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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLandmark Preservation Commission - Minutes - 01/23/2008LANDMARK PRESERVATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting January 23, 2008 Minutes Council Liaison: David Roy (407-7393) Staff Liaison: Joe Frank (221-6376) Commission Chairperson: Alyson McGee SUMMARY OF MEETING: The Commission approved Part 1, State Tax Credit review for 820 Remington; held a conceptual review of a proposed addition to 237 West Street, the Sondberg House; declined to provide comments as a CLG on the proposed wireless tower project at I-25 and Harmony; and approved the landmark designations of both 1609 Remington Street, the Bradley House, and 215 Whedbee Street, the E.J. Gregory Property. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Commission called to order by Acting Chairperson Ian Shuff with a quorum present at 5:40 p.m. at 281 N. College Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado. Alan Ballou, John Albright, Ian Shuff, Terence Hoaglund and Bud Frick were present. Alyson McGee and Earen Russell were excused. Karen McWilliams, Preservation Planner represented City Staff. GUESTS: Robert King, owner, 820 Remington; John Litschert, owner, 237 West Street; Tim Sharkey, owner, 1609 Remington Street; Kevin Murray, contractor; Chris Reid, owner, 215 Whedbee Street; and Carol Tunner, consultant. AGENDA REVIEW: The approval of the November 28 and December 12, 2007 minutes was postponed. Two landmark designations were added: 1609 Remington Street, the Bradley House (Tim Sharkey); and 215 Whedbee Street, the E.J. Gregory Property (Christopher Reed and Rosemary Davenport). STAFF REPORTS: Ms. McWilliams noted that the Center for Public History and Archeology is a new federally established group located at CSU. The history program, including Drs. Janet Orr and Mark Fiege, and the archeology program at CSU are involved in the group. On May 2nd Fort Collins will be hosting a Colorado Historical Society workshop for all CLGs. The Commission’s CLG evaluation will occur on May 10th. COMMISSION MEMBER’S REPORTS: There were no reports. PUBLIC INPUT: None. STATE TAX CREDIT REVIEW:  820 Remington Street House and Garage, Part I State Tax Credit Review (Robert King, owner) Carol Tunner gave her presentation. The house is a one-story with a basement that Mr. King owns with his daughter. Mr. King is a contractor and will be doing Landmark Preservation Commission January 23, 2008 Meeting Page 2 of 4 some of the work himself. It was noted that Mr. King did the great stupa near Red Feather Lakes, and won the American Concrete Institute project of the year award for it that year. There is one rental unit on the main level and two in the basement. Ms. Tunner went through the application item by item. The Commission discussed options to fix the garage: 1) Push Piers to bedrock to jack up the walls 2) Combo of jack and trying to pull walls in with cables 3) Tearing down the section of the wall, from the crack over, and rebuilding 4) Either fix the roof in place by sistering existing rafters or take it off but leave the gable. The roofing material will match the house. The applicant is putting an asphalt roof on. 5) Q-Bond acrylic modified cementitious mortar takes the place of mortar joints and has a stucco look to it. It would be a good way of reinforcing the block walls. The existing mortar is deteriorated. This would only be allowed on the inside of the walls. Mr. Frick moves to approve the application as discussed. Mr. Albright seconded. The motion passed unanimously (5-0). DESIGN REVIEW:  237 West Street, the Sondberg House, Conceptual Review of Alterations and Addition (John Litschert, Owner) Ms. McWilliams presented the background information on this property. Owner John Litschert gave a power point presentation which contained pictures of the house as well as 3-D views with the proposed changes included. The purpose of the proposed addition is to add a bedroom. This would allow them to add a 3rd bedroom and increase the home’s square footage to 1,615. They want to: 1) Add a second floor over an already existing, non-historic addition 2) Address roof drainage issues Mr. Ballou asked if Mr. Litschert had considered interior roof frames with interior heat within the roof space. The Commission and applicant discussed shaping the roof to lead to the drain, as well as installing a roof drain on both the original house as well as on the addition. With an interior drain the water can be pushed to a central point and doesn’t have to be moved as far. The Commission noted that a membrane will help. The Commission liked the proposed addition. From the street view it has the appearance of a setback. Mr. Litschert will return with completed plans. CLG SECTION 106 REVIEW PROCESS – LPC COMMENTS AS A CONSULTING PARTY  I-25 Harmony Road Wireless Tower Project It is noted that this will not be located on the Ft. Collins side of the Interstate, as previously believed. Instead, it will be located on the Timnath side of I-25, between the Swetsville Zoo and the Interstate, on the SE corner of Harmony and I-25. While it is outside the City limits, the Commission may still provide Landmark Preservation Commission January 23, 2008 Meeting Page 3 of 4 comments as a CLG, if they choose to. The Commission declined to provide comments. LANDMARK DESIGNATION – 1609 Remington Street, the Bradley House Tim Sharkey, owner, was present. Ms. McWilliams presented the staff report on this property. Staff recommends approving the request for Landmark Designation of the Bradley House at 1609 Remington Street, under Standard three (3) for its representation of the Craftsman architectural style. Mr. Sharkey says that the roof has two layers of shingles covered with asphalt. He wants to rip it down to the skip sheathing, and add a new fire-rated taper sawn wood shingle roof. The siding on the house is non-original circa 1950s cedar shingles, which look like earlier asbestos shingles. These cover horizontal siding, which Mr. Sharkey wishes to restore. Mr. Albright moved that the Bradley House at 1609 Remington Street be recommended for designation under Standard 3 for its architectural significance. Mr. Hoaglund seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously (5-0). LANDMARK DESIGNATION - 215 Whedbee Street, E.J. Gregory Property. Chris Reid, the owner, was present. Ms. McWilliams gave the staff report. Mr. Reid discussed the implications of Landmark Designation with the Commission, as well as options for solving several different issues the home has. Mr. Reid purchased the home about ten years ago. He has almost completely restored the home, including entirely rewiring and replumbing the house. The single- glazed windows are believed to date from about 1921. When he removed the sashes for repair, he discovered newspapers dating from about that time. Mr. Reid discussed the brick walls, which are double wythe brick walls with very few or no ties. In 2 or 3 places, the brick outer layer has delaminated and the outside brickwork has pushed outward. The mortar appears to be heavily comprised of lime-sand. He faced this same issue in a different spot on the house (under the front windows) about eight years ago. His solution, since the bricks were not held together, was to jack the outer layer of bricks back into place, drill holes through the mortar, and fill the interior cavity with foam. His repair has held up very well. He is concerned about tying the brickwork together and would like the Commission’s input on whether he is doing the right thing. Mr. Frick observed that the preservation program has access to money to help with preservation projects, as well as experts in masonry that can help him with the brickwork issues. The lack of gutters on the house likely contributes to the problem and it was suggested that Mr. Reid add them. Half-round gutters would be the most appropriate from a historical standpoint. Pins and piers were suggested as a possible solution to the brick problem. The cracks are pretty small, but the brick has rotated and pushed out. Mr. Frick stated that it would be a good idea to stabilize the wall first, and then fix it and clean the joints out to re- point them. Landmark Preservation Commission January 23, 2008 Meeting Page 4 of 4 The Commission expressed their dislike of the expanding foam solution that Mr. Reid previously used. Mr. Reid said the inside of the wall cavity is very rough (split-headers). Kevin Murray suggested taking the walls down and rebuilding them, then repoint. This should solve the problem. It is important to re-mortar. There is a root cellar in the back portion of the home, and 5-6 feet of stone in front. The Commission suggested that Mr. Reid stabilize the back corner of the house, and tuck point. Mr. Reid wondered, if he needed to replace a window, would that be allowed? Empire Carpentry has suggested that all the windows were repairable. The Commission discussed the Standards with Mr. Reid. He asked about repainting the brick? Because the brick is already painted, Mr. Reid would be able to repaint it. He would need to choose from a color palette from the period, but there are thousands of choices. Mr. Shuff asked also to consider taking the paint off of the brick. Mr. Reid asked about re-roofing with wood shingles in the future. Commission members pointed out that he should use skip sheathing with wood shingles. Mr. Reid expressed his satisfaction and asked that his property be considered for designation. Mr. Frick made a motion that the Commission recommend for approval the request for designation of the EJ Gregory Property, at 215 Whedbee Street under Standard (3), for its excellent representation of the Queen Anne Cottage architectural style. The property contains a historic residence, a historic garage, and a historic outbuilding. Mr. Albright seconded. The motion passed unanimously (5-0). OTHER BUSINESS: None. Meeting is adjourned at 7:34PM Respectfully submitted by Kara Smith, Secretary