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Landmark Commission Minutes - 02/25/2014 MINUTES CITY CLERK'S OFFICE LANDMARK COMMISSION DATE: *-ze /l" February 25, 2014 BY: 41/ TIME: /2_7 6,S HH MEMBERS PRESENT: Stacie Flood, Chairperson r Members Jackie Lebow • Andy Lee ■ John Kidwell • Steve Wood • Kevin Bazner • Cindy Cotton • Michele Derr • Councilor Michael Smith • Council Liaison Karen Montgomery-Gagne, Planning Administrator s Staff Peter Scott, Assistant City Attorney II • Leo Mantey, Planner I ■ Reagan Cotton •Guest/Applicant ABSENT: John Kidwell • Member I. Call to Order and Introductions Chairperson Flood called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. and introduced members of the Commission. The Commission welcomed the guest at the meeting, Mr. Reagan Cotton, who was the applicant for the design review on residential window replacement at 1615 Hayes Street located in the West Floral Heights Historic District. Ms Flood informed the Commission that Ms Cotton requested to say a "prayer for rain" before the commencement of the meeting. She asked if anybody had any objection to her request. No one was opposed so Ms Cotton was given the opportunity to lead a prayer for rain. II. Review and Approval of Minutes from January 28, 2014 Chairperson Flood called for review and approval of minutes from the January 28, 2014 Landmark Commission meeting. Mr. Koen motioned for approval and Mr. Bazner seconded. The motion carried. III. Application for Design Review—1615 Hayes St., WFH Historic District- windows Ms Gagne provided the Commission with photos of the building at 1615 Hayes Street showing the windows to be replaced, copies of the submitted application, and sample photos of the proposed new windows to be installed provided by the applicant. LANDMARK COMMISSION February 25,2014 Page 1 Ms Flood gave Mr. Reagan Cotton, the applicant, the opportunity to present his case to the Commission. Mr. Cotton informed the Commission that he wants to replace the three rear windows on the house at 1615 Hayes Street. He stated he will not replace the windows with vinyl but prefers to use aluminum. Mr. Cotton indicated that, he contacted Lowe's for a cost estimate and having dividers on the inside of the windows will be more expensive. He will however go with that because he wants the new windows to match the rest of the windows in the house. Ms Gagne informed the Commission that as part of the initial application process with the applicant, one of the things that staff mentioned from the design review guidelines for windows and screens was, if replacement was the choice; then the recommended material to use was aluminum. Ms Gagne stated that vinyl is not an appropriate substitute material and was pleased Mr. Cotton preferred aluminum windows. She said the divider inserted between the glass louvers is not the ideal option, but should be on the exterior and interior so that it gives the appearance of the actual divided window panes. Ms Gagne stated one interesting thing about the windows is that, the style is one pane over one pane and therefore initially didn't have the divided lights; she couldn't tell if they had been replaced. Ms Cotton informed the Commission that the rear windows are in a very bad condition because of their location on the rear of the house. She stated the preference is to have storm windows in order to save the wooden windows. She also said the new windows will allow them to be more functional. Mr. Cotton stated the house was built in 1945; there were numerous alterations over the years with awnings and a carport. All windows have been replaced except the ones in the rear of the house. He said with the exception of the ones to be replaced, all the other windows are in good condition. Mr. Koen asked if the proposed new windows will match the existing ones. Mr. Cotton answered that was his intent. Mr. Koen stated, that will make the house more aesthetically pleasing. Ms Gagne responded by saying that is the intent whenever there is a design review case for a home previously altered inappropriately. Mr. Koen made a motion to approve the application to replace the rear windows to maintain continuity and improve compatibility of the house. Mr. Lee seconded. The motion was unanimously approved. Ms Cotton abstained from voting. IV. Update, Meeting & Information -SWCA Consultants --New TX Historical Rehabilitation Tax Credit ° Ms Gagne provided the Commission with copies of the presentation on the new texas historical rehabilitation tax credit that was presented during a forum in Amarillo. Ms Gagne informed the Commission that staff is considering scheduling a meeting with Kristen Brown to give a tax credit presentation to the City on historic rehabilitation tax credits. She said Ms Brown is an architectural historian who used to work with the Texas Historical Commission (THC). She currently works with SWCA Inc, a private consulting company, and wants to partner with Mr. Ben Dupuy to give a presentation in Wichita Falls and other similar sized cities in Texas. Ms Gagne informed the tof Commission that Mr. Dupuy is the attorney who helped write House Bill 500, which started the Texas historic rehabilitation tax credit. He also co-presented with another SWCA architectural historian for the presentation in Lubbock and Amarillo. His LANDMARK COMMISSION February 25,2014 Page 2 company, Stonehenge Capital, specializes in tax credit financing for a range of projects including historic rehabilitations. Ms Gagne stated Ms Brown has been touring the state providing overviews on the new tax credits, educating stakeholders on what is involved and how it benefits their cities. Ms Gagne indicated staff would like to know if the Commission and area developers would be interested in meeting with SWCA Inc. Their presentation focuses on what is involved in the program and opportunities for our community. Ms Brown also met with Cynthia Laney, Downtown Wichita Falls Development (OWED), to inquire if they were interested in the presentation because Wichita Falls has a large downtown with many older historic buildings. Ms Gagne stated the historical rehabilitation tax credit is relevant for historic preservation and believes certain properties in the city will qualify for it citing the Zales building as a potential example. Mr. Lee informed the Commission they were looking forward to getting some kind of tax credit when they were working on the Zale's building restoration. He said the 20% tax credit is huge for the franchise. He said the 20% tax credit is very significant in projects with large expenditures. Mr. Lee said the tax credit is a good initiative by the THC. There appeared to be interest from the Commission so Ms Gagne stated the City will coordinate with DWFD, Inc. to consider bringing the consultants in for a presentation. She said members of the Commission will be invited as well as architects and developers in the City. Ms Gagne said Ms Brown believes Wichita Fails will benefit from the presentation because, when she worked with the Texas Historical Commission (THC), she came across a lot of Section 106 reviews from Wichita Falls, hence getting the tax credit will help local developers in rehabilitating older neighborhoods. V. Review & Determination for Removal of Building at 502 Ohio from Historic Designation- Depot Square Historic District Ms Gagne stated this item is a follow up from last month's meeting. She said members raised concerns about de-designating a building from a historic district after demolition. She informed the Commission that the Sheriffs sale will take place on Tuesday, March 4, 2014; she said the sale of the building will influence the Commission's decision next month. She stated there were some good suggestions at last month's meeting about looking at changing the classification of the building from contributing to non-contributing in the historic district. Ms Gagne said she contacted the Texas Historical Commission (THC) Architectural division, and the City's contact is Justin Kockritz. Ms Gagne said he didn't have a specific answer but he was not in favor of de-designating the property from the district; not a good option. Ms Gagne stated based on her discussion with Mr. Kockritz, wording in the historic preservation ordinance regarding designation and de-designation of properties needs to be reviewed and clarified in the near future. She said there needs to be a secondary provision dealing with the demolition and de-designation of a building or structure inside an existing historic district not just an individual landmark. Mr. Kockritz insisted the Commission needs to reconsider their decision to de-designate the building because it creates a hole in the district which might never be filled. He however was in favor of just de-designating the structure and not the site. LANDMARK COMMISSION February 25,2014 Page 3 Ms Gagne stated unfortunately the CLG coordinator, Mr. Marcus Watson was on assignment travelling throughout the state and was not available for comment. She said �.,., Mr. Kockritz wants to consult with Mr. Watson before giving any advice on the steps in converting a property from contributing to non-contributing when it's a National Register District. Ms Gagne informed the commission that in the past some properties in the West Floral Heights Historic District have been converted from contributing to non-contributing. Ms Gagne said she doesn't have a specific answer for the Commission but would recommend Mr. Kockritz's suggestion of tabling the discussion for next month's meeting. Ms Gagne informed the Commission that staff met with the potential buyer of the building at 502 Ohio, he is trying to determine if there might be asbestos in the building. He is however having a hard time getting asbestos abaters to even get into the building for inspection because they are concerned about safety issues. Ms Gagne said she is still waiting on more definitive answers from THC for next month's meeting. Mr. Scott informed the Commission there is a need to clarify the language in the ordinance on what a historic district is and what distinguishes it from a historic building/landmark. He said the current ordinance is not clear on separating the two. Mr. Scott said according to the current ordinance, individual landmarks refers to and places more importance on the building or structure, whereas the historic district deals with the land and not just the buildings on them, implying in theory, you can separate a building from the district. He stated in the future there should be a clear policy to empower the Landmark Commission to de-designate properties within a historic district as well as de- designating individual landmarks. Ms Cotton informed the Commission that during the process of nominating the West Floral Heights area for designation, some owners were not interested in signing up to be part of the historic district. After deliberations, stakeholders in the district chose not to exclude their properties because they wanted all the land in the district to be part of the historic district. She said in such a situation, even if the house/property that was exempt is sold to a different owner in the future, it automatically reverts to being part of the historic district. Ms Cotton stated there was a situation in the past where buchannan terrace apartments had to be torn down; the property sits on three lots. The City demolished the structure but the land still remains in the historic district. Any structure erected on it afterwards will have to comply with design guidelines as it's part of the historic district. Mr. Lee informed the Commission that, all land titles are reflected in the legal descriptions of the properties and this legal description is backed by the City Ordinance. He recommended that the legal description for the building at 502 Ohio be retained after demolition and that will keep the land in the district. Mr. Scott responded by stating he agrees to that; the Commission will have to revise the wording in the ordinance to make it clear and precise. Councilor Smith asked Mr. Scott if Backdoor Theatre had any insurance on the building. Mr. Scott responded saying he had no idea about their insurance. Ms Gagne stated she would research the issue. Councilor Smith asked if the building was secured; Ms Gagne responded saying, it is secured, staff went out last month to take exterior pictures of the building and can confirm the owners are keeping it secured because it will become a LANDMARK COMMISSION February 25,2014 Page 4 Code Enforcement issue if there is a potential opportunity for people to access the building. Mr. Lee stated he will recommend we table the discussion and wait to hear from THC and the sale of the building before the Commission makes a determination at the next meeting. He also said legal staff should be consulted to help the Commission in adopting a resolution in de-designating the building only while retaining the land in the historic district. Mr. Lee informed the Commission that most cities in the country have asbestos abatement programs and was wondering why the City of Wichita Falls had none. Councilor Smith responded it is primarily due to lack of funding, the City has limited funds to address a multitude of needs. Funds are allocated annually to address priority issues. Mr. Lee suggested the city can work with the federal government to get some funds for such projects. Ms Derr made a motion to table the item for discussion. Mr. Lebow seconded. The motion carried. VI. Discussion Regarding Proposed Historic District Creation—West Brook Village Ms Gagne informed the Commission staff had previously communicated with residents in Brook Village regarding designating the area as a historic district. She said recent discussions indicate the group is very active and wants to create a historic district known as West Brook Village and are gathering information to submit an application. Ms Gagne stated the residents have held meetings in the neighborhood, and they seem very organized and willing to pursue the process to create a historic district. Staff provided the Commission with copies of their initial paperwork overview because they may receive questions from the public. Ms Gagne indicated Ann Clarkson is the current leader for the West Brook Village neighborhood organization. They have put together board members and are quite keen about the opportunity to designate their area as a historic district. The area will encompass both sides of Brook Avenue; then to the east side of Harrison Street and north from Speedway to Dayton-Ardath Avenue area. Ms Gagne stated the group is currently researching the historic platting of the area to determine which property boundary is logical. She informed the Commission that the other big factor for the creation of the district is getting 75% of the area to respond in favor of creating the district. There are two different land surveys for that area. Staff is helping provide the forms for them to distribute to residents requesting they indicate their approval/disapproval; a basic map of the area, and a spread sheet containing records from the Appraisal District. Ms Cotton informed the Commission that members from the West Brook Village neighborhood group have been invited to the West Floral Heights neighborhood association meeting in April. She said this will give them the opportunity to learn how meetings are conducted. Ms Flood asked Ms Gagne if she had an idea on the number of properties in that area. Ms Gagne responded that she didn't know the exact number but it wouldn't be more than 200, she believes it will be a reasonable size. Ms Gagne stated that application work has begun and wanted the Commission to be aware in case they receive inquiries. She also indicated staff told the Brook village LANDMARK COMMISSION February 25,2014 Page 5 group it's a long process and takes time to help educate the residents and research all the properties. The formal application package will go through a public process, with notifications to all residents in the proposed boundary prior to Landmark Commissions review and will finally have to be approved by City Council. Ms Derr asked how long it took West Floral Heights to complete the whole process in creating their historic district. Ms Cotton answered they had to do theirs twice because they had to put it on hold at a point in time, in total it took about five years. She also said it was successful due to support from the Landmark Commission at the time and Ms Gagne the staff liaison. Ms Gagne said the City didn't have an established application procedure for designating a district at that time which made the process a little difficult. Ms Cotton said the City now has guidelines for creating a historic district which she believes makes the process a little better than when West Floral Heights applied. Ms Gagne stated residents of the West Brook Village have a professional photographer helping them during the application process and that will help make the process efficient and less stressful. VII. Other Business a)West Floral Heights Historic District—Monthly Report Ms Cotton stated the district is doing well. She said they are working on updating their directory. Ms Cotton informed the Commission they have replaced the stop signs on the perimeters of the district and are really excited about the improvement. The updated stop signs/poles are an addition to their already existing historic lights/poles. She stated that their neighborhood association paid for these upgrades. b)Design Review— Staff Authorized Minor Alteration I Repairs 1412 Hayes — residential plumbing permit Ms Gagne said it was unusually quiet this month for design review; all that staff reviewed was a residential plumbing permit application. c)Articles & Periodicals- - Preservation — winter 2014 — feature articles: postwar modernism; head for the hills;TX hill country - The Medallion — THC winter 2014 — features: Forts Trail region; Bankhead Highway; THC courthouse maintenance program; plan ahead for May preservation month Ms Gagne provided the Commission with articles from the Preservation and The Medallion magazines. She stated time is passing by and now architecture from the 1950's are being considered as historical structures. She said there is an article in the Preservation magazine that featured the hill country in Central Texas. She said the article discussed the German heritage and key features that are of interest nationally from the Texas hill country. Ms Gagne wanted to know if all members were getting their copies of The Medallion. She stated staff added the new members to the subscription list and they should be receiving their copies soon. Councilor Smith informed Ms Gagne that, he moved and gave his new address to staff to update the subscription list. Ms Gagne informed the Commission that May is preservation month; she suggested the Commission should work up a plan to celebrate local history. She asked members to think of ideas which will be discussed at next month's meeting. LANDMARK COMMISSION February 25,2014 Page 6 Ms Flood informed the Commission that the Heritage Society does their Preservation Awards annually in May. She said prior to the event in May, members and the general public can nominate structures that they deem worthy for awards. VIII. New Business: Ms Gagne informed the Commission that the consultants working on the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) will be in town on Thursday, February 27, for the last public forum. She stated the public forum will be held at the Wichita Falls Multi Purpose Events Centre (MPEC), Room #10, at 7pm. She said more information on the JLUS can be found at www.Sheppardilus.com. She stated the webpage has all the information and will keep members up to date on the project. Staff indicated the draft JLUS document is on the home page, and recommended members read chapters 4 and 5 which talks about the I 23 main compatibility factors as well as the short and long term strategies for the project. Councilor Smith informed the Commission that, the last time he talked about installation of LED street lights in the downtown area, Ms Graham asked if it included the alleys. He wanted to inform the members it included the alleys and will be fixed during phase two of the project. Ms Gagne informed the Commission staff is researching options for creating a downtown TIF district which will be TIF4. She said the area recommended by the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) appointed by council was too large. Staff is putting together different scenarios that will be presented to management for consideration. The TIF zone will be aimed at revitalizing the downtown core but not too big to ensure effective management. Staff said the CAC will be reactivated to continue the good work they started. Ms Flood informed the Commission that next month's meeting is scheduled for March 25, at noon. X. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 1:06pm. 65CAkxl- NN%-1 ApracTi io(ci Stacie Flood, Chairperson Date LANDMARK COMMISSION February 25,2014 Page 7