Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Historic Preservation Commission Minutes 10/9/2017 MINUTES CITY OF AMES HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Date: October 9, 2017 Kim Hanna, Chairperson 2019 Jason Dietzenbach, Vice Chairperson 2018 Call to Order: 6:00 PM Peter Hallock 2018 Lisa Hovis 2018 Place: Ames City Hall Council Chambers Ted Grevstad-Nordbrock 2019 Edith Hunter 2020 Adjournment: 7:10 PM *Barry Snell 2020 [*Absent] CALL TO ORDER: Kim Hanna, Chairperson, called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: MOTION: (Hallock/Grevstad-Nordbrock) to approve the Agenda for the meeting of September 11, 2017 MOTION PASSED: (5-0) APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF JUNE 12, 2017: MOTION: (Dietzenbach/Hallock) to approve the Minutes of the meeting of September 11, 2017 with change to time adjourned on last page. MOTION PASSED: (5-0) ____________________________________________________________________________ PUBLIC FORUM: There were no public comments. ____________________________________________________________________________ DISCUSS GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE AMES COMPREHENSIVE HISTORIC PRESERVATION Mr. Anderson, Planner stated the Commission had requested to review the goals and objectives as it was approved in 2009. He stated he will go through each goal to see if there is any discussion. Mr. Anderson stated that there is more to the plan than just goals and objectives but thought this would be a good starting point. Ms. Hanna wanted to know when the Commission put these together did they have any deadlines as to when they would like to see things done as she did not see a timeline. Mr. Anderson stated there was not it was just as when opportunities arose and available funding. Ms. Hanna then asked if the goals where set up in order of importance or just arbitrarily assigned. Mr. Anderson said that they did not as goal number one is just as important as goal number 2. GOAL #1. Acknowledge the role of historic preservation in encouraging civic pride, neighborhood identity, economic vitality, and community sustainability. Objective A: Adopt strategies to conserve historic neighborhood associations to work toward goals of mutual benefit. Mr. Anderson mentioned that some surveys have gone out to the neighborhoods and more could be done. The Old Town neighborhood is the most active as they are the local historic preservation district and they have a newsletter that goes out. Mr. Hallock stated he wanted to share some frustration about getting the full extent of the Old Town neighborhood association recognized by the City, they expanded their boundaries in 2008 and have tried to work with the City but still only showing having the Historic district not the full neighborhood map that was just published a few weeks ago. Mr. Hallock noted that the boundaries go all the way from east side 2 of Duff to the east side of Grand and from 6th Street to 13th Street. He stated part of the frustration is they send their newsletter to the entire area and the City will only pay for the Historic District. Mr. Anderson stated he will check into this. Mr. Dietzenbach asked if they were going to go through each action step as well. Mr. Anderson stated they do not have to unless they have any questions. Mr. Dietzenbach wanted to know more about action step three regarding the installation of historic streetlights. Mr. Hallock asked if anything has been done to create design guidelines for the historic streetlights. Mr. Anderson noted that there is not. Ms. Hanna wanted to know when this was discussed was this to be applied to Old Town district only. Mr. Anderson stated that it would be in any historic districts. Objective B: Facilitate the preservation efforts of neighborhood associations. He stated that as surveys were done they were shared with the neighborhoods. Mr. Hallock mentioned that a lot of neighborhood associations have electronic copies of the survey. Ms. Hanna asked if there was a way to publish the survey results on their website. Mr. Anderson stated that many of the surveys are not in pdf form but could be scanned and copied and put on the website. Ms. Hanna then asked if they could be published at the Library for someone to view. He stated that copies could be given to the Library and published online. Mr. Hallock recommended coordinating with the Historical Society as they may be willing to host it on their website. Ms. Hanna mentioned that when she was reviewing this document she didn’t see where it was noted anywhere to update the HPC website or creating a Preservation website. Objective C: Strengthen the role of historic preservation in promoting Ames tourism. Mr. Anderson stated this has not really been pursued at this point however there are some walking tour brochures. Mr. Dietzenbach stated they have plaques displayed as well. Mr. Grevstad-Nordbrock stated that he has mentioned bringing in some of his Iowa State University students to next month’s meeting and they will discuss heritage tourism. Objective D: Inform the public about the role of historic preservation in stabilizing and increasing property values and the community’s tax base. Mr. Anderson stated they have not analyzed any of the Assessors records to see how the values have changed since the district was created. This would be a project that would need some direction from City Council to allow time for this study. Goal #2: Promote the preservation of historically, architecturally, and archaeologically significant resources in the community. Objective A: Provide financial support for the Ames Historical Society to assist in achieving the goals of the Ames Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan. Mr. Anderson stated he is not sure how much support the City currently provides. Mr. Hallock mentioned that last year it was about $35,000 but it is not at all targeted to Historic Preservation as a lot of it is for the maintenance of archives that were turned over from the City to the Historical Society. Mr. Anderson noted that the amount given is a decision made by City Council regarding the budget but it is something that the Commission could pursue if interested. 3 Objective B: Promote economic incentive opportunities to encourage the preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods. Mr. Anderson stated the action step for this objective was to provide property tax abatement however, they don’t have tax abatement in the Old Town District. This would be a new program that would require approval and support from City Council. Objective C: Provide guidance for preserving and improving historic properties to developers, property owners, and others interested in historic preservation. Mr. Anderson read aloud the three action steps for this objective. He noted that the Roosevelt School was part of the first action step as it was an adaptive reuse project and it involved the Historic Preservation Commission. Objective D: Encourage private support and commitment for preservation undertakings. Mr. Anderson stated they do have some properties on the National Register and gave an example of the YSS headquarters and there are some on Campus. He is sure there are others that could be pursued and maybe the Commission could identify properties and prioritize the properties as to which ones are the most in danger of being lost. Mr. Hallock mentioned that another thing to add would be for the Commission to educate property owners on the types of grants and funding’s that are available for them to use and the advantages of getting their properties listed. Objective E: Increase awareness of the potential for archaeological sites within the city and legal protection for them. Mr. Anderson stated that there are some archaeological sites within the city that have been identified and some were discovered when digging for development projects. He noted that there is a burial ground in the Northwood area and when someone was trying to build a basement this was stopped and the burial ground was preserved. This is something that will occasionally come up through discovery or by the State Archaeologists office. GOAL #3: Enhance municipal policies to protect historic resources and implement policies through identification, effective legislation, and efficient regulatory measures. Objective A: Revise Chapter 31, “Historic Preservation Districts” in the Ames Municipal Code, including chapter title, design guidelines, and related ordinances to broaden applicability, improve clarity (including ADA issues and ordinance enforceability), and/or make consistent with National Register standards. Mr. Anderson stated that Chapter 31 has been revised and they did seek a grant to prepare the revisions however they were not successful in obtaining a grant. Mr. Anderson stated that in this plan they have identified some potential historic districts and this is something that could be discussed at another meeting if there are any areas the Commission would like to do surveys for. Mr. Grevstad-Nordbrock asked if these were the Will Page surveys. He stated that is correct and further survey’s need to be done to get more details on properties in the areas and publish the results. Mr. Hallock asked if the Downtown district was one of the areas that was previous surveyed. Mr. Anderson stated it was through another 4 survey done back in the early 1990’s. Mr. Hallock wondered if the nomination of Downtown would be a fulfillment for this objective. Mr. Anderson stated it would. Mr. Grevstad-Nordbrock wanted to know if there was a timeline on the goals and objectives, are they supposed to be thinking out ten, five, or one year. Mr. Anderson stated that in the plan it doesn’t give an end date. Ms. Hanna wanted to know if a timeline was something that could be added so it is not just a list of possibilities but more of a strategic plan. Mr. Anderson stated they could always amend the plan, the Commission would come up with recommendations and then go to City Council. Mr. Hallock stated he thinks it would be appropriate for the ones that have already been accomplished are not complete and then pick out other items that should be completed within the next five years etc. Mr. Anderson stated that if it was a survey that is something the Commission can have done and if they wanted to do one in 2018 now would be a good time to come up with a budget proposal asking City Council to include money in the budget for the survey. Objective B: Continue to improve Ames inventories of historic properties through reconnaissance and intensive historical, architectural, and archaeological surveys Mr. Anderson stated this is what was discussed earlier. Mr. Dietzenbach wanted to know if they would be able to get more details as to what surveys have already been done and maybe getting those promoted online. The Commission would like to better understand what has already been done in order to move forward with what type of survey might be needed next. Mr. Anderson stated that he would be able to look into that and see what it would take to get those on the websites. Mr. Hallock asked if Mr. Anderson could bring back next month to the Commission the surveys that have been done. Objective C: Revise local historic district and landmark design guidelines to clarify their intent and to reflect new materials, technologies, and “green issues.” Mr. Anderson stated this was addressed to some extent with the updated Chapter 31. Mr. Hallock asked if this was something different from Chapter 31 or a reference to it. Mr. Anderson stated that it is a reference to Chapter 31. Mr. Dietzenbach asked if there is a zoning code that references “green issues”. Mr. Anderson stated they do have zoning regulations for solar panels and wind energy. Mr. Dietzenbach wanted to know how that correspondence with this objective or Chapter 31. Mr. Anderson stated that in Chapter 31 they did look at materials and encouraged the wood historic materials to be repaired instead of getting new which aligns with the “green issues”. Mr. Hallock stated that in Goal #5 there is an action step that there is to be an annual joint session between Planning & Zoning and Historic Preservation Commission and wanted to know if this has been done before. Mr. Anderson stated that there have been a few joint meetings but nothing set annually. Objective D: Continue to designate local historic districts, local landmarks, and National Register of Historic Places properties. Mr. Anderson stated they have the one local district and a few historical landmarks. The Old Town district had approached City Council themselves to get established and boundaries set. Ms. Hunter stated what needs to be presented and explain there will be some restrictions but then give them some incentives that are available. Mr. Anderson stated that right now there are no financial incentives available. Ms. Hunter stated a lot of people outside of Old Town are not even aware of what is available for assistance. Mr. Hallock mentioned that even people within Old Town are aware of what is available and further outreach is needed. Ms. Hunter suggested if they were able to identify some neighborhoods they could benefit from this and then approach 5 them through the neighborhood associations if there is one. Ms. Hanna stated that SCAN could use the Commission as a tool to help with their ongoing challenge of rental housing versus owner occupied houses. Objective E: Ensure that design guidelines for city re/development incentive programs respect the historic character of the properties and surrounding areas to which they are applied. Mr. Anderson stated this refers to design guidelines, for example, the downtown façade grant program, it is not exclusively historic restoration. Ms. Hanna wanted to know if they would need to look at the design guidelines once downtown is listed in the National Register. Mr. Anderson stated they do not. Objective F: Ensure that expansion or development of city property follows good preservation practices. Mr. Anderson stated this would refer to any new public building being constructed or if an addition was added on, would be to be sensitive to the design and materials. Objective G: Protect the value of properties and neighborhoods by working to prevent the deterioration of structures. Mr. Anderson stated that the City does not have a maintenance code for rentals. GOAL #4: Educate the public concerning the value and benefit of historic preservation. Objective A: Increase public awareness of and support for historic preservation archival materials. Mr. Anderson stated that there has been a lot done by Historic Preservation Society. Ms. Hanna questioned what archival materials really means, is it something for the Historical Society only or does it mean when an old building comes down you preserve the business sign. Mr. Hallock stated that part of it would be all the historical files that the Historical Society has obtained. Mr. Dietzenbach thought that the goal of it is to educate the public regarding the value and benefit of the Historical Society and the preserving of an old sign wouldn’t apply but more along the lines of where the public can get historic pictures of their house. Objective B: Promote and offer walking tours, lectures, workshops, and other educational opportunities focused on historic preservation. Mr. Anderson stated there has been some of this already in Downtown. Mr. Dietzenbach asked if lectures would fall under this objective and it was stated it would along with the plaque tours. Mr. Hallock stated that is could be an outreach to generate interest to put together a brochure of their property area. Objective C: Utilize website/on-line presence. Mr. Anderson stated this has already been talked about a few times tonight. Mr. Hallock felt this is definitely one that the Commission needs to move forward on. 6 Objective D: Facilitate the dissemination of historic preservation information. Ms. Hanna stated that this goes with objective C. Mr. Hallock stated another thing that should be provided on the website is grant information, how to apply and what assistance is available. Mr. Grevstad-Nordbrock suggested looking at the City of Dubuque as a model/reference. Mr. Dietzenbach stated this was discussed last year about putting some of their educational funds towards this but ran out of time. Goal #5: Facilitate and strengthen preservation partnerships among municipal, county, state, and federal government agencies, including Iowa State University, Ames Historical Society, and local school districts. Objective A: Open communication channels among all interested parties to identify common interests and concerns, to explore areas of mutual benefit, and to share historical data and research. Mr. Hallock stated that this is where the action step was to have an annual joint meeting with Planning & Zoning Commission. Mr. Andersons stated that this is something that can definitely be done. Ms. Hanna mentioned that if they could get a website up and going they would be able to link with main street and all of these areas. Mr. Hallock stated that we could summarize information and link it to something else. Mr. Anderson asked Mr. Grevstad-Nordbrock if there was a link that would be appropriate to Iowa State Information. Mr. Grevstad-Nordbrock stated not at this time but once they get their preservation program up and running then it would be a good link to have. Ms. Hanna recommended the façade program in campustown with its design guidelines would be a good link to have on the website. Objective B: Develop timely notification and review/comment process for proposed re-use, rehabilitation, or demolition of historic resources. Mr. Anderson stated that a lot of times they don’t get enough notice that something is going to be demolished. Ms. Hanna wanted to know what the policy/procedure is when a residence has been instructed to follow specific directions to get their certificate of appropriateness but has not follow this. Mr. Anderson stated it is an enforcement action, a letter is sent stating they have so many days to comply and if not done they can be cited and fined. Mr. Dietzenbach wanted to know with a demolition permit could there be a different process if the property is over 40 years old. Mr. Anderson stated there is currently nothing in place but there must some type of criteria that flag the property. Objective C: Integrate the Historic Preservation Plan with other priorities of the City Council. Mr. Anderson stated that he doesn’t think that City Council has reviewed the Ames Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan since it was adopted. Ms. Hanna stated that this would be something that once they go through this document and prioritize items they can then present to City Council. GOAL #6: Promote the economic development and vitality of the city through historic preservation. Objective A: Assess the impacts of new development on the historic character of existing neighborhoods, commercial districts, and archaeological resources. 7 Mr. Anderson stated that this one has not been done, but many of the zoning districts do not have guidelines. Mr. Anderson stated this goal is really referring to the economic benefit of historic preservation. Objective B: Encourage the use and adaptive reuse of existing public and private buildings. Mr. Anderson stated that Roosevelt school is a great example of adaptive reuse and was a successful project. Mr. Anderson stated that action step two to develop design pattern books to illustrate how adopted design guidelines can be applies would be very helpful. Ms. Hanna stated she would recommend removing action step four as it is not an option with all the redevelopment that has happened in Campustown. Objective C: Explore local incentive opportunities for historic preservation. Mr. Anderson stated this has been discussed earlier with tax abatement. Objective D: Provide current information concerning preservation grants and financial incentives. Mr. Anderson stated this could probably be links on the website. Objective E: Recognize the importance of preservation tourism for Ames and support efforts to promote it. Mr. Anderson stated it sounds like this will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting. Objective F: Partner with businesses in Downtown Ames, Campustown, and other business communities and tourism efforts beyond Ames to explore branding, promotion, products, marketing, and other economic advantages associated with the Lincoln Highway as an historic corridor across Iowa and its attraction to the touring public. Mr. Anderson stated they haven’t talked much about the Lincoln Highway. Ms. Hanna wanted to know how far Staff was into the Lincoln Corridor Plan. Mr. Anderson stated it is just getting started. Ms. Hanna stated that this is something that they should make sure they are part of the conversation. Mr. Anderson stated that if there are items that the Commission would like to discuss/pursue further he would encourage them to do it. Ms. Hanna asked what the next step be if the wanted to make changes to the plan and add a timeline etc. Mr. Anderson stated that it could be on the agenda again next month and zero in on the changes they want to make along with timing. Mr. Hallock would like to Mr. Anderson to bring back to the next meeting what surveys have been done and when they were done. Mr. Dietzenbach mentioned that there were more levels to this plan and Ms. Hanna asked if they could get a copy of the rest of it to review before they start making changes. Mr. Dietzenbach let the Commission know that he is currently working on an interactive story map with the plaques around town that would be able to pull up existing photos and be able to walk around and see where you are and may be able to have these go into some neighborhoods. ____________________________________________________________________________ 8 COMMISSION COMMENTS: Ms. Hanna stated that there will be guests at the next Historic Preservation Commission meeting that will be giving a presentation. Mr. Grevstad-Nordbrock stated he is teaching a class right now that is about the economics of historic preservation, there are about 15 students in the class and they have been tasked with thinking about heritage tourism in Ames and different strategies and they will present their findings at the next meeting. ____________________________________________________________________________ STAFF COMMENTS: Mr. Anderson stated the nomination for the Downtown to the National Register, City Council made a recommendation to move forward to designate it and the information has been sent down to the State Historic Preservation Office. The State Nominations Review Committee meets on October 13, 2017. ____________________________________________________________________________ MOTION TO ADJOURN: MOTION: (Hallock/Hunter) to adjourn the meeting. MOTION PASSED: (6-0) The meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM. _________________________________ ____________________________________ Kim Hanna, Chairperson Amy L. Colwell, Recording Secretary Historic Preservation Commission Department of Planning & Housing S:\Planning.Dep\PLAN_SHR\Council Boards Commissions\HPC\Minutes\2017 Minutes\HPC Minutes 10-09-17.docx