HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/11/2024 - Historic Preservation Commission - AGENDA - Work SessionPage 1
Jim Rose, Chair Location:
Bonnie Gibson, Vice Chair This meeting will be held
Margo Carlock IN PERSON at
Chris Conway City Hall, 300 LaPorte Ave
Jenna Edwards
Jeff Gaines
Aaron Hull Staff Liaison:
David Woodlee Maren Bzdek
Vacant Seat Historic Preservation Manager
Work Session
September 11, 2024
5:30 PM
Fort Collins is a Certified Local Government (CLG) authorized by the National Park Service and History Colorado based
on its compliance with federal and state historic preservation standards. CLG standing requires Fort Collins to maintain
a Historic Preservation Commission composed of members of which a minimum of 40% meet federal standards for
professional experience from preservation-related disciplines, including, but not limited to, historic architecture,
architectural history, archaeology, and urban planning. For more information, see Article III, Division 19 of the Fort
Collins Municipal Code.
The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs, and activities and
will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call 221-6515 (TDD 224-6001) for
assistance.
Historic Preservation Commission
AGENDA
Section 2-73 of the Municipal Code.
IN PERSON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
No public comment is allowed during work sessions. Members of the public may observe the meeting
but will not be allowed to comment at the meeting.
The public may comment in the regular meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission which will be
held in person on September 18, 2024. Information on how to participate is contained in the agenda for
that meeting available at https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/boards/historic-preservation.
Documents to share: Members of the public wishing to submit documents, visual presentations, or
written comments for the Commission to consider regarding any item on the agenda must email them at
least 48 hours prior to the September 18, 2024 meeting to preservation@fcgov.com.
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• CALL TO ORDER
• ROLL CALL
• REVIEW OF ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING TO BE HELD ON
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2024, AT 5:30 P.M. VIA ZOOM AND IN-PERSON
(Please see the agenda for the September 28, 2024, meeting for information on how to join that
meeting.)
CONSENT
1. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 21, 2024
DISCUSSION
2. REPORT ON STAFF ACTIVITIES SINCE THE LAST MEETING
3. PROPOSED POLICY ADOPTION: EXPANDED ROOFING OPTIONS FOR PROJECTS
ON HISTORIC BUILDINGS
4. 1316 W. OAK ST. (JASPER LOOMIS PROPERTY) – FINAL LANDMARK DESIGN
REVIEW
5. EDUCATION WORKSHOP – HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORY PRIMER
• BOARD TOPICS
1. HPC Work Plan Progress & Priorities
2. HPC Training – Financial Incentives and Historic Properties
• OTHER BUSINESS
• ADJOURNMENT
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Board Topic 1, Page 1
DATE:
STAFF:
Maren Bzdek, Historic Preservation Manager
WORK SESSION ITEM 1
Historic Preservation
Commission
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
HPC Work Plans – 2024 Progress and Priorities
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City Code requires all boards and commissions to file work plans on or before September 30 for the following year.
According to the Boards and Commissions Manual, work plans should set out major projects and issues for
discussion for the following year. The HPC adopted the attached 2024 work plan at its November 08, 2023 meeting.
Consideration of pending priorities associated with the work plan will be a regular work session discussion item.
The regular recurrence of this discussion item is intended to provide the Commission with the opportunity to
measure ongoing progress and identify action items.
For consideration and discussion at the August 2024 work session, please see the attached letter from Commission
member Chris Conway.
Additionally, the following materials on evolving preservation policy as it relates to priorities outlined in the current
HPC work plan and/or raised in Mr. Conway’s letter may be helpful for the discussion.
• The ACHP advisory report on the federal preservation standards for treatment, released March 1, 2024:
https://www.achp.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/StandardsReportWithAppendices.pdf
o Recognizes that, when Rehabilitation/adaptive reuse is our goal, how we care for historic places
needs to change to reflect current needs related to housing, climate change, and equity. those
three core concerns.
• Landmarks Illinois’ recent publication, the Relevancy Guidebook: https://www.landmarks.org/introducing-
the-relevancy-guidebook/
o This resource was shared with the Colorado community of preservation professionals and
Commission members at the 2024 Saving Places conference during the keynote address, and
current Fort Collins preservation staff are delving further into the guidebook’s recommendations
with the intention to bring specific topics for discussion to the HPC and the community as we
anticipate code updates.
• Connecting the relevancy of historic preservation work with other pressing needs in the community means
that the preservation process needs to be accessible, demystified, and collaborative. Messaging is
important in order to set the stage for positive evolution, and the following guide from the National Alliance
of Preservation Commissions is particularly helpful. https://www.napcommissions.org/messaging-guide
ATTACHMENTS
1. HPC 2024 Work Plan
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Work Plan
City of Fort Collins
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
2024 Work Plan
The 2024 work plan of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is based on four primary initiatives that
initially emerged at an October 2022 retreat. The current members have determined these initiatives are of
ongoing relevance to their work on behalf of City Council and the Fort Collins community. The current members of
the HPC have also determined to hold regular discussions throughout 2024 to identify associated action items
and required resources, to discuss how their proposed work interfaces with ongoing City staff activities, and to
take on related tasks according to their individual capacity to contribute.
2024 Work Plan Initiatives
These initiatives align with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Impact Agenda, the Colorado Statewide
Historic Preservation Plan, and the City of Fort Collins strategic plans and outcome areas.
1.Support Building an Equitable, Affordable, and Vibrant Community
•Provide feedback and ideas for the following staff-led initiatives:
o share local history and elevate appreciation of historic building stock that provides affordable
housing for the community
o prioritize inclusion to tell a more accurate and comprehensive story of our community
o encourage emphasis on the history of individual Fort Collins neighborhoods to help residents
learn about and appreciate where they live
o follow National Register process to consider updating the significance criteria to include cultural
significance and evaluate local potential for application.
o Incorporate the City’s future land acknowledgement statement into HPC meetings.
2.Grow a Collaborative and Inclusive Network through Improved Public Engagement
•Assist staff with formal and informal presentations to community groups, focusing first on the key interest
groups of cultural and heritage non-profits, realtors, construction and building trades, and developers as
well as youth K-12 education
•Use HPC meetings to engage with and empower the participation, self-advocacy, and storytelling of
underrepresented groups who are not typically connected to historic preservation work
•Interact more closely and strategically with other Boards and Commissions
•Help staff to identify new stakeholders and partner organizations to work on shared goals
•Network with community contacts and encourage City Clerk’s Office and City Council to recruit and
appoint new HPC members who are representative of our community’s demographic diversity
3.Strengthen Connection to Climate Resilience Work
•Use HPC work sessions and other educational outlets led by HPC members to educate residents and
contractors about value and passive energy performance of pre-WWII building stock and material
conservation/embodied energy, as well as methods for maintaining and improving ongoing energy
performance of historic buildings
BOARD TOPIC 1, ATTACHMENT 1
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• Provide feedback to staff on conceptual design of effective graphics to represent comparative effects of
demolition versus adaptive reuse/rehabilitation of buildings
• Provide comments for City’s effort to consider a future deconstruction ordinance that is connected to a
regional network of participants
4. Develop Modernized and Expanded Tools for Historic Preservation
• Engage a younger demographic with connections to emerging professionals in graduate programs and
emerging digital tools
• Support effort to create new and more numerous tools for recognizing historic places and learning about
their history (on site and online)
• Participate in staff-led effort to evaluate, address, and strengthen incentives and financial support
programs to encourage and support local landmarks
• Use HPC meetings to promote the existing Cost Calculator Tool on the City’s website
• Provide ideas to staff for new information and helpful resources to add to City’s website
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Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) Purpose and Overview:
• The HPC, established in 1968, is a nine-member quasi-judicial body. Per Certified Local Government
(CLG) requirements in the U.S. historic preservation system, the City must demonstrate an ongoing effort
to maintain at least 40% of the membership with professional expertise in history, archaeology,
anthropology, architectural history, architecture or landscape architecture, real estate, or law.
o Currently, that expertise is represented on the Fort Collins HPC by 8 of the 8 appointed members
(100%) as follows: Architecture (Anne Nelsen); Historic Architecture/Architectural History (Jim
Rose); History and related disciplines (Jenna Edwards, Margo Carlock); Archaeology (Bonnie
Gibson); Building Trades (David Woodlee); and Real Estate (Andy Smith, Tom Wilson).
• The HPC performs the CLG responsibilities for the City of Fort Collins:
o Enables the City to administer preservation regulations on behalf of the state/federal
governments; residents to receive 25% Colorado State Tax Credits for Historic Preservation; and
City to receive CLG grants for training, surveys, building preservation, and education
o Requires enforcement of state/local legislation for the designation and protection of historic
properties consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards; requires on-going historic survey.
• The HPC is the final decision-maker on:
o Exterior alterations to properties designated as Fort Collins Landmarks
o Determinations of eligibility for Fort Collins Landmark designation; and allocation of Landmark
Rehabilitation Loan funds
• The HPC makes formal recommendations:
o To Council on Fort Collins Landmark designations and matters of policy related to historic
preservation and land use; to the Colorado State Review Board on nominations of Fort Collins
properties to the National and State Registers of Historic Places
o To the Planning and Zoning Commission, Hearing Officers, and City staff on design compatibility
of developments adjacent to and/or containing historic resources, as well as proposed treatment
plans for adaptive reuse of those historic resources.
• HPC advises Council on the identification and significance of historic resources, threats to their
preservation, and methods for their protection; and advises Council and staff about policies, incentives,
and regulations for historic preservation.
• The HPC proactively addresses barriers that perpetuate inequality, to help minimize impacts to
historically under-represented and under-resourced communities; and directly supports the City's goals of
sustaining an environment where residents and visitors feel welcomed, safe, and valued.
BOARD TOPIC 1, ATTACHMENT 1
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Financial Incentives and Historic Properties
Sept. 11, 2024Jim Bertolini, Maren Bzdek, and Yani Jones
2Overview
Non-Local Financial Incentive Programs for Historic Resources
• State Tax Credits
• Federal Tax Credits
• State Historical Fund
City of Fort Collins Financial Incentives
• Design Assistance Program
• Landmark Rehabilitation Loans
Discussion
1
2
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State of Colorado Tax Credits:
• All designated properties
(local/state/national) eligible
• 20-35% of qualified rehabilitation
expenses as dollar-for-dollar
credit against state income taxes
• Transferable credits for projects
on income-producing properties
• Owners or long-term tenants can
apply
• Both interior and exterior work
Federal Tax Credits:
• National Register properties only
• 20% of qualified rehabilitation
expenses as credit to owner that
dollar-for-dollar reduces federal
income taxes owed
• Both interior and exterior work
• National Park Service approves
applications (initiated through the
State Historic Preservation Office)
• Can be stacked with State tax
credits and other federal credits,
e.g. the Low-Income Housing Tax
Credit (LIHTC) or New Markets
Tax Credits
State Historical Fund:
• All designated properties
(local/state/national) eligible
• Grants for a variety of purposes:
Archaeological assessments,
Structural Assessments, Survey
Plans, Emergency Grants,
Education, Physical Rehab Work,
and more
• Noncompetitive grants up to $5k
(micro grants) or up to $15k
• Competitive grants up to $50k
(mini) or up to $250k (general)
• Cash match required ranging from
0 to 50%
• Eligible applicants: public entities,
nonprofits (private owners only
with eligible sponsor/grant
administrator)
3Big Picture: State and Federal Opportunities
4City Programs – Design Assistance
• Established 2011
• Mini grants, typically, up to $2k per project
• All historic resources eligible
• Rolling deadline until funds expended
• City pays qualified contractors directly
Original Purpose:
Investment in aging building stock
Design compatibility – infill/additions
Revised Purpose:
Technical Assistance, project planning
Negotiating Tool – Expert Guidance
• Annual Budget: $40,000
3
4
BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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5City Programs – Design Assistance – Examples
724 Martinez St. (Landmark) –
Structural Evaluation/
Recommendations
301 E. Magnolia St. (SR/NR) –
Window Evaluation
519 E. Mulberry ST. (Landmark) –
Architectural Concept Sketch
6City Programs – Landmark Rehabilitation Zero-Interest Loans
• Established 1994
• Up to $7,500 per property per year with 1:1 match required
• City Landmarks only eligible
• Rolling deadline until funds expended
• Repayment of loan in lump sum at discretion of loan-holder or
upon sale/transfer of the property
• Payoffs return to program funds
Purpose:
SOI Standards compliance
Encourage landmark designation
• Annual Budget: $40K
• Average: 4-6 loans/year
• Current loan portfolio: $278,047 (56 Loans)
• Typical projects: windows, porches, foundation repair,
insulation, egress windows
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BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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7City Programs – Landmark Rehab Loans– Examples
237 West St. –
Basement window to egress
window conversion
1645 Sheely Dr. –
Insulation
623 Mathews St. –
Porch repair
8Discussion
Enhanced Program Goals
Community collaboration & co-creation
How are existing programs serving current priorities?
Serve broader range of community
Identify access barriers
Support compatible new housing units
Can funds better support conversions to multi-family?
Prioritize efficiency and resilience
Specify how preservation funds can add value to other City programs
ADA upgrades
Assist with design and construction that prioritizes equity
Recognize and support design alternatives that preserve upfront carbon investment
Design alternatives
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8
BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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