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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Packet 5.12.16.pdf MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION APRIL 14, 2016 EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Esther Baker, Zach Builta, Gosia Clore, Sharon DeGraw, Andrew Litton, Pam Michaud, Ben Sandell, Ginalie Swaim, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Thomas Agran, Cecile Kuenzli STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Bob Miklo OTHERS PRESENT: Mitch King, Alicia Trimble, Julie Weeks RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Swaim called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. At Swaim's request, each Commission member announced the district he/she represents or if he/she is an at-large member. She welcomed the new Commission members. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS: 613 Grant Street. Bristow said this property is in the Longfellow Historic District. She showed a photographs of the bungalow. Bristow showed the original exterior and the wall with a window in it that is perpendicular to the outside wall. Bristow said the proposal is to remove the window from that wall and put it on the outside. Bristow showed where there will also be a door added. She said the owner plans to put a gable-shaped entry-cover over the door, like the one that was approved for a house on Ronalds Street. Bristow said this will obviously need at least a couple of steps. Bristow said the plan is to put a small landing at the back door, and there will probably be about two steps. She said that at that point, a railing is not required, but if the owner installs one, it would match the railing on the front of the house. Bristow said the front door is basically a full panel with an insert to make it an oval shape. She said the owner found a salvage door that is a simpler version of that, which he plans to use. Bristow said staff recommends approval of the project, subject to making certain that the stairs and landing are approved by staff and the chair. She said it sounds like the owner plans to use the railing that meets the guidelines. MOTION: Wagner moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 613 Grant Street as presented in the staff report with the following condition: the access for the new door (step) to be approved by staff and chair. Baker seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0 (Agran, Kuenzli, and Michaud absent). HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION April 14, 2016 Page 2 of 9 716 Dubuque Street. Bristow said this is the house that the Commission looked at as a potential historic landmark at a previous meeting. She stated that the Board of Adjustment approved a special exception for a historic preservation waiver of required parking and to allow a fraternity of up to 21 residents, contingent on the applicant outlining a rehabilitation and maintenance plan to be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission. Bristow said staff went through the exterior of the property with the applicant and discussed what would be needed to maintain and rehabilitate the property. She showed the historic photographs and said that one of the things to note is the brick garden wall that originally went along the alley side. It was removed some time ago. Bristow stated that some of the work to be done includes tuck pointing and stabilizing the masonry. She said the applicant has provided information about his tuck pointer and his qualifications, which do meet the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation, based on staff's opinion. Bristow said that the arch is falling in and will need to be rebuilt. She said the top of the chimney will need to be rebuilt. Bristow said there are numerous places where tuck pointing and stabilizing the masonry will need to take place. Bristow said that currently there is a deck on the north side along the alley. She said the applicant proposes to remove that deck and replace the wall to look similar to the original wall along the alley. Bristow said that the space between the wall and the building will then become bicycle and scooter parking. She said the bricks will be matched as will the design of the historic wall. Bristow said the stairs there will be concrete, which they originally were. She said the owner will put on a new railing to match the railing currently around the porch. Bristow said one can see that there is a Tudor stucco and board portion on the second floor of this porch. She said there are also some dormers in the roof that have asphalt shingles on them currently. Bristow said the asphalt shingles are going to be removed and replaced with hardi-plank with the stucco texture to be put on the wall with a board to mimic the stucco and board pattern on the lower part. Bristow said that portions of the trim are deteriorated. She showed photographs of this. Bristow said that this will be repaired and replaced. She said that the front door is really too rotten to be repaired at the bottom, so it will be replicated with a newly constructed door. Bristow said that one of the other main things being done with this property is to remove the asphalt shingles. She said the roof has leaks and other problems. Bristow stated that the applicant has proposed a new material that mimics slate roofing. She said it appears to be attractive and added that both a large sample and small sample are available for the Commission members to examine. Bristow said it is a recycled plastic material that would be used in the slate-like configuration. She said that many of the Tudor homes, especially masonry ones, would have had a slate roof. Bristow said it looks good, and the color looks really good in the sample, which is called the cottage blend. Bristow said staff noticed a development up north of Oakdale with a roofs that are also a plastic shingle material. She showed photographs of a type of shake shingle plastic material. Bristow stated that one can see that, at least in this development, it has some color problems, and there are some issues where it is warping. She said there is also a product that would probably be considered the slate version of this material. Bristow said that all of the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION April 14, 2016 Page 3 of 9 pieces shown in the photograph seem to be kind of cupping, and one can see that some of them are kind of curling a little bit. Bristow said staff has spoken to the applicant about this. She said the applicant believes that this is a different material and that the material he is proposing is an improved product. Bristow said that if the material were to fail or would have any of the issues seen in the other installations, it would have to be replaced. Bristow said it is up to the Commission to approve the material. Swaim asked about the photograph and if it shows a relatively new roof that has faded poorly. Bristow responded that they do not know exactly when it was installed. She said that the product the applicant brought in does come in a slate or a wood shake version to give a texture and three-dimensional quality. Bristow stated that both of the roofs in the photographs are the wood shake version. She said she does not know that this is exactly the same product or manufacturer and does not know when the roofs were installed. Miklo pointed out that the reason staff has gone into so much detail about the roof is that the guidelines call for genuine materials, and there is a list of approved materials, asphalt being one of them. He stated, however, that the guidelines do allow the Commission, on a case by case basis, to approve non-authentic materials. Miklo said that is what is being requested here. He said that staff has a comfort level with this in that it looks good from a distance and even up close. Miklo said initially staff had the concerns described by Bristow regarding coloration but has been reassured that this is an improved version. Miklo said that approval of this product is a Commission decision. He stated that if the Commission does not approve this, then an alternate material such as asphalt shingles or metal shingles would have to be considered. Miklo suggested that the Commission members take a minute to examine the material more closely. He passed around a sample. Miklo said there are several houses with this material in the development that staff looked at, and staff took photographs of the worst-case scenario. He said the applicant talked to the supplier of the material, and he may want to address this. Miklo said that there is a schedule for replacing the windows, as noted in the report. He said that they will not all be replaced all at once, but the windows facing Dubuque Street and the windows on the north side will be replaced in the initial year. Miklo stated that in subsequent years, additional windows will be replaced. He added that the windows are not original but are vinyl replacement windows. Miklo said that one of the reasons the Commission does not approve vinyl windows is that they do not have a long life span and are not very sustainable. He believes the vinyl windows were put in during the last 20 years. King said he is the applicant for this project and was available to answer any questions. Swaim discussed the proposal calls for the use of painted number two pine for window trim replacement is appropriate. Swaim said she has recently experienced how new wood does not hold up like old wood does. She said this is a lot of trim to be replaced. Swaim asked if another material would be a better good choice. Wagner said that the pine boards do not last very long before rotting. He said that fiber cement sheathing could be used in the stucco area. Wagner said that fir or vertical grain fir actually HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION April 14, 2016 Page 4 of 9 does better, as does southern yellow pine. He said that the number two pine boards off the shelf at Menards won't last. Miklo showed some areas on the photograph and asked if cedar would be an appropriate material. Wagner responded that on that bed mold with the decoration, there are pine boards that can be used, but that tends to rot. He said that one can use southern yellow pine that is a little more expensive, but if it is painted and sealed properly, it will last King said that when he first looked at this, he thought the trim was number two pine. He said that after looking at it more closely, he found that basically all of the trim is cedar. King said he would replace the rotted trim with cedar. Regarding the roofing material proposed, Clore asked if the individual pieces are larger than they would be with an asphalt shingle. King responded that what was seen is what they stagger. He said that is the normal piece; they just overlap like asphalt shingles. Miklo said they look to be about twice the size of asphalt shingles. He stated that a real slate roof, which Tudor houses often had, would be similar to the size proposed. Regarding the roof with discoloration, King said that is a totally different product. He referred to a e-mail from the owner of the company making the product he proposes to use stating that the company uses more UV in the product than in the past. King said they use more formula in the product so that it stands up longer. King said the company he plans to use is based in Washington, Iowa. He said the company has worked on the Dwell building in the past year or so. King said the product has a very high hail resistance. King stated that one of the stipulations of the special exception was to remove the back deck to add more parking. Sandell said that the brick area that is original seems out of place compared to the rest of the stone on the building. Bristow replied that it also had a brick surround on the front entry, and there are some low stone piers with a little brick band. She said there is brick on the back and brick on the chimney. Bristow said the back is a different color than the wall, but there are other places on the building where it had brick. She said one photograph of the entry shows a low brick wall between the two stone piers. Bristow said that the brick wall on the alley appears to be original. Miklo said brick was used as an accent and added that it would not have been unusual for a Tudor building to have several materials, including brick, stone, stucco, and timber. He said this is a good example of a Tudor building using all those materials. Regarding the roof material, Sandell agreed that it looks good and thinks it will look even better from a distance. He said that if the product fails over time, whether due to warping or discoloration, replacement would be needed at that point anyway, and it would come back before the Commission again. Miklo said it might involve a staff level review. Bristow added that since it is a landmark, it would call for an intermediate review, which would involve staff and the chair. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION April 14, 2016 Page 5 of 9 Swaim asked what kind of warranty the roof would have. King replied that it has a 50-year warranty. MOTION: Baker moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 716 North Dubuque Street as presented in the staff report with the following conditions: trim and stucco colors to be approved by staff and the brick match to be approved by staff. Clore seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Agran and Kuenzli absent). Miklo stated that, in the certificate itself, the use of cedar versus pine will be cited, and the window schedule will also be spelled out. King said that he has guaranteed 36 windows to be replaced right now. He asked, once he gets into the work, if he notices one is worse for wear, does he need to come back before the Commission. Miklo said that Bristow could approve that administratively. Bristow stated that staff's only concern was making sure that there is not a facade where there is one really obvious window replacement and all the rest the same. Miklo said this approval will allow the applicant to replace all the windows over time without having to come back. REPORTS ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: 1118 East College Street . Bristow said this involved an asphalt shingle roof replacement. . 508 Church Street. Bristow said this house has replacement storm windows on all of the double hung windows. She said there are two original storm windows. Bristow said that all of the replacement storm windows are going to be replaced. She said that the two original ones will remain, and all of the big picture windows will remain. 530 Ronalds Street. Bristow said there have been a few small projects here over the past year. She said the membrane roofing on the porch will be replaced and any damaged siding above that as they re- flash will also be replaced. 120 Fairchild Street. Bristow said this is one of the historic landmarks. She said staff has been working with the new owner, William Means, since last summer. Bristow said the current project involves replacing the asphalt shingles, because there is quite a bit of leaking. She said Means is replacing all the copper flashing and the copper valleys with copper. Bristow said Means is also having the chimneys repaired. She said the caps have been replaced with new, smoother caps, and there was some discussion of replacing them like the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION April 14, 2016 Page 6 of 9 historic photograph. Bristow said it is so difficult to tell what was there from the small photograph that she told Means to go with what is there right now to simplify the project. Bristow said that all of the K-style gutters will be replaced. She said that Means is going to clean to remove some of the mold in the dark places under the overhangs and repaint the entire house. Bristow said Means will do some work on the siding as needed. She said Means would like to remove the porch infill where a room was added, put the main stairs back, and turn it back into a single family home, but some of that is probably just not possible. Bristow said there is a large carriage house that Means is also working on with the same type of work. She commended Means for taking this on and said staff has been working on this with him for some time. MINOR REVIEW: 810 North Johnson Street. Bristow referred to the photograph showing five windows with arrows. She said a previous owner replaced all of the original windows with metal storms so that there are not good double hung windows there anymore but just storm windows on the inside and storm windows on the outside. Bristow said this project just uses sash packs to replace those interior storms with double hung windows. She said they will match the divided light pattern on the other windows. COMMISSION REPRESENTATION STATE CODE AMENDMENT: Miklo said that the current State Code that allows cities to establish historic districts and historic preservation commissions requires that each historic district have a representative on the commission. He stated that this does not apply to conservation districts but only to historic districts. Miklo said that has been an issue in the past, and staff sees it as an issue going forward, in that some of the districts are fairly small and there are not many residents, making it a small pool from which to choose. He said therefore there has sometimes been difficulty finding people to fill those positions, for example for the Jefferson Street District. Miklo said that if more districts are added, the Commission would just become too large and unwieldy. He said that for a number of years, the Preservation Plan has suggested lobbying the State to change the law to specify a maximum number of district representatives or somehow amend the State Code so that a new member is not required each time a district is added. Miklo said that because this is a continuing issue, staff suggests contacting the State to ask for consideration of such an amendment. He said that if the Commission agrees, the appropriate course of action would be to authorize the chair to write a letter to the State Historic Preservation Office asking for such an amendment. Swaim said there are only 12 properties in the Woodlawn District, and many residents have been on the Commission before. She said that since there is a new stipulation that a Commission member may not serve more than two consecutive terms, finding a replacement in some of the small districts is somewhat difficult. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION April 14, 2016 Page 7 of 9 Swaim said she would like to draft the letter and get comments from the Commission. Miklo said that staff could help come up with some language. He said that no action would be taken until at least next year. Sandell discussed adding districts in the future as properties get older and then not allowing those districts certain representation. He asked if there is any kind of special work around for that. Miklo said the intent is not to not allow them to have a representative but to not require a representative. He said there are at-large seats that could be appointed from new districts. BY-LAW AMENDMENTS: Miklo said the Commission recently recommended a couple of changes to the by-laws to the City Council, and those are going forward independently. He said these by-law changes are the result of some action the City Council has taken in terms of boards and commissions. Miklo said there is no longer a requirement that commission members be registered voters, so the language would align with that. He said that members do have to reside in Iowa City. Miklo said the second amendment arises from the City Council deciding that rather than appointing on a monthly basement, it will do commission appointments twice a year. He said that in order to put this in sync with the calendar, as noted in the memo from the City Clerk's Office, terms should expire in July instead of at the end of March in order to work with the proposed appointment schedule. Swaim asked if the twice a year schedule would result in staggered appointments. Miklo replied that the terms would be the same, but the City Council would not be making appointments throughout the year. He said that this would make all of the expiration dates the same, so the City Council would not be appointing new members all the time. Miklo said that special consideration may be given if someone resigns. Bristow said this would also keep the City from having to advertise continually. Michaud asked if all Historic Preservation Commission terms would be extended to July 1 of their expiration year. Miklo confirmed this. MOTION: Clore moved to approve the new, revised by-laws. Baker seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Agran and Kuenzli absent). CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR MARCH 10, 2016: MOTION: Wagner moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's March 10, 2016 meeting, as written. Litton seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Agran and Kuenzli absent). COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Swaim introduced Trimble as the Chair of Friends of Historic Preservation, which is undertaking the move of the house on Iowa Avenue. Swaim asked for an update. Trimble deferred to Bristow who is handling a lot of the details with the project. Trimble said the concrete foundation will probably be poured on Friday. Bristow said the hole was dug earlier in HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION April 14, 2016 Page 8 of 9 the day. She added that footings will come first and then the forms for the walls will be put up very quickly right after that. Trimble said the house will probably be moved on May 4. Trimble said that Friends of Historic Preservation owns the lot now, so everything is in place. She said she could use volunteers for April 26, 27, and 28. Bristow said there will be a variety of activities or volunteers. She that UAY, which currently occupies the homes, is having a garage sale on April 23, is finishing its packing on April 25, and is moving on April 26 and 27, with the house to be moved being emptied the morning of the 26. Bristow said then everything below the floor joists will need to be removed as well as the remaining parts of the brick chimney. She said the porch floors will need to be removed, with the porch roofs to be braced back to the wall. Bristow said the installed storms and screens will need to be removed. She said the gutters should be removed. Bristow said there are quite a few activities. She said the house movers will come in and begin digging into the hill in the front of the house on the 28th. Bristow said the house movers have told her that as long as the front porch is removed and water and gas are off and removed, then things toward the back may be finished while they start in the front. Bristow said the house movers will dig in and jack up the house, which is going to be 116,000 pounds. She said the bridge at Van Buren and Washington Streets has been calculated to allow a maximum of five miles per hour. Bristow said that MidAmerican Energy will engage three teams to cut and splice the power lines as the house moves. She said that many people will lose power for the time the power is cut. Bristow said that Friends of Historic Preservation will be sending postcards to those who will be affected. She added that there will be no parking all along Washington, Van Buren, and College Streets in the areas affected. Bristow said it will take about four hours on College Street to turn the wheels back around and back onto the lot. Trimble stated that the week the house is being moved, Friends of Historic Preservation will be salvaging the other UAY house and could use volunteers to help with that. Trimble added that a week from Saturday is the Craft Your Environment event at the East Side Recycling Center. She said that every craft has to have some reused or recycled part. Swaim said it would be great to have a video of this at the next awards program. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:23 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2015-2016 KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member NAME TERM EXP. 5/14 6/11 7/9 8/13 9/10 10/8 11/12 12/10 1/14 2/11 2/25 3/12 4/14 AGRAN, THOMAS 3/29/17 X X X X O/E X X X O/E X X O/E BAKER, ESTHER 3/29/18 X X X X X X O/E X X X X X X BUILTA, ZACH --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- X CLORE, GOSIA 3/29/17 O/E O/E O/E X O/E X X X O/E X O/E X X DEGRAW, SHARON --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- X KUENZLI, CECILE --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- O/E LITTON, ANDREW 3/29/17 X X X O/E X X X X X X X X X MICHAUD, PAM 3/29/18 X O/E X X X X O/E X X X X X X SANDELL, BEN 3/29/17 X O/E X X X X X O/E X X X X X SWAIM, GINALIE 3/29/18 X X X X X X O/E X X X X X WAGNER, FRANK 3/29/18 O/E X O/E O/E O/E X O/E X X X X X X