HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/08/2025 - Historic Preservation Commission - AGENDA - Work Session01/15/2025 Agenda Page 1
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
AGENDA – WORK SESSION
January 08, 2024, 5:30PM – 10:00PM
In person at City Hall, 300 Laporte Avenue
This HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION meeting will be available in person at City Hall,
300 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN PERSON:
No public comment is allowed during work sessions. Members of the public may join the meeting but will
remain muted throughout the duration of the meeting.
The public may comment in the regular meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission which
will be held in person on January 15, 2025. Information on how to participate is contained in the
agenda for the meeting available at: https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/boards/historic-
preservation
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.
Upon request, the City of Fort Collins will provide language access services for individuals who have limited English
proficiency, or auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities, to access City services, programs and
activities. Contact 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Dial 711 for Relay Colorado) for assistance. Please provide 48 hours
advance notice when possible.
A solicitud, la Ciudad de Fort Collins proporcionará servicios de acceso a idiomas para personas que no dominan el
idioma inglés, o ayudas y servicios auxiliares para personas con discapacidad, para que puedan acceder a los
servicios, programas y actividades de la Ciudad. Para asistencia, llame al 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Marque 711 para
Relay Colorado). Por favor proporcione 48 horas de aviso previo cuando sea posible.
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HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SUMMARY AGENDA – WORK SESSION
January 08, 2025, 5:30PM – 10:00PM
Commissioners
• CALL TO ORDER
• ROLL CALL
• REVIEW OF ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING TO BE
HELD ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2025, AT 5:30 P.M. VIA ZOOM AND IN-PERSON
(Please see the agenda for the January 15, 2025, meeting for information on how to join that
meeting.)
Consent
1. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF DECEMBER 18, 2024
DISCUSSION
2. REPORT ON STAFF ACTIVITIES SINCE THE LAST MEETING
3. SINGLE-UNIT DWELLING DEMOLITION NOTIFICATION – 1616 S. WHITCOMB ST.
4. 2025 DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ALLEY PROJECTS – HISTORIC
PRESERVATION COMMISSION REVIEW
• BOARD TOPICS
1. HPC Work Plan Progress & Priorities
2. Training – Preservation Treatment of Historic Buildings (the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards) and Anticipated Policy Updates
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HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SUMMARY AGENDA – WORK SESSION
January 08, 2025, 5:30PM – 10:00PM
• 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 – 2025 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 2025 work plan at its November 11, 2024 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.
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 2025 Work Plan
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Work Plan
City of Fort Collins
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
2025 Work Plan
The 2025 work plan of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is based on four primary initiatives that
initially emerged at an October 2022 retreat and were again adopted as priorities for the 2024 work plan. The
current Commission members have determined these initiatives are of ongoing relevance to their work on behalf
of City Council and the Fort Collins community. The HPC also intends to continue the practice, established in the
2024 work plan, of holding monthly discussions 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.
2025 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 Incorporate the City’s land acknowledgement statement into HPC meetings.
2.Grow a Collaborative and Inclusive Network through Improved Public Engagement
•Assist staff with formal presentations and informal engagement activities such as tabling at community
events, 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 while also considering
opportunities to bring preservation information to general community events of broader interest
•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
•Identify opportunities for ongoing recognition of excellence in historic rehabilitation projects and
advocacy efforts, including participation in the annual Friends of Preservation Awards selection
process and “spot awards” for projects throughout the year
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 and information flyers that
describe and illustrate the comparative effects of mechanical demolition versus adaptive
reuse/rehabilitation of buildings and deconstruction and provide lists of local resources
• 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 (including on site signage, online content, and interactive activities such as walking tours)
• Participate in staff-led effort to evaluate, address, and strengthen incentives and financial support
programs to encourage and support local landmarks
• Provide ideas to staff for new information and helpful resources to add to City’s website
5. Provide Subject Matter Expertise and Formal Participation in Preservation Code and Policy Updates
• Assist City staff and community stakeholders in the comparative evaluation of proposed updates to Fort
Collins code requirements and administrative procedures, specifically (but not limited to) the categories of
treatment of historic resources on development sites, applications for demolition, non-owner-initiated
requests for landmark designation, and the possibility of adding cultural importance as an additional
significance criterion for landmark eligibility.
• Participate in public engagement efforts to gather community input for proposed updates.
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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, 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. Currently, that expertise is represented on
the Fort Collins HPC by 8 of the 8 appointed members (100%) as follows:
o Architecture (Jeff Gaines); Historic Architecture/Architectural History (Jim Rose); History and
related disciplines (Jenna Edwards, Margo Carlock, Chris Conway); Archaeology (Bonnie
Gibson); Building Trades (David Woodlee); Planning (Aaron Hull).
• 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 when competitive rounds are required
• 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.
• 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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Board Topic 2, Page 1
DATE:
STAFF:
Jim Bertolini, Senior Historic Preservation Planner
WORK SESSION ITEM
2
Historic Preservation
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
HPC Training – Preservation Treatment of Historic Buildings (the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards) and
Anticipated Policy Updates
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is a refresher training for members of the Historic Preservation Commission regarding the Standards used by
the HPC and staff for approving or denying projects on historic buildings: the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Since the Standards are not prescriptive, and
are instead a set of methods, it is important to understand how to apply those methods to the particular historic
resources that exist in Fort Collins. This training will refresh the HPC on these Standards and their supporting
guidelines. This will also include some discussion on anticipated policy interpretations for applying the Standards
to certain situations within city limits. This topic will last about 30 minutes.
Commissioners are encouraged to come with questions about City project review in its various contexts. While
these may not be covered in the meeting, they may become topics for future work sessions.
Municipal Code Chapter 14, Article IV:
https://library.municode.com/co/fort_collins/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=CH14LAPR_ARTIVDEREPRALDERE
LUC 5.8.1 (via Article V) is available online, here (use the Table of Contents link to navigate directly to 5.8.1):
https://www.fcgov.com/planning-development-services/files/article-5-general-development-and-site-
design.pdf?1715205121
The National Park Service maintains the Standards and Guidelines, available online, here:
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/secretary-standards-treatment-historic-properties.htm
ATTACHMENTS
1. Staff Presentation
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Headline Copy Goes Here
Senior Historic Preservation Planner
Jim Bertolini
Treating Historic
Buildings:
Standards &
Upcoming Policy
Interpretations
January 15, 2025
Headline Copy Goes Here
2
Overview of Topics for Today
• Review of the Codes, Standards, and Guidelines we use to approve or deny projects on historic properties
• Review of local practices & key issues
•Environmental Sustainability
•Housing Affordability / Densification
• Policy Discussion
•Roofing and Solar are established (2024)
•What next?
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2
BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Headline Copy Goes HereU.S. Preservation Structure
3
National
National Park Service
Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation
National Trust for
Historic Preservation
Preservation Action
State (CO)
History Colorado
Colorado Preservation,
Inc.
Colorado Historical
Foundation
Local (FC)
Historic Preservation
Services
Historic Preservation
Commission
Historic Larimer County
Fort Collins Historical
Society
Community members, advocates, property owners, etc., involved throughout.
Government
Non-Profit Advocacy
Headline Copy Goes Here
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Fort Collins – Preservation Codes
Chapter 14 of Municipal Code
Includes Designated & Non-Designated
Resources
Covers
• Policies, Purposes, & Definitions
• Designation Standards & Processes
• Project Review process
• Landmark Loan Program
Land Use Code 3.4.7
Development Review
Primarily for non-designated resources on
development sites
Includes most permitted projects on non-
single family property
• Standards for evaluation and treatment
housed in Chapter 14
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4
BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Headline Copy Goes HerePreservation Standards
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National Park Service
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for
the Treatment of Historic Properties &
Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability
LOTS of supporting Briefs, Bulletins, and
Tech Notes
Supporting Docs & Local
Interpretation
Old Town Design Standards
• Not the same as the Old Town
Neighborhood Guidelines
Headline Copy Goes HereWhat do the Standards Cover?
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• Just about everything.
• NPS Standards cover
interior, exterior, and
site/context.
• Local regulations cover
exterior and site/context.
• Design & building science.
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BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Headline Copy Goes HereSOI Standards
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• Standards for
Treatment
• Restoration
• Reconstruction
• Preservation
•Rehabilitation
Headline Copy Goes HereSOI Standards for Rehabilitation
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1) A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in
a new use that requires minimal change to the defining
characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
2) The historic character of a property shall be retained and
preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of
features and spaces that characterize a property shall be
avoided.
3) Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its
time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of
historical development, such as adding conjectural features or
architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be
undertaken.
4) Most properties change over time; those changes that have
acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained
and preserved.
5) Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or
examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property
shall be preserved.
6) Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than
replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires
replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match
the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and,
where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall
be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
7) Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that
cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The
surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken
using the gentlest means possible.
8) Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be
protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed,
mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
9) New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction
shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property.
The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be
compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural
features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its
environment.
10) New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be
undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the
essential form and integrity of the historic property and its
environment would be unimpaired.
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BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Headline Copy Goes HereSOI Standards - Rehabilitation
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• 10 Standards – 3
Principles
• Do No Harm
• Repair Before You Replace
• Keep alterations in context
& subordinate
Headline Copy Goes Here
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Why do We Use Federal Standards?
• Adopted in City Code
• CLG status requires we base decision-making in the Standards
• Provide a consistent, clear, and predictable basis for decision-making
• Utilizes latest building science from the NPS
• subject to local environment and architectural history
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10
BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Headline Copy Goes Here
Staff contact
•Identify best practices
•Identify potential
funding
•Approve small or
compliant projects
HPC – Conceptual
Review
•Discussion w/
applicant
•Can be waived for
simple projects
HPC – Final
Review
•Quasi-judicial
•Decision-maker
Processing Projects – How Do We Take Care of It?
11
• Article IV – Review of
Alterations
• Applicability - exteriors
• Adoption of federal
preservation standards
• Discretion for staff approvals
• Process for HPC review
• How Do We Take Care of It?
• Follow federal standards
and/or adopted local
standards/guidelines
• Be consistent
• Be fair
• Be reasonable
Headline Copy Goes HereChapter 14, Article IV Review (Designated) – Staff Decisions?
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• City Landmarks
• Code language: For resources requiring a
certificate of appropriateness:
• Staff may refer any application to the HPC
• Staff must deny any application that doesn’t meet
the Standards
•Can be appealed
• National or State Register
• Code language: For resources requiring a report:
• Same as City Landmarks
• Generally default to staff review in all cases
Vs.
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BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Headline Copy Goes HereSustainability - Definitions
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• Preservation aims for long-term health of
historic building
• “Triple bottom line” sustainability
• Social
• Connect people with history
• Consider owner/resident needs
(rehabilitation)
• Consider local knowledge &
craftsmanship
• Economic
• Boosts to local job growth
• Small business incubation
• Environmental
• Embodied energy
• Reduce, reuse, recycle (in that
order)
• Improving energy performance
(National Park Service)
Headline Copy Goes HereCommon Sustainability Negotiation Points
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• Inappropriate solar collector installations
• Wall insulation that
• affects defining characteristics
or finishes;
• isn’t reversible; or
• compounds maintenance
issues.
• Addition of non-historic daylighting
features (skylights, dormers, new window
openings)
• Removal/replacement of character-
defining features for energy efficiency
• Doors & Windows
• Siding
Dept. of Energy National Park Service
National Park Service
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BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Headline Copy Goes HereSustainability Planning Concepts & Strategies
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• Conduct an energy audit first (solve problems a
building actually has)
• Consider inherent energy efficiency of the
building
• Reuse of existing materials is generally more
energy-efficient than replacement due to:
• environmental costs of manufacture
• durability of historic materials
(especially pre-1950)
• No such thing as “maintenance free”
Where Air Escapes From a House (by percentage) – Image based on data from Energy Savers, U.S. Department of
Energy. Illustration: Blank Space LLC.
Headline Copy Goes HereHousing Affordability & Density – It’s Complicated
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Historic Preservation’s role? Equally complex &
geographically-dependent
•Preserve existing affordable housing (apts,
small homes, etc.)
•Support modest/incremental densification
•Flexibility and response to context is key to
success
What makes housing affordable or not is complex
•Financing strategies
•Density (or lack of it)
•Desirability
•Costs of Construction
•Etc….
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BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Headline Copy Goes Here
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Upcoming Policy Proposal Options
• No particular order or priority
•Adaptive reuse options for garages
•How to densify a City Landmark (Incremental Approach)
•Would cover duplex or triplex conversions, accessory dwelling units, etc., where large-scale densification would be
prohibited under Chapter 14
•Porches: Adding them when missing or entirely absent
•Resolving Egress, Accessibility, and Daylighting
•Additions on Historic Buildings – emphasis on houses
•Infilling Parking Lots – densifying car-centric landscapes
Headline Copy Goes HereQuestions / Requests
• What questions do you have?
• What topics would you like to learn more about? Examples include:
• How the Standards recommend approaching a preservation
issue
• Historic building science
• Sustainability
• Local History
• Operating as a commissioner on a quasi-judicial board
(responsibilities and procedures)
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BOARD TOPIC 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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