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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLandmark Preservation Commission - Minutes - 02/23/2005LANDMARK PRESERVATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting February 23, 2005 Minutes City Council Liaison: David Roy (407-7393) Staff Liaison: Joe Frank (221-6376) Commission Chair: W. J. "Bud" Frick, Jr. (484-1467) SUMMARY OF MEETING: LPC members reviewed plans for relocation of the home at 730 W. Prospect. LPC accepted plans for reconstruction of second -floor access doors at 247 Linden St., and restoration of the front fagade/rehab of the rear elevation at 140-142 S. College Ave. The Commission also resolved that it write a letter to City Council recommending it oppose the repeal of the grocery sales tax appearing on the April 5 ballot. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Commission called to order with a quorum present by Chairman Bud Frick at 5:30 p.m. at 281 N. College Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado. Angie Aguilera, Agnes Dix, Heather Donohue, Alyson McGee, and Ian Shuff were present. Janet Ore was excused. Carol Tunner and Karen McWilliams represented City staff. No City Council members were present. GUESTS: Joe Cienfuegos, owner, for 247 Linden St.; Jonathan Irvin, The Group, contract purchaser's representative for 730 W. Prospect Road. AGENDA REVIEW: The item advertised as a Complimentary Development Review of 730 W. Prospect was corrected to the Demolition/Alteration Review of this property by Karen McWilliams. Carol Tunner added a discussion of the City Budget. Bud Frick added the repeal of the grocery sales tax to Other Business. PUBLIC COMMENT: Chairman Bud Frick asked if anyone present wished to address items within the purview of the Commission, whether or not the item appeared on the agenda. There were no comments. STAFF REPORTS: Carol Tunner reminded all Commission members of upcoming training sessions, which are highly recommended by the City Clerk for both new and continuing members. She also distributed a number of educational handouts on the subjects of clapboard/siding and the use of epoxy on rotted exteriors. COMMISSION MEMBER REPORTS: Angie Aguilera reported on the February DDA meeting. The Cortina project now has an October completion date. Drawings were presented for the project at 310 S. College, the site of the Perkins restaurant, zoned for a possible maximum height of 11-12 stories of residential, office space, and enclosed parking. Ms. Aguilera said the DDA liked the drawings, and took input on proposed materials in response to a letter sent to interested parties; the LPC was not included on the distribution list. She expressed concern about the scale of the project, which is to be built on the existing parking lot of the restaurant. The DDA voted to provide $33,000 for a kayak/paddle park near the Old Power Plant on N. College Ave.; no completion date is set, and the National Resources Advisory Board still must review the project. DDA also voted $10,000 for EDAW to begin design work on Oak Street Plaza. Ms. Aguilera volunteered to become the permanent LPC liaison to the DDA; Ian Shuff will be her on -call alternate. DEMOLITION/ALTERATION REVIEW Landmark Preservation Commission February 23, 2005, Meeting Minutes Page 2 730 W. Prospect St., Preliminary Hearing on Relocation of Building on Same Site — Jonathan Irvin, The Group; introduced by Karen McWilliams. At its January 26, 2005, meeting, at the contract purchaser's request, the LPC considered the eligibility of the property at 730 W. Prospect Road for designation as a Fort Collins Landmark. The LPC found that the residence at 730 W. Prospect is eligible for individual designation as a Fort Collins Landmark under Standard 3 of Article 1, Section 14-5 of the Municipal Code, for its architectural significance. The contract purchaser is now proposing to relocate the historic home on the same site, to enable the remainder of the approximately 1 acre lot to be used for new multi -family housing. Article IV, Section 14 of the Municipal Code allows for the relocation of individually eligible historic buildings if, in the opinion of the Commission, the relocation can be accomplished in a manner that the building and property still embodies sufficient integrity and/or significance to retain its individually eligibility. Ms. McWilliams discussed the building's significance and reviewed the seven aspects of integrity. The applicant is interested in gathering input from LPC members on appropriate placement of the home on the site and how it can best be adapted to new uses while retaining its integrity. Jonathan Irvin shared rough sketches for relocation options, based on the Improvement Location Certificate showing easements and possible encroachments, explaining that the whole area has been rezoned for high -density mixed use, which will require a minimum of 20 dwelling units per acre. Two small buildings/structures shown on the site plan and in the photos are not individually eligible. It is expected that the surrounding properties will be developed as student housing, but the only issue before the Commission tonight is whether the house will lose its integrity if it is moved to a different location onsite. The owner intends to develop the site for use as something other than a single-family dwelling, and Mr. Irvin said the applicant is looking for direction on options available to restore the structure for a different use. Ian Shuff agreed that leaving the home in the middle of the lot could prove to be an impediment to additional development of the site, especially as surrounding properties develop, and he was in favor of allowing the relocation option. Alyson McGee was concerned about leaving sufficient land buffer around the building. Angie Aguilera suggested a move to the east would keep its relationship with the existing single family homes that are there, but Mr. Irvin felt that those homes would eventually be redeveloped. Mr. Shuff added that relocating it to the east would set the tone for lower scale and massing when the other properties are subsequently redevelopment. The final location will also have to take into account access from and possible future improvements to Prospect Road. Ms. McGee would like the house to be the dominant visual element of the lot. Bud Frick suggested moving the house into the southeast third of the lot, with a driveway on the east of it and allowing space between it and the adjacent property, which can influence subsequent development to the east. The property directly to the north is currently vacant land, and the applicant is negotiating pedestrian access. Mr. Shuff suggested that another, similar sized building could possibly be added to the lot to begin to form a street - edge along Prospect, but scale and proportion of any new buildings remains the key. Mr. Irvin said that the end use of the building will be a big factor. No one expects it to remain a single- family dwelling, but his clients would like to restore the home for an adaptive reuse. This use, whatever it is, will affect driveway access as well as other issues. Mr. Irvin will take the Commission's input to his client for evaluation. The Commission thanked Mr. Irvin for bringing this project in early in the process. Landmark Preservation Commission February 23, 2005, Meeting Minutes Page 3 CURRENT REVIEW 247 Linden St., Robertson/Hayes Block (South Half) — Reconstruct Original Second Floor Doors, Conceptual and Final Review — Joe Cienfuegos, owner; introduced by Carol Tunner The applicant would like to reconstruct the original wooden double doors to the second floor to match the new ones next door at 251 Linden. He removed and disposed of the old warped and worn out doors on his half of the building several years ago when they were no longer serviceable. The reproduction doors on 251 Linden St. were reconstructed with a State Historical Fund grant based on Mr. Cienfuegos' memory of the historic doors as matching those still in existence on the Jefferson Block around the corner. He will also be repainting the building to coordinate with the other half of the block in colors from an historic palette, which can be approved administratively. Although historic photos exist, they do not show the doors in detail. Staff recommends the work. Carol Tunner shared color photos of the doors next door and on the Jefferson Block to show what the new doors will look like. The only change will be approximately a 6-inch reduction in the glass area to compensate for an elevation difference between the two entrances; the door kick will remain the same. Mr. Cienfuegos, who has owned the building since the 1940s, said he will not be painting the brick, just the trim and cornices, and will keep the sandstone pillars as they are. He asked about how the doors should be mounted, to swing in or out. The Commission recommended checking with the Building Department on current code requirements Public input: None. Ian Shuff moved that the LPC approve replacing the doors at 247 Linden St. with reproduction doors as described and shown in the diagrams and drawings submitted to match the existing doors on 251 Linden St. Alyson McGee seconded, and the motion carried unanimously, 6-0. 2. 140-142 S. College Ave., Alpert Building -- Restore Front FaSade, Rehab Rear Elevation, Conceptual and Final Review — Bud Frick, introduced by Carol Tunner. Bud Frick filed a conflict of interest form and recused himself from deliberations in order to present this project for his own building; Vice Chair Angie Aguilera presided. The front fagade of this building will be restored from the flagpole down to the entry sidewalk skylight. Detailed specifications are included in the drawings submitted. The only replacement appears to be the copper trim that is full of holes, which the contractor is able to replace exactly. The sidewalk skylight is a special challenge, but the intent is to make every effort to repair or replace parts to take it back to its original condition. The rear elevation will be rehabilitated for modern upstairs apartments, which will require changing, moving and replacing windows. Structural evidence indicates that the existing windows have already been changed around over the years. The applicant would like to change out the upper windows to add patio doors and outside aluminum balconies to each of the two upstairs apartments. Knee braces will support the balconies, which require lowering the first floor windows on the right side. The drawing of the rear Landmark Preservation Commission February 23, 2005, Meeting Minutes Page 4 elevation contains a more appropriate light fixture, as requested by the LPC on December 1. 2004. Staff recommends the restoration of the front fagade and rehabilitation of the rear, and had asked the applicant to submit a rear elevation window survey of condition for LPC review. Mr. Frick reviewed the window survey and each proposed element through a PowerPoint presentation. He explained that the balconies will be 8 feet wide and project from the building for a depth of 3 feet; they will be accessed by patio doors that fit the existing window openings on the upstairs rear facing the alley. He explained that none of the windows on this elevation were original or historic, and will be replaced entirely with vinyl clad wood windows. Alyson McGee said she would prefer to see painted wood used; Ms. Tunner noted that the Northern Hotel used all vinyl clad wood on the rear elevation. Mr. Frick felt the adaptive reuse of the back of the building allowed for consistent use of vinyl clad wood windows; Ian Shuff agreed, since the windows being replaced were not historic to begin with. Heather Donohue felt it was more important to improve the existing rear elevation; seeing no point in requiring preservation of the existing ugly one. Ms. McGee said she was not adamantly opposed to vinyl clad wood windows, as long as the alignment of the windows on the first floor was corrected and whatever brick is removed in the process is reused where possible. She felt if the alley were one intended to become a pedestrian thoroughfare the rear elevation would be more significant, but that's not the case here. Mr. Shuff agreed, saying this would be an issue to be considered on a case -by -case basis. Mr. Frick also distributed a handout showing the proposed new light fixture for the rear elevation. The Commission commented that this was a compatible solution. Public input: None. Agnes Dix moved that the LPC accept for conceptual and final review the restoration of the front fagade, rehab of the rear elevation, and approve the redesigned light fixture on the rear elevation at 140-142 S. College Ave., the Alpert Building, as presented. Heather Donohue seconded, and the motion carried unanimously, 5-0, with Bud Frick recused. OTHER BUSINESS City Budget Carol Tunner explained that the Advance Planning Department budget is to be submitted to the City Manager by April 25 for inclusion in the budget that goes before City Council for approval in September. The Commission should begin to think about what they might recommend, and it will be discussed at a future LPC meeting before April 25. Proposed Repeal of Grocery Sales Tax Mr. Frick brought up the pending vote on possible repeal of the sales tax on groceries on April 5, and asked for an explanation of the effect it might have on historic preservation and the Commission. The Commission discussed that if the initiative passes, it will eliminate $6 million from the City budget over the next three years. Eliminating the grocery tax could result in loss of employees, including those staffing the historic preservation programs at the city and the Landmark Preservation Commission February 23, 2005, Meeting Minutes Page 5 library. Ms. Tunner directed Commission members to the City's web site, www.fcgov.com, for complete details on the four budget scenarios developed by staff to deal with the loss of the grocery -tax revenues. The Commission discussed how this could endanger the City's Certified Local Government status and access to State Historical Fund grant money as well as continued functioning of the LPC and other historic preservation programs for the City. Public input: None. Alyson McGee moved that the LPC send a letter to City Council recommending it oppose the proposed repeal of the Fort Collins grocery sales tax appearing on the April 5 ballot, and opposing any cuts to the Historic Preservation Program. Heather Donohue seconded, and the motion carried unanimously, 6-0. Alyson McGee volunteered to write the letter and will present it at the next meeting for approval Meeting adjourned at 7 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Kate Jeracki, Recorder March 14, 2005