to shade the one side of the house, and their best option is to cover it with aluminum siding. Perez said that if the Commission doesn't want to make them come back and repaint this all the time… He said this is just a little house that doesn't conform to the neighborhood. Perez said no one will be able to say to the Commission that this house was allowed to have aluminum siding, because there is no other house the same. Perez asked why the house on the corner is not in a district. He asked why all of those houses down across from Mercy Hospital are not in the district. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 8 of 14 Miklo answered that those houses are in a commercial zone. He said there was a decision at the time not to include the commercial properties in the historic district. Agran asked if the image of the paint that is chipping off the side is from the south wall, the wall that is shared with the little brick wall. Bristow said it is right around the corner. She said that in first picture, the wall that has the deterioration is in the gable. Agran asked about the wall that is right by the entryway. Bristow said it did not show that level of deterioration. She pointed out all of the walls and the directions they face. Bristow said she did not include an overall shot of the south side because of the weeds and overgrowth that is along there and blocks the view of that side. Agran said that, as he recalled, the wall with the greatest deterioration had a ten- to 15-foot privet hedge that was growing right up against it along that alley on the south-facing side of the building. He said it was cut back a couple of years ago. Jerod Leupold confirmed that the hedge was cut down about two years ago. Karr asked how many times the Leupolds have painted the house in the 18 years they have owned it. Bill Leupold responded that he painted it himself once about 15 years ago. Baker said the subject came up about one of the painters not wanting to paint the house if it had lead-based paint. She asked if the paint has been tested. Jerod Leupold said that a couple of painters did stop by, with one testing the paint. He said they were not 100% sure but had enough of a concern that there could be lead paint. Kuenzli asked if any other painters were contacted because there are many painters in town, not just three. Jerod Leupold said that after that, if someone asked how old the house was, he got the same kind of reaction. He said that after going through a handful of folks, he figured he would try a different option with siding. Wagner asked, if the house were owner-occupied, could the paint be let go. Miklo replied that the City cites owners as well as rental properties. He said the City does have a little more leverage with a rental property, because the rental permit can be denied until the defect is corrected. Regarding being a landlord, Bill Leupold said that he receives no rent for the property. He was shocked that he would be considered a landlord and need a rental permit when he doesn’t get rent out of it. Regarding the paint job, Trimble said she sees paint deterioration. She said there is some gray wood, which was probably painted over initially, which means that it probably had UV exposure, and paint will not bind to that. Trimble said it does not look like there is an oil primer on there. She said those are two of the biggest issues. Trimble said that when painting a house, one has to make sure to use a very high solid content primer and paint. She said that most of them on the market today are not very high. Trimble said that those factors will make the paint fail much more quickly, and one needs to make sure to use at least two coats of paint, probably three in weather and sun-prone areas. Julia Leupold stated that the property to the north of this one is historic and happens to have vinyl on it. She said she was visiting with the owner of the property: Prime Rentals [actually Prestige Properties]. Julia Leupold said the owner agreed that the house had vinyl siding but HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 9 of 14 said it was installed before this was an historic district. Julia Leupold said they discussed his other rental units and how often they need to be repainted. She said the neighbor told her that he has the properties on a seven-year rotation to paint, and every five years he feels like they need to go in and touch up the paint. Julia Leupold said he told her that he pays $40 per gallon for primer. She said the City is very fortunate to have a business owner who is doing that. DeGraw asked if there are painters in Iowa City who will work with lead paint. Bristow responded that the City has a list with at least ten painters who will work with lead paint. She agreed that when siding is grayed or has been exposed to UV rays, it has to be sanded and the wood has to be properly prepared. Bristow said that when the proper steps are taken, the paint job should last several years. Kuenzli said that there are two things that direct the Leupolds' wish to use aluminum siding. She said that it seems to have started with the difficulty of finding a painter who would do the job. Kuenzli said that then equally or maybe even more important, seems to be the point of view of the ease of maintenance, considering the distance away that the owners live. Kuenzli said that aluminum siding is not maintenance free. She said that when Bristow showed the pictures, she said the siding looks to be in pretty good condition, except around the gutters where there is some rot. Kuenzli said that with aluminum siding on it, one cannot see when it is rotting behind the siding. Kuenzli added that a friend of hers who has aluminum siding on her house has been plagued with wasps in the house and could not find the source. Kuenzli said that two companies looked for the source and finally, someone found a tiny hole in the second story of the house in the aluminum siding where wasps had gotten down. She said that between the aluminum siding and the exterior wall of the house, they removed a wasp nest that was five feet long and two feet wide. It is not completely maintenance free. Kuenzli said that with any siding, where there is any opening, anything can get in there whether it is moisture or insects and one cannot see it. MOTION: Wagner moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the siding replacement project at 318 North Gilbert Street as presented in the application. Builta seconded the motion. Agran said that from his own perspective and his own familiarity with this property, he does not believe that the siding is deteriorating because the paint just won't hold up. He said there are two south-facing walls here - one is in proximity to very overgrown vegetation and was for a long time. Agran said he is sure the deterioration is related a lot to that, especially since the other side does not have that issue. He said it could be due to the different size of the eaves, but he just does not quite believe that. Agran said he thinks that the wood seems to be in fine condition and just needs to be painted. He said a side of him feels that this is a relatively small house and that painting and maintaining this house is not really a big deal. Agran said it might be a big deal though, if the landlord lives a long way away. Agran said that if the property owner being referred to is Michael Olivera from Prestige Properties, he owns a lot of properties in the neighborhood. Agran agreed that he does a very good job of maintaining his properties, and part of that maintenance and responsibility to the property is touching up the paint and repainting. He said that like all things on a structure, they HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 10 of 14 are not maintenance free, just like the gutters, which as shown in the picture are not properly attached. Agran said that side of the argument he does not really agree with. At the same time, He said that whether or not he personally agrees that this is the correct financial decision or the correct decision for the integrity of the house, the structure is listed as non-contributing. Agran said that whether or not it is historic now, it is surveyed currently as non-contributing. Miklo read the section from the exception in the guidelines that addresses that when considering whether replacement siding should be allowed: "Non-contributing and non-historic structures should be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine the architectural merit of the property under consideration. Some non-contributing and non-historic structures were classified according to an architectural style or construction period inconsistent with the district but nevertheless remain important properties and worthy of preservation." Miklo said the whole point of that paragraph is to say that perhaps this is not a Victorian house that fits into the character of the district. He said the question the Commission should ask and answer in making this decision is if this is a good example of mid-century modern buildings - ones that the Commission wants to preserve with a degree of historic materials. Miklo said he thinks that is the key point in the whole discussion. Agran said that if this were his property, this is not the choice he would make. He said that he does not think that the cited causes are actually the causes for the deterioration here. Agran said he thinks the owners make a compelling case that for whatever authenticity this property has that using the suggested material is one that would have been widely available at the time the building was constructed. He said that while he does not agree with that choice, he thinks it is a compelling argument. Boyd said he looks at the Commission's job of looking at these properties as part of a larger district as telling the story of that neighborhood. He said that should one do a reassessment that post-war infill and 50s homes that were added and mid-modern homes that were added are likely going to be part of that history of these neighborhoods and these districts. Boyd said that preserving them as they would have been and as they were seems to be part of what the Commission is trying to accomplish in terms of preserving the nature of these houses that are historic by definition now, at 50 years, and in a reassessment certainly could be contributing to a larger story of what the neighborhood and what the districts look like. Agran said this is not an enameled steel house like the one on Clark Street. He said that while that story is correct, that there may be five houses in the North Side that are part of that district, but if that story has not been established as part of a survey, to say if surveyed these would be part of that story is very different than if the survey had been done. Miklo said that is why the guidelines call for a case by case basis review of properties coming before the Commission. Agran said that any property over time, if contributing or non- contributing, is taken all individually as they are now, not as they were surveyed, and Miklo confirmed this. Bristow said that a recent example is a house on Brown Street that was listed as non-contributing and when the owner put in an application they discovered that through changes to previous alterations the house is now consider contributing to the district. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 11 of 14 Karr said there was a very similar property on Summit Street. He said that about 15 years ago he was in the applicant's position. Karr said there was a duplex that he wanted to put siding on. He said it was ultimately decided that it would not be allowed, because of similar reasons, it was still in a condition to paint. Karr said the decision may have been different if the property had been in a conservation district. Miklo said there is a little more latitude in a conservation district. The motion failed to carry on a vote of 0-10 (Swaim absent). REPORTS ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Certificate of No Material Effect - Chair and Staff Review. 523 Rundell Street. Bristow said this project involved the replacement of shingles, replacing flat shingles with architectural shingles. 701 Oakland Avenue. Bristow said the flat part of the roof on the addition must be redone. 519 North Gilbert Street. Bristow said the porch roof on this house is being reconstructed, and the owners may be redoing the roof material on the one-story addition on the back. 317 Fairchild Street. Bristow said this house has a new owner who is trying to get tax credits. Bristow said the internal gutters will be repaired, along with some soffit and fascia repair. Minor Review - Staff Review. 613 Grant Street. Bristow said this house has its original siding on the front, with some metal siding on the sides and the back. She said the owners are removing the metal siding on the back to make it match the front. Bristow said the sides will be done eventually. 613 Grant Street. Bristow said the owners are putting a small deck on the back of the house. 420 Ronalds Street. Bristow said that the owners are replacing a tiny, first floor casement window with a double hung window in the back on an addition. She said it does not appear to even originally be a casement window. Bristow added that the four little windows in the attic, which are inward- opening hopper windows, will be replaced with awning-type windows. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 12 of 14 314 Church Street. Bristow said there is an addition on the top with a modern, full-light door. She said the owner will put a new, more appropriate door and storm door on it. Intermediate Review - Chair and Staff Review. 317 Fairchild Street. Bristow said that the curb cut here is extremely tiny. She said the owners have a big problem with people parking near the drive and blocking them in. Bristow said the owner is going to widen it just a little bit so that one can park in the driveway and not hit the wall with the car door. 314 Summit Street. Bristow said this involves the project that was approved by the Commission. She said that the owners actually could not build the garage because of the accessory apartment. Bristow said that it is a zoning issue in that the house has to be owner-occupied in order to have an accessory apartment. Miklo said there could be a finished space up there, but it could not have a kitchen or bathroom. Bristow said the owner has now revised the plans to something much more standard. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR OCTOBER 12, 2017: MOTION: Michaud moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's October 12, 2017 meeting, as written. Clore seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Swaim absent). COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Preservation Iowa Membership. Miklo said that a flyer from Preservation Iowa, which is seeking members was included in the meeting packet. He said it is a fairly low-cost membership, and the group does a lot in terms of education and advocacy for preservation across the State. Local Landmark Process Update. Bristow said that staff is proceeding forward with some of the local landmarks that the Commission earmarked about two years ago. She said that owner meetings will be held next week. Bristow said the properties are 213 East Market Street, 319 East Bloomington Street, 504 East Bloomington Street, 410/412 North Clinton Street, 412 North Dubuque Street, and 1029 North Dodge Street. Miklo said that presentations to the property owners will be made on Wednesday at 5:30. He said that Commission members are invited to attend. Bristow said staff is also proceeding forward with a small historic district south of Burlington Street: the Clinton Street and Railroad Historic District. She said it would include the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2017 Page 13 of 14 passenger railroad station, which is already a local landmark and on the National Register. Bristow said it would include the houses just along Clinton Street, so it would encompass the depot, the small hotel right across the street, the neighboring next two houses, the larger house on the corner, and the brick house across the street. She said that staff will be meeting with these owners on Thursday at 5:30. Bristow invited interested Commission members to attend. Miklo said the next step after that meeting would be a public hearing before the Commission, possibly in December or January. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:43 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2017-2018 KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member NAME TERM EXP. 11/10 12/8 1/12 2/9 3/9 4/13 5/11 6/15 7/31 8/10 9/14 10/12 10/13 AGRAN, THOMAS 7/1/20 X X X X O/E X X X X X X X X BAKER, ESTHER 7/1/18 O/E X X X O/E X X X X X X X X BOYD, KEVIN 7/1/20 X O/E X X X X X X O/E X O/E X X BUILTA, ZACH 7/1/19 X X O/E X X O/E X X O/E X X X X CLORE, GOSIA 7/1/20 X X X O/E X X X X X O/E X X X DEGRAW, SHARON 7/1/19 X X X X X X O/E X X X X X X KARR, G. T. 7/1/20 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X X KUENZLI, CECILE 7/1/19 X X O/E X X O/E O/E X O/E O/E X O/E X MICHAUD, PAM 7/1/18 X X X X X X X X X O/E X X X SWAIM, GINALIE 7/1/18 X O/E O/E X X X X X X X X X O/E WAGNER, FRANK 7/1/18 X X X X X X X O/E O/E X O/E X X