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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLandmark Preservation Commission - Minutes - 10/26/2015City of Fort Collins Page 1 October 26, 2015 Ron Sladek, Chair Doug Ernest, Vice Chair City Council Chambers Meg Dunn City Hall West Kristin Gensmer 300 Laporte Avenue Per Hogestad Fort Collins, Colorado Dave Lingle Alexandra Wallace Cablecast on City Cable Channel 14 Belinda Zink on the Comcast cable system Tom Leeson Karen McWilliams Maren Bzdek Gino Campana Staff Liaison, PDT Director Preservation Planner Preservation Planner Council Liaison 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. Regular Meeting October 26, 2015 Minutes • CALL TO ORDER Chair Sladek called the meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. • ROLL CALL PRESENT: Dunn, Zink, Hogestad, Gensmer, Ernest, Sladek ABSENT: Wallace, Lingle STAFF: McWilliams, Bzdek, Dorn, Yatabe, Schiager • PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA None. • DISCUSSION AGENDA 1. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 REGULAR MEETING. The purpose of this item is to approve the minutes from the September 9, 2015 regular meeting of the Landmark Preservation Commission. Landmark Preservation Commission Approved by Commission at their November 18, 2015 meeting. City of Fort Collins Page 2 October 26, 2015 Commission Questions and Discussion Chair Sladek requested a correction on Page 7 of the minutes where it states “…the project is within a historic district…”, since it is actually adjacent to, not within, the historic district. Commission Deliberation Mr. Ernest moved that the Landmark Preservation Commission approve the minutes of the regular meeting of September 9, 2015 including the correction recommended by the Chair. Ms. Gensmer seconded. Motion passed 6-0. [Timestamp: 5:36 p.m.] 2. 359 LINDEN STREET, FEEDER SUPPLY, PRELIMINARY HEARING ON MINOR AMENDMENT TO APPROVED PLANS PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a request for the preliminary review of a Minor Amendment to Approved Plans for this site, in preparation for returning at a later meeting for a recommendation on the Minor Amendment to the decision maker. The previous owner, Jon Prouty, had a Project Development Plan (#PDP130012) approved by the Planning and Zoning Board on August 8, 2013. APPLICANT: Frank Vaught and Chris Aronson, VFLA Staff Report Ms. McWilliams presented the staff report, which had been updated since the packet was compiled. The revised staff report was entered into the record, and hard copies were distributed to the Commission just prior to the hearing. Applicant Presentation Mr. Vaught and Mr. Aronson gave the Applicant presentation, representing the owners, Jack and Ginger Graham. [NOTE: The presentation had been updated since the agenda packet was published, and had not yet been seen by the Commission or Staff.] They explained the changes they had made since the last time the project came to the LPC. Public Input None Commission Questions and Discussion Mr. Ernest disclosed that he was absent for the previous work session, but did listen to the audio recording for that discussion so that he could participate in tonight’s proceedings. Chair Sladek directed the Commission to first establish the adjacencies to the project. There appeared to be a consensus that the adjacencies established in the updated staff report were appropriate. Mr. Ernest moved that the Landmark Preservation Commission accept the adjacencies for the Feeder Supply project minor amendment as two buildings, the Union Pacific Railroad Freight Depot at 350 Linden Street, and the historic residential building at 320 Willow. Ms. Gensmer seconded. Motion passed 6-0. One Member noted that the design was greatly improved since the previous session, having a solidity that is more compatible with the historic architecture. He and also stated that the site wall and the folding glass wall are very important to maintaining a street edge and some alignment with the historic building. The Member also commented on the materials, and liked the fact that the brick was somewhat different than the historic brick. A Member inquired about signage and whether it would be visible enough for retail, and the Applicant said they were still discussing the signage. Members expressed support for the idea of adding an antique truck to the scale, saying it fits with the character of the building. They would also like to see interpretive signage about the building as a whole, the scale, and why the truck was there. City of Fort Collins Page 3 October 26, 2015 There was an inquiry about the entrances to the building, and the Applicant explained that the primary retail entrance is on the historic building and the entrance for the addition in between. The Applicant mentioned that the main entrance is not code compliant, explaining that they will add rails on both sides, and there is an alternative entrance for ADA accessibility. Another Member asked what type of windows would replace the vent windows. The Applicant said they would be divided lights, not aluminum storefront, including the windows higher on the wall. Additional discussion about the window replacements revealed serious concerns about replacing historic windows. The Commission requested more information about the condition of the windows in order to justify their replacement, as well as documentation and detailed drawings on the window replacements, including details on materials. There were also concerns expressed about distinguishing between old and new windows. Chair Sladek asked Staff whether new window openings had been discussed when they had reviewed a previous proposal for this site from another Applicant. Ms. McWilliams stated that the staff at the National Register had refused to allow any new windows along the Willow side at that time, since that would substantially change the character of the mill. While they preferred no new windows on the Linden side, they had ultimately agreed to two new windows, but dictated that they were to be much smaller than the existing historic windows and set back as far as possible. Ms. McWilliams added that she had not seen the Applicant’s updated designs at the time she prepared the staff report, so her comments that the project meets the Secretary of Interior Standards may not be completely accurate at this point. Chair Sladek stressed the need for the Commission to protect the building’s National Register status, noting that changes in windows can jeopardize that. Mr. Aronson stated he believed they can achieve differentiation between the old and new windows. Chair Sladek added that if the side windows were to be approved, they would have to go back to the smaller size windows proposed in the previous design. A Member asked about the pattern of the new brick. Mr. Aronson said they were looking at brick detailing to break up the mass, possibly using a soldier course and a corbel, but they are still working on that detail. The Member said the brick detail responds to the historic architecture, but cautioned against becoming distracting. One Member commented about the improvements to the alley on the Linden side, noting that it opened up the front corridor, and also said the change in material was helpful. Another Member commented that the use of the c-channel was a nice historic detail. Commission Feedback Chair Sladek summarized the Commission’s feedback in relation to 3.4.7 of the Land Use Code, saying that other than the major question of the windows and replacing the louvered vents, the project seems to be on a good track, and is largely compliant with the Land Use Code. While the project seems to meet the requirements of 3.4.7 in its massing, pedestrian scale and relationship with the street, the Commission needs to see an extremely detailed plan for the windows before they can consider approval. [Timestamp: 6:35 p.m.] 3. DISCUSSION ON TROLLEY BARN USES The purpose of this item is to gather feedback from the Landmark Preservation Commission regarding proposed uses for the Trolley Barn on North Howes Street, with consideration of how each use might affect both the building and the site. Staff Report Sam Houghteling with the Economic Health Office presented the staff report, as included in the packet. City of Fort Collins Page 4 October 26, 2015 Public Input Asad Aziz, introduced himself as a Fort Collins resident for over 35 years and a faculty member at CSU in the College of Business. He is also a volunteer motorman, helps with the restoration of car 25, and serves as the treasurer for the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society. He said that part of the historical significance of the building is its use as a maintenance, storage and restoration facility for the cars, and asked for consideration in continuing that use. Carol Tunner, former LPC Member and retired City Preservation Planner, stated that according to the Secretary of Interior Standards, the use of a structure should be as close to the original use as possible. She explained that a bay is being used as a shop for the restoration of car 25, an activity for which there is no room in the other barn. The interior of the building is very significant because of its use. The back half of the building is used by the museum for storage of historic artifacts, and they had made a sizable investment to make it climate controlled for that purpose. The library also uses the north third of the building for storage. Ms. Tunner said there have been ongoing discussions about using the building as a fire fighter museum. She stressed that the space is needed for these activities, and encouraged the Commission to consider its original use. She provided some history about the trolley project she started in 1977, at which time the building needed a new roof and had been condemned. In the early 90’s, she attempted to get the property designated, but there was no funding to put a roof on it. She helped the City obtain a federal grant to restore the roof, after which they were able to get the building designated locally. Additional federal and state grants were obtained to complete work on the exterior and interior. In one of the grant applications, the intended use was actually identified as a transportation and fire fighters museum, and she would like to see that happen. She also commented that the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society wasn’t notified about the surveys or walking tours that had taken place. She implored the Commission to protect the exterior and interior of the building. Commission Questions and Discussion There was discussion about the City referring to the building as the Car Barn instead of the Trolley Barn, which was for the purpose of distinguishing between the two Trolley Barns, the historic one on Howes, and the newer one in the park on Mountain. The one on Howes was officially called the Street Car Barn on the historic designation. A Member pointed out that it loses its association with the trolley by calling it the Car Barn. Ms. Tunner added that it was originally the Street Car Barn when it was built in 1907, but that citizens would often shorten the name to the Car Barn. It was never called the Trolley Barn until they started the project in 1977. The Commission agreed that they would like to see the City refer to it as the Street Car Barn. A Member asked the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society members in attendance how much of the space they are using, and also what their arrangement was with the City for access and use of the buildings. Mr. Aziz said they are using 1½ bays for restoration, a storage and work area going almost to the back wall, and a small office space for filing and equipment. He is unsure what percentage of the space they are using, but described the area as going from north-most door all the way to the north corner, and then all the way to the back. They have locked access, keys and keypad locks. As far as whether there is a lease arrangement with the City, Mr. Aziz didn’t know, but offered to get that information. Mr. Houghteling offered that the building is roughly 15,000 square feet, about 5,000 of which is used for the Discovery Museum, 2,000 - 3,000 for the library, leaving roughly 7,000 feet for bay area. There was some discussion between Staff and the Commission as to the possibility of sharing the space with a new tenant for a farmer’s market or other use. Mr. Houghteling said based on their outreach, a farmer’s market was the most popular idea, but the community is also set on maintaining the historic character of the building, so hybrid uses may be considered. The idea of a transportation exhibit was mentioned, as well as continuing the trolley line from Mountain to Howes to allow for a running trolley on the weekends. Mr. Houghteling also said that it was premature to discuss any modifications or alterations that may be required to accommodate a new tenant or use. Chair Sladek asked what had prompted the discussion about uses for the site. Mr. Houghteling said that their outreach was a direct result of three unsolicited proposals they had received over the past three years. There is no strong push on the City’s part to pursue other uses. City of Fort Collins Page 5 October 26, 2015 A Member asked whether the extension of the rail line would be possible once the proposed municipal campus is built. Mr. Houghteling was not sure, but in the latest plans, one of the options put City Hall on Howes, diverting traffic on either side. The Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society had indicated that would make a federal landmark designation for the street car system problematic. Staff has included that information in their memo to City Council. There was a question about what would happen to other City vehicles that were being stored in the building, including busses, trucks and fire engines. Mr. Houghteling said they were currently investigating that. A Member expressed a strong preference for the City to retain ownership, and Mr. Houghteling responded that the City has no desire to sell the building. Some Members said the Municipal Railway’s restoration work was the most appropriate use of the building and they would be concerned about changing the use unless it’s for something related, such as a museum. They also stressed that preserving the interior is as important as the exterior. Others felt the space was being underutilized, and liked the idea of a hybrid use. Members asked whether the library and museum had a contingency plan, and Staff said they did not. One Member thanked Mr. Houghteling for specifically asking about preserving the historic character in their survey. Mr. Houghteling will update the LPC as they have more information. [Timestamp: 7:12 p.m.] • OTHER BUSINESS None • ADJOURNMENT Chair Sladek adjourned the meeting at 7:12 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by Gretchen Schiager.