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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLandmark Preservation Commission - Minutes - 09/27/2006LANDMARK PRESERVATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting September 27, 2006 Minutes Council Liaison: David Roy (407-7393) Staff Liaison: Joe Frank (221-6376) Commission Chairperson: Angie Aguilera. (377-4217) SUMMARY OF MEETING: Kathleen Bracke, Senior Transportation Planner, gave a presentation about Downtown River District Project Design Alternatives. LPC approved the Income Tax Credit for Historic Preservation (Part 2) for the Darrah House. LPC heard update on ghost signs by Carol Tunner. LPC approved Letter of Support for a State Historic Fund Grant to aide the City's Rehabilitation Loan Program. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Commission called to order by Chairwoman Angie Aguilera with a quorum present at 5:30 p.m. at 281 N. College Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado. Agnes Dix, Alyson McGee, Ian Shuff, Earen Russell and Heather Donahue were present. Alan Ballou was excused. Carol Tunner and Karen McWilliams represented City staff. GUESTS: Kathleen Bracke, Senior Transportation Planner and Matt Robenalt, DDA Project Manager, for the Downtown River District Project Design Alternatives; Judith Reid, owner for 612 South College, Darrah House; and Rheba Massey, Fort Collins Public Library Local History Archivist. AGENDA ADDITIONS: Ms. McWilliams added a letter of support for a State Historic Fund Grant for the City's Rehabilitation Loan Program. Ms. Tunner added a discussion of the historic preservation budget for 2007. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The August 9, 2006 minutes were approved as submitted. STAFF REPORTS: None. COMMISSION MEMBER REPORTS: Ms. McGee passed out handouts about different applications of historic (powder -coated) gutters. She noted that copper gutters break down fire treated wood shingles. PUBLIC COMMENT: Chairwoman Aguilera 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. DISCUSSION ITEM: Downtown River District Project Design Alternatives — Kathleen Bracke, Senior Transportation Planner. Landmark Preservation Commission September 27, 2006 Meeting Draft Minutes Page 2 of 3 Ms. Bracke presented improvements for the Downtown River District's transportation and utilities. The Downtown River District area concerns Willow Street, Linden Street, Lincoln Street, and Jefferson Street. Each street was presented with different ideas to improve the flow of traffic and appeal of pedestrians. It is important to the members working on the project that the project works around the needs of the buildings and businesses within the buildings, the acceptance of the project by the public, accommodations to the maintenance of the streets, traveling vehicles, and pedestrians. WILLOW STREET — would consist of the existing Right of Way (ROW) with two lane travel. Alternative materials were discussed such as brick. Ms. McGee was concerned about giving a false impression that Fort Collins had brick streets, which was not the case. The possibility of recreating the historic millrace water feature was discussed. LINDEN & LINCOLN STREET — these streets were presented together. The design for Linden Street would be two lane travel with a bikeway, diagonal parking, and sidewalks on either side. It was mentioned that the new design would continue the 'feel' of Linden Street past Jefferson. Lincoln Street was presented in both two lane and four lane designs. The major difference between the two is the proposed Right of Way (115' verses 86'). A major concern of Ms. Russell was the suburban feel verses the urban/industrial feel of the space and she also asked if there would be a new bridge on Lincoln. This would be great at this gateway to the city. Ms. Bracke said that the bridge is in poor shape. Ms. Massey suggested rebuilding the original bridge which was partially destroyed by an auto accident. JEFFERSON STREET — this street has some major concerns about the pedestrian view verses the traffic view. Ms. Bracke said they struggled with making Linden and Jefferson more pedestrian friendly, easier to cross, and keep on -street parking on State Highway 14. Many designs are proposed for this area. The designs included two lane verses four lane and different alternatives for each. Making it difficult for larger trucks by narrowing to two lanes (including travel trailers) is out of the picture (it might hurt the city rather than help and be difficult to get CDOT to agree on this.) Another problem would be the types of intersections for each design, or adding turn lanes or roundabouts which are good at handling lots of turning. A concern Ms. McGee had was pedestrian travel across a roundabout. Ms. Bracke answered that a tighter roundabout would mean slow traffic; slow enough for pedestrians to be safe. Ms. Donahue mentioned adding a transit free loop around the area like Denver. Public Input: Mrs. Rheba Massey suggested using brick to outline the original fort parade grounds, located in this area. CURRENT REVIEW: Landmark Preservation Commission September 27, 2006 Meeting Draft Minutes Page 3 of 3 612 S. College, the Darrah House — Exterior rehabilitation for Part 2 of the State Tax Credit for Historic Preservation (Judith Reid, owner) Ms. Tunner's staff report contained the background of the property located at 612 S. College. It also included a statement that the project met the Secretary's Standards (5 & 6) while being restored. Ms. Reid said that the windows were repaired, air conditioners removed, and the paint was carefully selected after much sampling. She will be doing more work on the windows down the line. Ms. McGee applauded the removal of the air conditioners. Commission members approved of the work on the exterior rehabilitation for Part 2 of the Colorado Income Tax Credit for Historic Preservation. The total amount spent was $50,923.30 but Ms. Reid wanted to claim only $50,000 of work so that the amount of the tax credit will be $50,000. All members of the Commission praised Ms. Reid for the excellent work done on the house by Kevin Murray of Empire Construction. Public Input: None. Mr. Shuff moved to approve Part 2 of the Colorado Income Tax Credit for Historic Preservation. Mrs. Donahue seconded the motion. Motion passed 6-0. OTHER BUSINESS: Approval of Letter of Support for a State Historic Fund Grant Timothy Wilder and Karen McWilliams are preparing a SHF grant request for $20,000, to be matched by $15,000 of City funds, to support our highly successful Landmark Rehabilitation Loan Program. The city's budget shortfall means that Loan Program funding is being reduced by $10,000 (from $25,000 to $15,000). The Advance Planning Department is asking the State Historic Fund to cover this shortfall for the next two years. Ms. Russell moved to support a letter to the State Historic Fund Grant requesting funds for the Landmark Rehabilitation Loan Program. Mr. Shuff seconded. Motion passed 6-0. Budget for 2007 — The Historic Preservation Planning budget is undergoing cuts once again as part of the Budgeting for Outcomes process. This year, the Loan Program will be cut to $15,000 from $25,000 and the Design Assistance Program of $5,000 will be eliminated. Ghost Sign Update — Mrs. Tunner updated Commission Members on the ghost sign project. CBS News had a report about ghost signs, and the community of Fort Collins is responding in a positive manner to saving the ghost signs. Historic Ghost Sign Tours are going very well. Mrs. Tunner discussed having a private tour for City Council, and Commission Members agreed this was a good idea. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Allison Taylor, Secretary v �'