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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLandmark Preservation Commission - Minutes - 01/16/2019City of Fort Collins Page 1 January 16, 2019 Meg Dunn, Chair City Council Chambers Alexandra Wallace, Vice Chair City Hall West Michael Bello 300 Laporte Avenue Mollie Simpson Fort Collins, Colorado Katie Dorn Kristin Gensmer Kevin Murray Anne Nelsen Anna Simpkins 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. Video of the meeting will be broadcast at 1:30 p.m. the following day through the Comcast cable system on Channel 14 or 881 (HD). Please visit http://www.fcgov.com/fctv/ for the daily cable schedule. The video will also be available for later viewing on demand here: http://www.fcgov.com/fctv/video-archive.php. Regular Meeting January 16, 2019 Minutes • CALL TO ORDER Chair Dunn called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. • ROLL CALL PRESENT: Dunn, Gensmer, Simpson, Dorn, Bello, Murray, Nelson, Simpkins ABSENT: Wallace STAFF: McWilliams, Bzdek, Yatabe, Schiager, Sawyer Chair Dunn introduced and welcomed new member Anna Simpkins. • AGENDA REVIEW Chair Dunn requested that agenda item #3 be discussed before item #2. • STAFF REPORTS Ms. McWilliams reminded the Commission about the Saving Places Conference next week. • PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA No members of the public were present. Landmark Preservation Commission City of Fort Collins Page 2 January 16, 2019 • DISCUSSION AGENDA 1. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF DECEMBER 19, 2018. The purpose of this item is to approve the minutes from the December 19, 2018 regular meeting of the Landmark Preservation Commission. Ms. Dorn moved to accept the minutes as written. Ms. Nelsen seconded. The motion passed unanimously. [Secretary’s Note: Agenda item #3 was discussed before item #2.] 3. REQUEST FOR RECOMMENDATION REGARDING KFCG The Commission will hear a presentation from City Staff regarding the “Keep Fort Collins Great” (KFCG) tax and consider making a recommendation to Council. Staff Report Ginny Sawyer, Senior Project Manager with the City Manager’s Office, gave a presentation. She provided some history about sales tax in the City. She described how the KFCG funds are used. She explained some of the options Council has considered and detailed the two options currently being considered. With option A, the .85% would be added to the base tax rate for the General Fund. Option B would add .6% to the General Fund and the remaining .25% would be dedicated to community priorities such as transportation and sustainability. She said the measure could go to the voters this April, this November, or next November, but they are targeting the April election. Board Questions & Discussion Mr. Bello asked whether police, fire and transportation services would be funded at current levels through the General Fund if KFCG was not extended. Ms. Sawyer said funding for Poudre Fire Authority (PFA) will be protected because of an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), but the other services would be funded to a level of service rather than a dedicated allocation. Mr. Bello thought those services should be included in the base rate, and for that reason he preferred the second option. Chair Dunn asked about the allocation of the KFCG funds versus the General Fund. Ms. Sawyer said there is a balance between the General Fund and KFCG, noting that the budget process strives for transparency, but is very complex. Ms. Sawyer said she would like everyone in the community to understand that while the ballot language will likely start with “By increasing taxes, shall the City…”, this is not an increase in the total tax burden, but rather an extension and reallocation of what is already in place. She said the Commission is welcome to make a recommendation to Council if they wish, either in terms of whether to maintain the same level overall, or to express a preference between option A or B. Mr. Murray asked if KFCG funding is used for Historic Preservation. Ms. McWilliams said about one- third of the Historic Preservation program comes from KFCG. Ms. Bzdek specified that the Landmark Rehabilitation 0% Interest Loan Program and the Design Assistance Program, as well as matching funds for grants and funding for third-party surveys as needed, are funded by KFCG as part of “other community priorities”. Mr. Bello asked whether a straight extension of KFCG is an option. Ms. Sawyer said due to the dynamic nature of the community’s needs, funding these core services through a base rate in perpetuity, is preferable to funding them through an expiring tax. Council will be asked to choose between option A or B. Option A would be one ballot question, but option B would be two ballot questions. Chair Dunn asked the Commission for their thoughts on a recommendation and preferences between A & B. Mr. Murray asked why transportation and sustainability were chosen for dedicated funds in option B. Ms. Sawyer said input from the community indicated that core services such as street maintenance, police, fire and parks & recreation should be funded through a base tax. Transportation and sustainability were identified as priorities among the discretionary services. Mr. Murray asked about the proportion of funds between those two areas. Ms. Sawyer said it was the same proportion as it has been with KFCG. City of Fort Collins Page 3 January 16, 2019 Ms. Dorn asked if Historic Preservation tied in with sustainability, to which Ms. Sawyer answered in the affirmative. Mr. Bello pointed out that citizens have historically voted for these taxes. Ms. Sawyer agreed that the community is supportive of funding the things they care about. Ms. Nelsen asked if public support leaned toward option A or B. Ms. Sawyer said that based on her interactions with the community, there does seem to be a preference for option A. She discussed voter fatigue, noting additional taxes for street maintenance, community enhancements and open spaces will expire in the coming years and will likely go back to the voters. Mr. Bello asked if the Historic Preservation staff had a preference between A & B. Ms. McWilliams didn’t see either option as better, noting that either will be beneficial. Ms. Sawyer said other boards have simply recommended that the revenue be replaced in full at .85%. Chair Dunn likes option A because having only one ballot question saves the City money. Mr. Bello preferred option B so the citizens can to determine priorities. Ms. Simpson said without giving it more thought, she would not have a preference between options, but would like to keep the overall revenue in place. Members Gensmer, Nelsen, Simpkins and Dorn agreed with Ms. Simpson. Mr. Murray expressed a slight preference for A, but ultimately would just like to see the revenue continued, especially for Historic Preservation programs. Ms. Sawyer suggested a letter of support to Council through the Board Liaison. Chair Dunn agreed. 2. REVISIONS TO MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 14 (LANDMARK PRESERVATION) The purpose of this item is to seek a recommendation from the Landmark Preservation Commission to City Council regarding proposed revisions to the Municipal Code Chapter 14, which will implement recommendations for improvements to standards and processes that apply to historic resources. Staff Report Ms. McWilliams gave a condensed presentation, noting that the Commission had an extensive presentation at the work session. She reviewed the changes made to each section of Chapter 14. Commission Questions and Discussion Mr. Murray asked how the State Historic Preservation Office’s (SHPO) timeline meshed with the City’s timeline for reviews. Ms. McWilliams stated that the State and City reviews are done independently. She said the City can use SHPO as a resource, but it is not mandatory. Ms. Gensmer asked that references to the Colorado Cultural Resource Survey Architectural Inventory Form in Section 14-23(a) and other places, omit the word Architectural, since there are also archeological forms. Ms. McWilliams said that would likely be a simple change, but she would defer to the City Attorney. Mr. Murray pointed out that Section 14-23(a) states, “A determination that a site, structure, object or district is eligible shall be valid for five (5) years…”. He suggested including determinations of ineligibility by changing the language to: “A determination of eligibility for a site, structure, object or district shall be valid for five (5) years…”. Mr. Murray pointed out a missing word in Section 14-31 where “an expert in historic” should say “an expert in historic preservation”. Mr. Murray asked for clarification regarding the use of Rehabilitation Loan funds for improvements in energy efficiency. Ms. McWilliams stated all work still must meet the Secretary of Interior Standards. Commission Deliberation Mr. Murray moved that the Landmark Preservation Commission recommend to City Council approval of the changes to Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code Articles 1-5 as presented, with the corrections mentioned. Ms. Gensmer seconded. The motion passed 8:0. • OTHER BUSINESS Chair Dunn asked those who had attended the meeting in Loveland to report back to the Commission. Ms. Bzdek noted that staff in other communities have more time to work with landmarked property owners and are also using fun and creative activities for community outreach. She said the code changes recommended tonight will help free up staff time to make those things possible here. Ms. Dom commented that the City of Loveland hosted the meeting in a beautiful space and suggested the City of Fort Collins host one in a historic building. Chair Dunn said she and Ms. Bzdek are already talking about ideas. Chair Dunn talked about the value in collaborating with their counterparts in neighboring communities. She also talked about fun activities that others are using to interact with the community and promote preservation. Chair Dunn shared that Loveland's walking tour book is the best she has ever seen anywhere. Ms. Bzdek said she had an opportunity to share about the role Historic Preservation and the Commission play in development review here, and the benefits of the newly-established pre-staff review meeting with applicants. Chair Dunn gave an example of some gaps in another community's process. Ms. Nelsen said it was an enjoyable experience and it was interesting to see our strengths in contrast with the others. Mr. Murray and Ms. Nelson both commented on the energy in the room during the discussion about using "carrots versus sticks" to promote preservation, and talked about how other communities are involving youth, even on the Commissions. Ms. Nelsen also shared a list of fun things other communities were doing. Ms. Dom encouraged more frequent meetings to increase the learning, energy and community-building. Chair Dunn said Historic Larimer County plans to offer real estate classes. She said there was a lot of interest in that, and perhaps all the communities could participate. Mr. Yatabe cautioned the Commission and Staff against commenting on KFCG in an official capacity after it goes on the ballot: ADJOURNMENT Chair Dunn adjourned the meeting at 6:45 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted ~y Gretchen Schia(l_e_r. ________________ _ Minutes approved by a vote of the Commission on d0 Fe/b c;;) 0 J °( Meg~ City of Fort Collins Page 4 January 16, 2019