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Home My WebLink AboutHPC Agenda Packet 4.9.2020 Thursday April 9, 2020 5:30 p.m. Electronic Zoom Meeting Platform IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Thursday, April 9, 2020 Electronic Meeting – 5:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting Platform Agenda A) Call to Order B) Roll Call C) Public discussion of anything not on the agenda D) Certificate of Appropriateness – Consent Agenda 922 Rundell Street – Dearborn Street Conservation District (entry porch modification) E) Report on Certificates issued by Chair and Staff Certificate of No Material Effect –Chair and Staff review 809 Ronalds Street – Brown Street Historic District (roof shingle replacement) Minor Review –Staff review 920 Dearborn Street – Dearborn Street Conservation District (front stoop and step replacement) Intermediate Review –Chair and Staff review 1. 813 Rundell Street – Dearborn Street Conservation District (rear basement egress window) 2. 820 Ronalds Street – Brown Street Historic District (minor change to a previous COA- revisions to opening configuration on new outbuilding) F) Consideration of Minutes for March 12, 2020 Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. You can participate in the meeting and can comment on an agenda item by joining the Zoom meeting via the internet by going to https://zoom.us/j/379370789. If you are asked for a meeting ID, enter 379 370 789 to enter a 'Waiting Room' for the meeting. If you have no computer or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you can call in by phone by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting ID when prompted. Providing comment in person is not an option. G) Commission Information and Discussion 1. Historic Preservation Fund Report (deferred from March 12, 2020 meeting) 2. Preserve Iowa Summit, Dubuque, June 4-6, 2020 (SAVE THE DATE) 3. Annual Historic Preservation Awards Update H) Adjournment If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jessica Bristow, Urban Planning, at 319-356-5243 or at jessica-bristow@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Staff Report April 2, 2020 Historic Review for 922 Rundell Street District: Dearborn Street Conservation District Classification: Contributing The applicant, Andy Small, is requesting approval for a proposed alteration project at 922 Rundell Street, a Contributing property in the Dearborn Street Conservation District. The project consists of the removal of the block return on the sidewalls of the front entry porch. Applicable Regulations and Guidelines: 4.0 Iowa City Historic Preservation Guidelines for Alterations 4.3 Doors 4.8 Masonry 4.10 Porches Staff Comments This house was built between 1925 and 1930 as a single-story gable roof house with a symmetrical gable entry. It is constructed of concrete block which was a popular building material of the time though somewhat rare in Iowa City’s current Historic and Conservation Districts. The exterior has been coated with stucco, which may or may not have been original but has achieved historic significance. The house has wood shingle siding in the gables, one-over-one double-hung windows, and a rear patio defined by a low concrete block wall. On the front, a similar low concrete block wall defines the gabled entry porch. The applicant is proposing to alter the entry point of the low concrete block defining the entry porch. Currently the low block wall extends from the main wall of the house two to three feet. Then the wall terminates with a portion of the wall that turns the corner to sit perpendicular to the portion of the wall closest to the house. This front portion of the wall reduces that entry point to about 24 inches. By removing the perpendicular portion of the wall that turns the corner, the opening can be increased by at least 8 inches, allowing greater access to the front door. The wall alteration will be coated in stucco to match the existing stucco texture. Some of this work was completed prior to submittal of an application for historic review. The guidelines recommend that the original size and shape of door openings should be maintained. Blocking down door openings to accommodate standard door sizes is disallowed. Porches are the focus of many historic buildings and help define their overall character. In Staff’s opinion, this alteration will not impact the historic character of this house if it is finished properly to match the existing stucco texture and the front face of the wall is plumb and squared. This entry porch is unique in terms of most of the historic construction that falls under the Commission’s purview. The above- mentioned portions of the guidelines are included for general consideration of these types of elements (doors, masonry, and porches) but do not address this situation directly. Most of them are concerned with reducing larger historic elements to allow replacement with smaller more readily available modern products. This is not the situation for this project. It is not clear whether or not the entry porch and rear patio are original to the house but because of their construction, attachment, and finish they are assumed to be historic if not original. Both low concrete walls appear as room-like spaces with an entry opening added to one wall. On the back patio, the entry is located mid-span in the south-facing portion of the wall. At the front porch, the entry is centered in the front-facing west wall. Sometimes in concrete block construction a wall return or corner is included to add structural stability to the wall from lateral forces. With this project, the goal is to increase the front entry width by making the smallest alteration possible. With a wall this short, it is unlikely that the corner is necessary for structural stability. If the end of the altered wall is finished professionally and the floor slab is repaired appropriately, staff finds this project an appropriate solution for increasing the ease of access to this home. Recommended Motion Move to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 922 Rundell Street as presented in the staff report Application for Historic Review Property Owner/ Applicant information (Please check primary contact person) Historic Designation (Maps are located at the following link: www.icgov.org/historicpreservationresources) Proposed Project Information Application for alterations to the historic landmarks or properties located in a historic district or conservation district pursuant to Iowa City Code Section 14-3B. Guidelines for the Historic Review process, explanation of the process and regulations can be found in the Iowa City Historic Preservation Handbook, which is available in the Neighborhood and Development Services office at City Hall or online at: www.icgov.org/historicpreservationresources The HPC does not review applications for compliance with building and zoning codes. Work must comply with all appropriate codes and be reviewed by the building division prior to the issuance of a building permit. Meeting Schedule: The HPC meets the second Thursday of each month. Applications are due in the office of Neighborhood and Development Services by noon on Wednesday three weeks prior to the meeting. See last page of this application for deadlines and meeting dates. For Staff Use: Date submitted: Certificate of No material Effect Certificate of Appropriateness Major Review Intermediate Review Minor Review Property Owner Name: Email: Address: Phone Number: City: State: Zip Code: This Property is a local historic landmark. This Property is within a historic or conservation district (choose location): Contractor/Consultant Name: Email: Address: Phone Number: City: State: Zip Code: Address: Use of Property: Date Constructed (if known): OR Brown St. Historic District College Green Historic District East College St. Historic District Longfellow Historic District Northside Historic District Summit St. Historic District Woodlawn Historic District Clark St. Conservation District College Hill Conservation District Dearborn St. Conservation District Goosetown/ Horace Mann Conservation District Governor-Lucas St. Conservation District Within the district, this Property is Classified as: Contributing Noncontributing Nonhistoric Jefferson St. Historic District Andy Small videocentermedia@gmail.com 3193511200 25 N Van Buren Iowa City IA 52245 SAME 922 Rundel RENTAL ? Application Requirements Application Requirements Addition Building Elevations (Typically projects entailing an addition to the building footprint such as a room, porch, deck, etc.) Choose appropriate project type. In order to ensure application can be processed, please include all listed materials. Applications without necessary materials may be rejected. Product Information Floor Plans Site Plans Photographs Alteration Building Elevations (Typically projects entailing work such as siding and window replacement, skylights, window opening alterations, deck or porch replacement/construction, baluster repair, or similar. If the project is a minor alteration, photographs and drawings to describe the scope of the project are sufficient.) Product Information Photographs Construction Building Elevations of a new building Product Information Floor Plans Site Plans Photographs Demolition Photographs (Projects entailing the demolition of a primary structure or outbuilding, or any portion of a building, such as porch, chimney, decorative trim, baluster, etc.) Evidence of deterioration Proposal of Future Plans Repair or Restoration of an existing structure that will not change its appearance. Other Please contact the Preservation Specialist at 356-5243 for materials which need to be included with applications Project Description: Materials to be Used: Exterior Appearance Changes: Photographs Product Information To Submit Application:Download form, Fill it out and email it to jessica-bristow@iowa-city.org or mail to Historic Preservation, City of Iowa City, 410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 The cinder block porch had the last blocks at 90 degree so the entrance was too tight ﬁt the fridge, couch, counter cabinets, etc anything into the house 28 inches was too narrow to get anything into the house so I had to pop them off and was planning on replacing them with the same Cinder block minus 4 inches. I am a self proclaimed stucoo Master and it will be a seemless. I also replaced the roof which had holes in it with the same exact shingle. The front door must be replaced, the glass was vandalized and the door knob installed incorrectly, in the dead center with the deadbolt below the door know, BRILLIANT! I dont have photos for before, please see attached. I would have replace the screw on extrerior storm windows which really should be 1.5" wider for maximum efﬁciency but now that I know its historic unfortunaltey I probably can't afford the specifc requred "historical" ones. Any advice on the storms wold be greatly appreciated, you have my permission to enter the exerior of the property at your leasure, thank you for your time. stucco/sand, solid metal door 9 screews 3 hinges. short cinder blocks by four inches to allow for stove and fridge to enter. , 1,. llt:1@ tlt t1;ti t1 '=l r-rur-{ll/il u Ll_\iil tr r\at \_/t3xo 3 <2' 2" > Eh'' {ifl,1"\apl x .rio o 2!\I? I "I ooo ag oo =o. a !liNi ,i 1tql = 7oo _-J- /.,,\ \ mtroILaoo 3- <2'. 2',> sNfi N 5s-f - fll,.}o.l iil BEoeo <6'3'> r <2,2"> <10'9"> I rc MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION EMMA J. HARVAT HALL March 12, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas Agran, Kevin Boyd (by phone), Gosia Clore, Lyndi Kiple, Jordan Sellergren, Austin Wu MEMBERS ABSENT: Helen Burford, Sharon DeGraw, Cecile Kuenzli, Quentin Pitzen STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow OTHERS PRESENT: V. Fixmer-Oraiz RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Vice Chairperson Agran called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 1214 Sheridan Avenue – Longfellow Historic District (Rear screened porch and deck addition, window and door changes to earlier rear addition). Bristow explained 1214 Sheridan Avenue is in the Longfellow Historic District. Currently the house is clad in metal siding and soffits. Most of the windows have been replaced with one- over-one double-hung windows and there has been an addition on the rear of the house. The current project is to add a screened porch addition to the back of the house, as well as a small deck and change some of the window openings. Bristow displayed the site plan and pointed out where the screened porch will go. It will be set in from the east side of the house and from the west side. The owners need to create a space between the screened porch and the garage. There is a small set of stairs from the screened porch to a small deck, as well as from the deck to grade. The project proposes to change out an attic window on the west side of the house, as well as two second-floor bedroom windows on the west side. On the east side there is a small kitchen window that will be changed out. Bristow shared a current image of the back of the house, which is the older addition, with a door with an entry canopy, two windows on the second floor, and two windows on the first floor. She said all these openings will change. The door and canopy will be removed. The pair of windows on the first floor will be replaced with a set of French doors. On the second floor there will be a door to a new roof deck on the screened porch, as well as a small group of ganged windows for a bedroom. A rendering of the proposed project showed the new door on the second floor with the group of windows and the second-floor deck, with a railing that has plain square spindles. The screened porch will have a screen door. There will be French doors in the back of the house. A window will replace the existing passage door. Below the screened porch portion of the addition the space will be enclosed with skirting. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 12, 2020 Page 2 of 6 Staff worked with the contractor to determine how to design the railing and the columns since the front of the house has large battered columns and high masonry piers with a solid railing. There will not be battered columns on the addition. Instead, a simple, 6 x 6 column, but keeping that idea of the enclosed balustrade below, so the screen will just fit in the space above the balustrade. Bristow said there would be a short column, which is what they would have done on the front porch, as well next to the screen door. If a full-height column was not needed, they would have had a short column. Bristow noted the new windows will be metal clad, wood double hung. Originally the house had five-over-one double-hung widows, but all of them have been changed out except for the bedroom windows. She said the pair of bedroom windows on the east side were approved to be changed out as part of one of the previous projects. Agran asked for clarifying questions, then opened and closed the public comment period. MOTION: Clore moved to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 1214 Sheridan Avenue as presented in the application and staff report. Kiple seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. JOHNSON COUNTY POOR FARM PROJECT PRESENTATION: V. Fixmer-Oraiz, Project Manager for the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm, presented the farm’s 10-year master plan to familiarize the Commission with the project. The Poor Farm is within City Limits but owned by Johnson County. It adheres to State Historic Preservation standards. Fixmer-Oraiz thought it was important to acknowledge the Algonquin family of tribes that were here - the Illini, the Iowa, and the Dakota family, and not only to say this is who was here then, but Native people are still here. She said the Historic Poor Farm has interest in engaging Native Americans. Fixmer-Oraiz explained poor farms came over in the 1800s from Europe. It was a social experiment on what to do with people who had disabilities, mental health issues, or those who were poor. Europe modeled a farm setting where people could have fresh air and a daily routine working on a farm, trying to be self-sufficient. She said Iowa is about as far west as the idea traveled, and every county had a poor farm. Often the land was of very poor quality. At any point in time there was anywhere from 10 individuals to over 80 at one point. They were growing their own food. They had cows and other livestock. They were canning. Fixmer-Oraiz said when the Supervisors wanted to acknowledge this poor farm site there was a lot of pushback. Residents were poor and/or had mental health issues. They used to be called insane and indigent. Putting them all in one place created problems. Based on documentation, the Johnson County site included people who were incredibly aggressive. She said, as the system developed and Mt. Pleasant opened, folks moved on to facilities that had shock therapy. She said, the eugenics board was highly involved at that point, deciding where people would go. Fixmer-Oraiz noted in Iowa there are three poor farms left that have existing buildings and Johnson County’s is one of the best examples, with the oldest building. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 12, 2020 Page 3 of 6 Fixmer-Oraiz shared slides of the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm. The farm is 160 acres on the south side of Melrose Avenue just beyond Hwy 218. It is across from Johnson County Secondary Roads. Chatham Oaks is onsite, which is an entity that takes care of people on a 24- hour basis, people with mental health and physical disabilities. It is on the existing foundation of the original poor farm where they housed people. That building was razed in 1963 and then they built on top of it. To the northeast is Melrose Ridge, a housing component for Chatham Oaks residents. Fixmer-Oraiz explained 120 acres are in an historic district. It was registered on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. Leah Rogers, now part of Tallgrass Historians, did the nomination. The nature of poor farms was such that people didn’t want other people to know they had family there, or they didn’t want people to know that they went there. Because of this, many items were either thrown away or people died and had no family to collect their belongings. Fixmer-Oraiz showed the site’s mutability over time, beginning in the 1870s. She said for the past 30 to 40 years about 120 acres were corn and soy beans. The County contracted it out to a farmer. She was hired by the County to make this public land available again to the public. During the master planning process, the Supervisors wanted to focus on historic preservation, local food, housing, conservation, recreation and trails, with an education component to each of those. The mission of the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm is to provide a public space for connecting to the land and local history through inclusive community-led opportunities. Values include accessibility beyond compliance, food justice, storytelling, collaboration, resilience, and community building. Fixmer-Oraiz said the farm has a disability-first framework because of the people who were housed here; it’s their place. She said there was a Federal mandate that care providers for people with disabilities must make sure there are a certain number of hours every day that residents must be outside of the facility. Much of that time was spent at the Historic Poor Farm. She said it is difficult to get around the farm due to mud and broken concrete. That’s why the framework includes accessibility beyond compliance. Food justice – there’s a lot of local food on site. Storytelling – that’s how you build community. Collaboration – there are many things that happen on the site. Resilience and community-building is activating the site and being sure to think about the future. Fixmer-Oraiz detailed the make-up of the farm. There are 15.5 acres of prairie. Johnson County Conservation planted that two years ago and it will be burned for the first time this year. There are three trails running through the farm. Ten acres make up a land access program. It is essentially for farmers. You can get one-eighth of an acre up to a couple acres. The County provides water and storage. There is a CSA and three other farms that produce direct-to- market. There’s the pollinator meadow or the prairie meadow in the middle. She noted that Confluence, a design firm in Cedar Rapids, helped design a signage packet for the farm. Fixmer-Oraiz said the farm is currently going through a review process with the City Building Inspector and Engineering for upgrading the parking and roadway. She noted the need to maintain a balance between historic preservation and safe public access. She said the farm is HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 12, 2020 Page 4 of 6 trying to use materials that do not look like pavement everywhere. Areas being reviewed include a fire lane and 18 permanent parking stalls right in front of the asylum building. For the fire lane they are using macadam base. They would like to use turf grow-through pavers for overflow parking since it’s not used as parking all the time. It would help prevent ruts any time it is wet. Bike racks are another consideration. Fixmer-Oraiz detailed the structures on site. The Monitor-Roof Stock Barn, aka west barn, is on the National Register. It was completely restored last year. It was upgraded for three-season use and can be rented for events. There is a gambrel roof dairy barn, established in 1912. It does have a silo, a concrete trough and corn cribs attached to it. It had lead paint, which has been remediated. It contains milking stanchions and an upstairs hayloft. She said the idea is for this barn to be an exhibit piece. Fixmer-Oraiz noted the asylum is the oldest existing poor farm building in the state, built in 1861. It is registered separately from the Poor Farm. She said it is made up of cells and is two buildings that were put together. She said access to the asylum will be improved. The farm includes corn cribs, built in the early 1900s, and a granary, which will be improved, but Fixmer-Oraiz wasn’t sure ADA access would be possible. Fixmer-Oraiz said in order to engage the community a couple groups were created. Over 70 organizations were originally invited to join the Community Action Team. She said a dozen or so have remained core and they help with projects and programs. She said organizations were asked who they served, how were they serving them, and were there any gaps or opportunities that the farm could help serve. Fixmer-Oraiz said transit is their #1 issue and having the bus line out there is important to the farm. She said a lot of folks use that bus line. Another group created was the Disability Advisory Committee. They are engaged with improvements on the site. Historical Resources Roundtable Discussions – Fixmer-Oraiz encouraged anybody interested to join. She said with the nature of poor farms, there are so many holes and gaps in information. The discussions are a way to try to get it all together. The community food production area is currently made up of two nonprofits – Grow Johnson County, which provides fresh fruits and vegetables to food pantries and hunger relief agencies in the County, and Global Food Project of Iowa City, which is community garden plots for new Iowans and immigrants. Global Food Project of Iowa City is becoming a program of IC Compassion. Agran thanked Fixmer-Oraiz for the presentation. He admired the way the farm was honoring the contours and natural intentions of the land itself. He said that element of preservation is through conservation and more future-oriented land stewardship. While the Historic Preservation Commission focuses on granular details of houses, the bigger picture includes preservation of whole neighborhoods and preserving a way of people interacting in a certain kind of built environment that is broader than just the siding on a house. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 12, 2020 Page 5 of 6 Wu asked if the bus line was preserved in any of the three proposed scenarios from the Transit study. Fixmer-Oraiz said it was preserved in one of the proposals. Bristow noted she had served on the County Historic Preservation Commission when the County was involved with grants to start some of the planning. She had been out to the farm to help assess how much of the material would need to be saved or retained through a field survey of the west barn. Fixmer-Oraiz hoped to present this project to City Council to promote retaining transit to the farm and asked the Commission for their support. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Minor Review – Staff Review. 510 North Dodge Street – Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (rear stoop and step replacement). Bristow noted that with this project the back stoop and step are being replaced. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 13, 2020 MOTION: Clore moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission’s February 13, 2020 meeting. Wu seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Historic Preservation Fund Report. Agran recommended a motion to postpone the Historic Preservation Fund Report until a meeting with better attendance. MOTION: Clore moved to postpone the Historic Preservation Fund Report to a future meeting. Wu seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. Preserve Iowa Summit, Dubuque, June 4-6, 2020. Bristow noted the Preserve Iowa Summit will be in Dubuque June 4-6, 2020. Registration is open. She said she would email the registration so Commission members could determine if they want to go, and for what portions. Commission members need to then let her know. Based on interest and budget, she would let them know how many people the City could take. Annual Historic Preservation Awards. The Historic Preservation Awards were discussed. ADJOURNMENT: Clore moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Kiple. The meeting was adjourned at 6:45 p.m. Minutes submitted by Judy Jones HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 12, 2020 Page 6 of 6 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2019-2020 NAME TERM EXP. 4/11 5/09 5/23 6/13 8/08 8/19 9/12 10/10 11/14 12/12 1/09 2/13 3/12 AGRAN, THOMAS 6/30/20 O/E O/E X X X X X X X X X O/E X BOYD, KEVIN 6/30/20 X X O/E X X X X O/E X O/E X X X BUILTA, ZACH 6/30/19 X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- BURFORD, HELEN 6/30/21 O/E X X X X X X X X X X X O/E CLORE, GOSIA 6/30/20 X O/E X O/E O/E X X X X O/E X X X DEGRAW, SHARON 6/30/19 X X X O/E X X O/E O/E X O/E X X O/E KARR, G. T. 6/30/20 X X X X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- KUENZLI, CECILE 6/30/19 X X X O/E X X O/E O/E X X X X O/E KIPLE, LYNDI 6/30/22 -- -- -- -- X X X X X X O/E O/E X PITZEN, QUENTIN 6/30/21 X X X X X X X X X X X X O/E SELLERGREN, JORDAN 6/30/22 -- -- -- -- X X X X X X O/E O/E X SHOPE, LEE 6/30/21 X X X O/E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- WU, AUSTIN 6/30/20 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- O/E X X