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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-13-25 HPC Agenda Packet Thursday February 13, 2025 5:30 p.m. Emma J. Harvat Hall City Hall IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Thursday, February 13, 2025 City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30 p.m. Agenda A) Call to Order B) Roll Call C) Public discussion of anything not on the agenda D) Certificates of Appropriateness HPC24-0119: 420-422 North Linn Street– Brown Street Historic District (Front deck reconstruction) E) Certified Local Government Annual Report F) Report on Certificates issued by Chair and Staff Certificate of No Material Effect –Chair and Staff review 1. HPC24-0118: 629 North Gilbert Street – Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (replacement of one porch pier) 2. HPC25-0004: 629 Brown Street – Brown Street Historic District (porch roof reconstruction and roof shingle replacement) G) Consideration of Minutes for January 9, 2025 H) Commission Discussion 1. Annual Awards Presentation Update 2. Work Plan Update I) Commission Information Memo to HPC from City Manager J) 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 Februrary 3, 2025 Historic Review for HPC24-0119: 420-422 North Linn Street General Information: Owner: H&G partnership Applicant: Dan Lopatka, dunelop@hotmail.com District: Northside Historic District Classification: Contributing Project Scope: Front deck replacement reusing railing and some deck structure. Applicable Regulations and Guidelines: 4.0 Iowa City Historic Preservation Guidelines for Alterations 4.1 Balustrades and Handrails 5.0 Guidelines for Additions 5.2 Decks and Ramps Property History: This side-gabled two-story house is said to have been constructed between 1850 and 1860 and appears to be visible in the 1868 bird’s eye view map of Iowa City. It was built as a brick duplex with two individual front porches. The design may have resembled an I-house. It is visible on the 1899 Sanborn Fire Insurance map with a one-story rear addition shared between the two halves and a rear open porch to the side. By 1906, the house was clad over the brick with wood siding. The central portion of the rear addition was extended to two-stories with adjacent one-story portions and open porches to both the north and south. At some point in the 1950s or 1960s, the porch roof was modified to be continuous over a continuous porch floor with a central wide stair. The columns and railing were replaced with wrought iron. In 1977 asbestos siding was installed. The porch roof and columns were removed in 1998, and the deck built in 1999. Detailed Project Description: This project replaces much of the structure of the deck. New support posts next to the building will be used to support the deck instead of attaching to the masonry wall. The railing will be reused. Portions of the flooring will be reused. The dimensions of the deck will not change. Guidelines: Section 4.1 Balustrades and Handrails recommends: • Constructing or replacing missing balustrades by using historic photographs or by choosing a style that is consistent with the architectural style of the building • Installing… square spindles that are 1 ½ inches or greater in width. • Installing top and foot rails that are at least 2 inches in thickness. • It is disallowed to use unpainted treated wood for elements that would have been painted in the historic application. Section 5.2 Decks and Ramps recommends: • Locating a deck on the back of a primary building, opposite the street-facing façade and set in from the side walls at least 8 inches • Attaching decks to the building in a manner that will not damage a historic exterior wall or, other historic materials, or cause wood siding to deteriorate • Follow the guidelines in section 4.1 Balustrades and Handrails. • It is disallowed to construct a deck between the street and the street-facing façade if it detracts from the neighborhood or is not compatible with the architectural style of the existing building. Analysis: While this house is significant as an early brick duplex, it has been altered in recent decades with the removal of the porch, installation of asbestos siding, and construction of the deck. The current owner is attempting a repair of the deck reusing as much of the existing material as possible. The owner proposes to match the existing configuration. Even so, enough is reconstructed to require a building permit. The guidelines disallow the construction of a new deck in this location. However, since the owner is attempting to make a limited repair reusing as much material as possible, staff recommends approval of the project through an exception to the guidelines for an uncommon situation: a front deck exists, and the project is not a complete reconstruction requiring compliance with the guidelines. Since the handrail is reused entirely, it would not be subject to compliance with the guidelines. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 420-422 North Linn Street as presented in the staff report with an exception to the guidelines for uncommon situations. 420-422 North Linn Street 420-422 North Linn Street 420-422 North Linn Street – north end of deck structure replacement 420-422 North Linn Street- south end of deck showing need for support post adjacent to wall 420-422 North Linn Street- Current status of deck. Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission City Hall, 410 E Washington Street, Iowa City. IA. 52240 1 Memorandum Date: February 6, 2025 To: Historic Preservation Planner From: Jessica Bristow, Historic Preservation Planner Re: Draft Annual Report Review A draft of the annual report, due to the State Historic Preservation Office on February 28, 2025, is attached for Commission review. The attachments are not yet included. The Commission has the ability to include a portfolio of images to accompany the report. Staff seeks suggestions of projects or subjects to include in the portfolio. If Commissioners have corrections or information to add to the report, staff requests that the information is provided at the February 13 Commission meeting or by email to staff by Tuesday February 18, 2025 for inclusion in the report. Iowa Economic Development Authority SHPO CLG Annual Report 2024 Jessica Bristow 410 Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240, United States 319-356-5243 jessica-bristow@iowa-city.org * indicates a required field NOT SUBMITTED Reviewers cannot see your material until you submit your application. Once you have finished the last step, you will receive a confirmation message and ID number. Forms Edit SHPO Certified Local Government Annual Report Under the CLG Agreement with the State, local governments and their historic preservation commissions are responsible for submitting an annual report documenting the commission’s preservation work and that they have met the requirements of the CLG program. This annual report is also an important tool for your commission to evaluate its own performance and to plan for the coming year. We look forward to hearing from each CLG this year! 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 1/15 1. I am aware this report must be presented and reviewed by either the City Council or the Board of Supervisors prior to submission and requires a signature from either the mayor or the chair of the board of supervisors. The signature form is located here: https://iowa1.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/PublicShares- SHPO2/EWJOyE84x5BEqsMBNQhGagMBGTwUBVRnzrokBawjj6h_3w?e=HeBDes yes 2. Name of the city, county, or land use district: Please choose from the drop down list. Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission 3. Did your commission undertake any survey or identification projects during 2024? CLG Standards are in your local government's Certified Local Government (CLG) Agreement and the National Historic Preservation Act: The CLG shall maintain a system for the survey and inventory of historic and prehistoric properties in a manner consistent with and approved by the STATE. No 3.1. Please explain how your local government plans to meet this CLG requirement in the future? The Commission's work plan includes the priority of forming a landmark/district subcommittee whose role will be to begin to address potential landmarks and/or districts 4. Did your commission undertake any registration/nomination projects in 2024? The CLG reviews all National Register nominations for any resources that lies within the jurisdiction of the historic preservation commission. As a CLG, the HPC reviewed an NR Nomination but it was not undertaken by the HPC 5. Within your local government's jurisdiction were any National Register of Historic Places listed properties moved or demolished in 2024? 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 2/15 If you need a list of the properties that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places within your jurisdiction, please contact historic.preservation@iowaeda.com No 6. Does your local government designate local landmarks or local districts? IMPORTANT: Most local governments do not have a program for local designation. If you have questions about whether you have a local designation program or not, please contact the CLG Coordinator at historic.preservation@iowaeda.com before you complete this section. Yes 6.1. What properties did your community place on its list of locally designated historic landmarks and/or historic districts? Please attach a copy of the final designation nomination(s) and ordinance(s) for these properties. REMINDER: Before local districts are designated by your city council, you must send the local nomination to the SHPO for review and comment. Please allow at least 45 days for review before the nomination is scheduled for city council review. The SHPO review takes place after your commission has approved the local district nomination and BEFORE it is placed on the city council's agenda. 302 E Bloomington Landmark Ord 24-4923 and survey.pdf 6.2. Please include the name of the individual on your staff or commission that meets the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications? Please also include their area of expertise. https://www.doi.gov/pam/asset-management/historic- preservation/pqs#:~:text=The%20Secretary%20of%20the%20Interior's%20Professional%20 Qualification Staff: Jessica Bristow, Historic Architecture and Architectural History. Commissioner: Margaret Beck, Prehistoric Archaeology 7. Has your community passed any ordinances that directly or indirectly impact the preservation of historic resources? 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 3/15 No 8. Did your city, county, LUD or its historic preservation commission undertake any of the following activities in this calendar year? Please think broadly about this question and include any activity (small or large) that facilitated historic preservation in your community. This is your opportunity to boast about your accomplishments and get credit for the great work you do! Please check all that apply! CLG Standards found in CLG Agreement and National Historic Preservation Act: 1) The CLG will enforce all appropriate state and local ordinances for designating and protecting historic properties. 2) The CLG shall provide for adequate public participation in the local historic preservation programs. a. Historic preservation planning. Examples include the development or revision of an preservation plan, development of a work plan for your commission, etc.|b. Provided technical assistance on historic preservation issues or projects. Examples include working with individual property owners, business owners, institutions to identify appropriate treatments and find appropriate materials, research advice, etc.|c. Sponsored public educational programming in historic preservation. Examples include training sessions offered to the public, walking tours, open houses, lectures, Preservation Month activities, etc. 8.1. Describe your communities historic preservation planning activities in this calendar year. For the 2024 calendar year, the Commission focused on three action items for their work plan: honoring the heritage of Oak Grove Park, forming a landmark/district subcommittee, and engaging with the public and City Council. Ongoing work was included with updates as appropriate. Additional goals and ideas were included in a long-term goal section. In January of 2025, the Commission approved the same plan, with any necessary updates, as the current work plan. 8.2. Describe your communities assistance with preservation issues or projects in this calendar year. Please be specific (address(es) of the property(ies), what was the issue(s), what assistance was provided. 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 4/15 Planning staff provides technical and design assistance to applications for Historic Review. The applicants are encouraged to meet with staff well ahead of time in the project planning process, prior to submitting an application, to discuss their projects. In 2024 the number of inquiries increased to the highest number so far with 312. Prior to this, the highest was in 2021 with 274 inquiries. From these initial inquires, in 2024 staff received and processed 119 applications plus three from the previous years that had been on hold. Thirteen of these applications were eventually voided as duplicates or unnecessary, some following initial review. The number of applications is equivalent with the all-time high of 118 for 2021. Staff continued to implement the Preservation Fund which was launched July 1, 2017. The Preservation Fund provides funding up to $5,000 per project as a matching grant or matching no-interest loan to property owners for eligible exterior work on historic properties in Historic or Conservation Districts or on Local Landmarks. Last year ’s budget increase of $2,000 was continued for FY2025 providing $42,000 per year. In the 2024 calendar year, 9 projects were approved. To date, we have approved 63 funding projects on 49 properties and have paid out $222,640 on projects valued at $559,387. We are currently under contract to provide $17,000 in funding toward $43,060 worth of work with two additional projects about to go under contract. Several larger projects included: • 726 Ronalds Street: Following the completion of the student build project at 724 Ronalds Street in the Brown Street Historic District, the Commission and staff again worked with the non-profit Housing Fellowship to approve a second student build project with a house on the other half of the divided lot. The project is currently under construction. • Deluxe Bakery, at 812 South Summit Street is located in the Summit Street Historic District. The ca 1900 property was originally a residence. A one-story storefront was added to the south side of the house prior to 1933. The building has had numerous uses before becoming a bakery. The public access currently includes steep concrete steps to the front entrance. Commission and staff worked with the owner and her architect to approve a new set of steps and a permanent accessibility ramp to this front door. The project is not yet under construction. • Staff and the Commission Chair worked with facility management staff to approve a metal shingle roof for the Ned Ashton house, a local landmark and NR-listed property owned by the City. While the building had asphalt shingles since its construction in 1947, the City wanted to install a roof with greater longevity. • 410-412 North Clinton Street, ca. 1865 the Cochrane-Sharpless-Dennis House was landmarked in 2021 as part of a development proposal including two adjacent lots. The houses on those lots would be demolished for a new multi-family housing structure with a lower wing and basement parking access which would extend north across the rear of the 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 5/15 landmark lot to the alley. Staff and the Commission completed the historic review of this complex project this year. 8.3. Please describe your community's public education programs in his calendar year. Please provide specific details such as date of event, description of the event, how many people participated, whether the commission partnered with other organizations. The Commission’s main educational and outreach program each year is the annual awards program. Following last year ’s 40th Anniversary, we are transitioning from a program that is mostly produced by staff and an intern to one that is produced by a sub- committee of the Commission along with members of the local non-profit, Friends of Historic Preservation. For this reason, the awards presentation was postponed from fall 2024 to February 27, 2025. 9. Were there any issues, challenges or successes your preservation commission encountered or accomplished this year? One of the biggest challenges during the previous years has been of work completed without permits and the associated historic review. Typically, these projects are reported to staff by the public. Then the Commission must review the work as if it was not already complete. The owner or contractor either did not know they needed a permit and historic review for the work, or they knew but proceeded without them anyway. In most cases these projects have resulted in violations and fines and in some cases, the completed work needed to be removed so that it could be redone in compliance with the guidelines and Commission approval. Numbers decreased this calendar year as the City reviewed and revised its internal and external communication during the permitting and review process. As part of the changes to the review and permitting process, staff in multiple areas met to determine how to deal with single-trade permits and historic review. Since the zoning code requires historic review when a regulated permit is required and the project involves a material change to the exterior of a designated property, the goal of the meeting was to determine what constitutes a material change for some of the most common utility or trade permits. Most of the common projects that involve utility services or small pipe penetrations were determined to not need historic review. In February, City Council heard the appeal of an applicant, whose application to install an HVAC system with piping penetrating the primary façade of a local and NR-listed property was denied by the Commission. Council upheld the Commission’s denial, asking them to work with the owner on alternatives. Since the work was completed previously without review and approval, the piping remains installed on the front façade and remediation has made no progress. 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 6/15 At the end of 2023, the Commission had decided to pursue local landmark designation for the Slezak-Holub-Skarda building at 302-316 East Bloomington Street. The building had been a visual and cultural landmark for decades. Friends of Historic Preservation (FHP) hired historian Jennifer Price to write an assessment of the building which was submitted to the State for a preliminary eligibility determination (for listing in the National Register). The assessment was included as a supporting document for the landmark zoning application. The Commission held a public hearing for the designation in February 2024. Following approval, the Commission worked with FHP and the Northside Neighborhood Association to encourage public support of the designation which was approved by City Council on May 31, 2024. The project took considerable public outreach. During this calendar year, the Commission was able to fill a seat that had been vacant for several years because it is a small district with few properties. Currently 10 out 12 seats are filled which makes it easier to achieve quorum (7 seats). Funding had been included in the FY2025 budget for the relocation, display, and replacement with a replica of the Summit Street Monument. There have also been questions about the final location for the preserved and displayed monument. The project is too involved to be completed within this year ’s budget and because of budget cuts in the coming year, funding for the project has been discontinued. Similarly, the additional $2,000 added to the Historic Preservation Fund is removed from the upcoming FY budget. The house at 1011 Woodlawn, which burned in the fall of 2022 and had been standing empty with no progress since then, had received numerous complaints throughout the year. Finally, it was sold in November 2024 to a new owner who is ready to take on the reconstruction and rehabilitation. Many of the legal challenges encountered in 2023 carried over into 2024. As noted in the amendment to the 2023 annual report, in 2024 the City of Iowa City responded to numerous legal claims related to a property located at 18 S. Clinton Street in Iowa City. 18 S. Clinton Street is one property within the National Register of Historic Places’ federally listed Iowa City Downtown Historic District. 18 S. Clinton Street is not within a locally zoned historic district and is not a local historic landmark. 18 S. Clinton Street is currently occupied by a tenant, Short’s Burger & Shine, LLC. Kevin Perez is an owner of Short’s Burger & Shine, LLC. Below is a summary of claims from 2024, two of which have been dismissed: 1. Short's Burger & Shine, LLC v. Iowa City, EQCV084614 (Johnson County), alleged the City was required to undergo historic review before removing Short's illegally placed sidewalk cafe in July 2023. The district court dismissed this case on January 7, 2025 on summary judgment. 2. Short's Burger & Shine, LLC v. Iowa City, EQCV084666 (Johnson County), alleged the City should have inspected 18 S. Clinton Street under the City's demolition by neglect ordinance and found that the property is being demolished by neglect in violation of Iowa 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 7/15 City Code 14-3B-7, which prohibits demolition by neglect of properties that are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Short’s dismissed this lawsuit on July 18, 2024, as moot. 3. Kevin Perez & Short's Burger & Shine, LLC v. MidWestOne Bank, Trustee, Haywood B. Belle Family Trust; MidWestOne Bank; Dennis Mitchell; Kevin Mote; Sarah Wallace Belle; and City of Iowa City, CVCV085088 (Johnson County), alleging racial discrimination against Perez because the City allegedly aided and abetted MidWestOne Bank in the bank’s attempt to evict Short's. This case is in the discovery phase and trial is scheduled for November 4, 2025. The City will continue to defend this lawsuit. 4. Short's Burger & Shine, LLC and Kevin Perez v. MidWestOne Bank, et al., 3:24-cv- 00061 (U.S. District Court, S.D. Iowa), alleges various claims against approximately 37 different defendants, including the City of Iowa City and City staff, including civil rights violations, conspiracy, and civil RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). A motion to dismiss is currently pending. The City will continue to defend this lawsuit. 5. Kevin Perez v. City of Iowa City, Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission, Jessica Bristow, & Jordan Sellergren, EQCV085841 (filed November 13, 2024; acceptances of service filed December 2024), alleges the Historic Preservation Commission is required by law to place Kevin Perez on its agenda, instead of just allowing him time during public comment, so that he can make an interactive presentation about the history of 18 S. Clinton Street. The City has moved to dismiss this mandamus claim because Perez has no right to be placed on HPC’s agenda to give an interactive presentation. Perez is welcome to present during public comment. In addition, open records requests have continued during this calendar year. Shawn Shearer, who is Short’s and Perez’s attorney, has currently made 64 open record requests, and the City has provided Mr. Shearer 10,092 pages of documents. Finally, the Commission was challenged by the suspension of its eligibility to receive pass through grants. 10. What partnerships did your commission form or continue with other entities? Examples include local main street office, local school, historical society, library, museum, service club, etc. If none, enter N/A In February 2020, staff had given a public presentation on the subject of African American Housing in Iowa City in the early 20th Century, with a focus on student housing. The presentation was taken largely from the National Register Nominations for the Tate Arms and the Iowa Federation Home for Colored Girls written by Richard Carlson. This presentation was not recorded. Due to the interest in this presentation, staff worked with our local TV Channel/ Communications Department to record this presentation for our Equity/Human Rights Director. The Commission had voiced an interest in the planning for the replacement of the pool at City Park. The Parks and Recreation Director attended the March 2024 Commission 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 8/15 meeting and provided them with the final update on the pool replacement. In September, the Parks and Recreation Director had asked staff and the Commission to comment on a proposal for naming a new park on the west side of Iowa City. The proposal had been submitted by former HPC Chair, Kevin Boyd. He proposed to name the park after Adelaide Joy Rogers who had run for Parks Commissioner in 1921 and despite defeat continued on as a local advocate for equal education opportunities for girls and women. 11. Did your historic preservation commission receive any grants (other than CLG) this year? If so, please describe. If none, enter N/A. N/A 12. Does your Historic Preservation Commission have a website? Yes 12.1. What is the website address? https://www.icgov.org/government/departments-and-divisions/neighborhood-and- development-services/development-services/historic-preservation 13. List dates of public commission meetings held (please note these are meetings actually held with a quorum, not just those that were scheduled). CLG Standards found in CLG Agreement and National Historic Preservation Act: 1) The CLG will organize and maintain a historic preservation commission, which must meet at least three (3) times per year. 2) The commission will be composed of community members with a demonstrated positive interest in historic preservation, or closely related fields, to the extent available in the community. 3) The commission will comply with Iowa Code Chapter 21 (open meetings) in its operations. 4) Commission members will participate in state-sponsored or state-approved historic preservation training activities. January 11, 2004; February 8, 2024; March 21, 2024; April 24, 2024 (rescheduled due to lack of quorum); May 22, 2024; June 13, 2024; July 11, 2024; August 8, 2024; September 12, 2024; October 10, 2024; November 14, 2024; December 12, 2024 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 9/15 14. Based on the work plan submitted last year for your commission please provide a self assessment of the progress your commission made on the initiatives and programs that were identified last year. In 2024, the Commission channeled most of their energy toward the local landmark designation of the Slezak/Holub Building because the building was for sale for the first time in its long history. Marketed as “development potential,” the Commission worked on public outreach and education to inspire them to speak out to City Council on the landmark designation. This work was accomplished by the landmark and district sub- committee. Following this, an awards sub-committee was formed to manage the annual awards program, a part of the ongoing work of the Commission. 15. Where are your official CLG files located? Please describe where the paper or physical files are stored and where the digital records are being stored. Neighborhood Development Services Department in City Hall, Iowa City 16. In this calendar year, what was the dollar amount of the historic preservation commission's annual budget? We recommend that the local government provide the commission a minimum of $750 annual budget to pay for training and other commission expense. 750 17. Additional Budget information This is an optional question, if there is any additional information you wish to share with the State Historic Preservation Office regarding your community's budget. The Neighborhood & Development Services Department budgets $2,000 for the annual mailing to property owners in local historic and conservation districts. The Department also budgets $750 for training opportunities. The Historic Preservation Fund of $42,000 per year for rehabilitation projects is not part of the Commission's budget. 18. 2025 Work Plan Each Commission should develop an annual work plan for the upcoming year. Please include the project(s), initiatives and programs your commission plans to begin or complete. 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 10/15 2025 Historic Preservation Work Plan.pdf 19. Does your commission have any vacancies? If so, how many? If you have no vacancies please enter N/A. Please also use this field to describe any plans the commission has to fill those vacant positions. We have two long-term vacancies for representatives of two small districts, The Woodlawn Historic District and the Jefferson Street Historic District. 20. Commission Members Please include all commission members in this table. If the commissioner represents a locally designated district please provide the district in their role field. If the commissioner doesn't have an email address please enter a phone number. For any new commissioners please include the biographical sketch in the following question. First and Last Name Mailing Address Email Address Term Role Jordan Sellergren 1729 N Dubuque Rd. Iowa City, IA 52245 jsellergren@gmail.com until 6/30/2025 At-Large Rep and Commission Vice Chair Margaret Beck 808 Caroline Ave. Iowa City, IA 52245 beck@uiowa.edu until 6/30/2024 At-Large Rep (archaeology) Carl Brown 1214 Sheridan Ave. Iowa carlbrown0001@gmail.com until 6/30/2026 Longfellow Rep 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 11/15 City, IA 52240 Andrew Lewis 717 E. Davenport St. Iowa City, IA 52245 andrew.taylor.lewis@gmail.com until 6/30/2026 At-Large Rep and Commission Chair Deanna Thomann 208 Fairchild St. Iowa City, IA 52245 deanna.thomann@gmail.com until 6/30/2026 Northside (Gilbert-Linn) Rep Nicole Villanueva 431 S. Summit St. Iowa City, IA 52240 niki.e.villanueva@gmail.com until 6/30/2025 Summit St. Rep Frank Wagner 519 South First Ave. Iowa City, IA 52240 frankfwagnerphd@yahoo.com until 6/30/2026 At-Large Rep Christine Welu- Reynolds 619 Brown St. Iowa City, IA 52245 chriswelu@gmail.com until 6/30/2025 Brown St. Rep Kevin Burford 528 East College Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 ksburford@gmail.com until 6/30/2027 College Green Historic District Rep 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 12/15 Ryan Russell 1031 East College Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 ryan.russell1125@gmail.com until 6/30/2027 East College Street Historic District Rep 21. Please attach biographical sketches for commissioners who were newly appointed in last calendar year. Please be sure newly appointed commissioners sign and date their statement. 22. Which of your commission members, staff, and/or elected officials attended the 2024 Preserve Iowa Summit? Now is also a good time to start planning to attend the 2025 Preserve Iowa Summit in Muscatine June 5-7, 2025. Jessica Bristow, HPC staff member, Jordan Sellergren, Commission Chair at the time, attend the CLG roundtable day 23. Commission Training Table An important requirement of the Certified Local Government program is annual state- sponsored or state-approved training undertaken by at least one member of the historic preservation commission and/or staff liaison. In this table, please provide information about the commissioners’ involvement in historic preservation training (beyond or instead of the Preserve Iowa Summit), listing the name of the conference, workshop or meeting (including online training opportunities); the sponsoring organization; the location and date when the training occurred. Be sure to provide the names of commissioners, staff, and elected officials who attended. Name of Event Sponsor Organization Location Date Name of Attendees Substitute Materials on Historic Building Exterior: Evaluation NAPC and NPS virtual 3/21/2024 Jessica Bristow 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 13/15 and Considerations for Use Past Forward Climate Symposium National Trust virtual 4/3- 4/4/2024 Jessica Bristow Past Forward Conference National Trust New Orleans 10/28- 10/30/2024 Jessica Bristow Navigating ADU Development in Historic Districts NAPC virtual 12/12/2024 Jessica Bristow 24. Chief Elected Official Did your communities Chief Elected Official (Mayor, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, or President of LUD Trustees) change in 2024? No 25. Has the contact information for your communities staff liaison changed? If you have a new staff liaison please select yes. Yes 25.1. Please provide updated contact information for your staff liaison. Please include their First & Last Name, Job Title, Mailing Address, Phone number, & Email Address. Phone number has changed to 319-356-5483 26. What training topic would be most helpful for your Historic Preservation Commission? The shortage of appropriately trained contractors is one of the greatest obstacles for preservation to overcome in our community. This is not a local-only issue. We need to develop solutions to this issue and maybe discussing as a state-wide group would help. One of the barriers to increasing the activity level of individual commissioners may be the reluctance to commit to participating in projects that take time time and resources in short 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 14/15 Printed February 6, 2025 11:26 CST/CDT. Copyright © 2012 SlideRoom supply. Working through ways to encourage involvement or dividing complex projects into discreet tasks could be helpful. 27. Suggestions for improvement The CLG program is here to support the Historic Preservation Commissions across Iowa. Do you have any suggestions for how we can improve our services to your commissions? For CLGs with minimal interaction with SHPO, the state office can seem distant, and Commissioners may not understand the role SHPO can take or the resources they can provide to assist with the Commission’s work. Local staff, regular emails, and annual summits certainly help disseminate information but maybe there are other methods to help too. Maybe short webinars or in-person visits could provide alternate methods of outreach. Commissions may not know what they do not know. Some of the best information may be showing commissions what other groups are doing that may help them too. 28. Authorized Official Signature https://iowa1.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/PublicShares- SHPO2/EWJOyE84x5BEqsMBNQhGagMBGTwUBVRnzrokBawjj6h_3w?e=HeBDes Placeholder Signature page.pdf 29. Agenda or minutes from the public meeting where this report was presented to the City Council or Board of Supervisors. Work Session Agenda.pdf 2/6/25, 11:27 AM Iowa Economic Development Authority - SlideRoom - Submission https://iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/Submission/wizard/7897306/complete 15/15 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JANUARY 9, 2025 – 5:30 PM – FORMAL MEETING EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Margaret Beck, Carl Brown, Kevin Burford, Jordan Sellergren, Deanna Thomann, Frank Wagner, Christina Welu-Reynolds, MEMBERS ABSENT: Andrew Lewis, Nicole Villanueva, Ryan Russell STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow OTHERS PRESENT: CALL TO ORDER: Sellergren called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. DISCUSSION OF COMMISSION ANNUAL WORK PLAN: Bristow stated as part of the annual report to the State Historic Preservation Office the Historic Preservation Commission needs to create a work plan. Bristow explained typically they look at a past one and move on from there so she included the past one in the agenda packet. The Work Plan can be a list of things that the Commission wants to do but in recent years it has also been aligned it with the Strategic Plan. However, as the Strategic Plan got changed it was decided to just align it with the Preservation Plan’s goals. The Preservation Plan includes goals for the work of the Commission, identifying properties, providing assistance, increasing public awareness, strengthening relationships between involved parties, and reviewing projects and potential districts. Last year the Commission decided to focus on three priorities and the first one was Oak Grove Park. It is located on Dodge Street and Paige Street, and this park is related to the Mexican American history here in town, there has been at least one research paper that's been written and published in the Annals of Iowa in 2017. The Commission has had an interest in helping to determine a good name for the park. The Parks and Rec director knows the Commission’s interest in this so when this park is worked on, she'll reach out. So a potential project is to start with the publication and look into potential names or do more research and determine an appropriate name to honor the Mexican American heritage here in Iowa City. Bristow stated they also had a priority for forming a landmark and district subcommittee to plan for any potential districts or any landmarks. She explained there have always been properties that the Commission has wanted to landmark in town, it especially becomes a focus when something's happening to a property. The subcommittee was formed for working on the landmarking of the buildings at 302-316 East Bloomington Street. That subcommittee did a lot of good work and public outreach through that project and so if they want to either keep that subcommittee going or change it up to continue to look into other potential landmarks or districts to work on that could continue to be a goal. The third priority was engaging with the public and City Council. This landmark project was one where the Commission was reaching out and communicating with the public, so the relationships that were formed should be continued and if there's any issues that were found along the way, those are possible projects to work on. Bristow would encourage them to keep those as priorities and that is something HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 9, 2025 Page 2 of 5 that the Commission will need to determine on how they want to proceed. Bristow noted there are also ongoing projects, such as the annual Historic Preservation Awards. This year’s awards will be on Thursday, February 27 at the library. The subcommittee has really done a good job of organizing and doing the work for this project. They now need to go through all of the submittals and track down information. The awards are the best outreach that the Commission has currently with the public. The Historic Preservation Fund is another ongoing project, started in 2017 with a $40,000 budget every year, last year the budget was up to $42,000 and they’ve actually allocated all of the money for this year. Unfortunately, for the next fiscal year the budget is going to roll back to $40,000 because of budget cuts across the City. Another ongoing project was the Summit Street Monument, the Commission got a grant to do a study in 2019 by a professional stone conservator and he determined that the best course of action for making sure that they had a Summit Street monument in the future was to move it inside somewhere and to put a replica in that location. Some of the difficulty was finding a location for it but have come up with some good ideas so as soon as they can have a budget in the future that might allow for the moving of the monument and replacing it with a replica they will do so. They will need around $15,000 for that project. It had been included in the current fiscal year budget but it is too complicated to complete in one year and the budget is removed from the next fiscal year. Bristow noted some long term goals such as helping to promote landfill diversion through salvage and reduced demolition, making it more profitable to reuse a building than to demolish and build a new one. Continuing to identify opportunities to highlight the diverse history of Iowa City through racial, ethnic, religious, and social justice through the stories that are told in the buildings that they save. Bristow also gave an update of the College Green Historic District, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and before they moved a house into the district in 2016 they reached out to the State because they wanted to make sure that house could be a contributing structure in the District after it was moved there and it was confirmed it could be, but the City would have to amend the District nomination to include it. The City has always wanted to do that, because the homeowner would be eligible for the same tax credits or any other benefits of the District, but that hasn't been done. Maybe it's possible for volunteers to help complete that goal, it is a process and would have to go through a whole State nominating review committee and have to be written up formally. Finally, as everyone is aware there was a tornado, they’ve had derechos and flooding events so the Commission has had an interest in developing some kind of a disaster preparedness, to let people know that there is help, and to maybe try to find ways to get information to people. The community and the Commission won a national award for their work after the tornado. The goal is to help the community have what they had before after it's all fixed and done and one of those things is to be able to evaluate things quickly and help people realize if something is salvageable or if things do need to be torn down and rebuilt, to help them find the right people to help them do that. This Commission has the ability to work together to do things like apply for a grant for the community to help. That is the current work plan. So this Commission can discuss and decide if they want to change anything, or add or subtract goals to the Plan. Sellergren stated she doesn’t see anything that needs to be changed. Bristow noted with the example of the Pagliai’s building the subcommittee might not have been working on what they had originally planned to work on, but that was the kind of work that that subcommittee would probably do. Sellergren stated moving forward with some of the things like the downtown is something she’d be HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 9, 2025 Page 3 of 5 interested to talk about, maybe today or at the next meeting, and to come up with a list of specific buildings downtown that are low hanging fruit and are not protected. Bristow noted with Lewis transitioning to being chair he might have some ideas of priorities and a way to tackle them so Sellergren and Lewis could have conversation about it and if the Commission wants to put something on the agenda for discussion they can do so. Bristow also noted there is also the Commission discussion section at the end of each agenda where they can give a little Work Plan Update every single month so if there was an active committee then there could just be a brief report from those members on what they were doing and what they needed help on, etc. Welu-Reynolds stated looking at the description of the Landmark District subcommittee described, and as mentioned before there are other large areas of town with historic properties that have never been surveyed, what is the process of surveying, is it a document search or is there something else involved. Bristow explained it depends, most surveys in a community begin with a level of survey that's like a windshield survey, looking at a neighborhood as a group, most often called a reconnaissance survey. Through that they write down some basic information, take a photo of each property, and determine if there is a cohesive architectural group, and if so then where does it end, etc. For example, the Morningside neighborhood around City High would be another one in a different era of town. The committee can work with volunteers, minimally trained people to complete that as step one. Step two would be more of an intensive survey of a neighborhood and individual properties. Individuals can do that too, it doesn’t have to be a qualified historian, but it is getting into more research. Again, if they were to pursue this they can talk more about it at a future meeting and they would want a short training session for anybody interested. MOTION: Wagner moves to approve the Commission's Annual Work Plan. Beck seconds the motion, a vote was taken and it passed 7-0. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Minor Review -Staff review: HPC25-0001: 113 South Johnson Street - College Green Historic District (sidewalk step railing): Bristow explained they are putting some railings at the sidewalk steps and at the porch. They confirmed that they will attach those to the concrete steps and not to any stone. It is a simple steel railing that is recommended a lot for rental properties to meet code but they ask them to paint it black. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR DECEMBER 12, 2024: MOTION: Thomann moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's December 12, 2024 meeting. Welu-Reynolds seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. COMMISSION DISCUSSION: Historic Preservation Awards: Bristow noted they are moving forward and will figure out who's going to present each section and will work that into the writing. They are looking for Commissioners not on the subcommittee who'd be willing to write and/or present, let Bristow know if interested. Sellergren asked what sort of promotion is there around the Historic Preservation Awards, apart from HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 9, 2025 Page 4 of 5 just the outreach to the winners or to the nominees. Bristow stated putting the signs out is good and then they usually have the Communications Department put out a press release so they have to get that ready. Sellergren noted it would be nice to have some social media presence. Bristow stated the Commission doesn’t have a social media page anymore but Friends of Historic Preservation does and they can advertise and also send an email to all their members. CLG Annual Report: Bristow is compiling the report now so if anyone can think of something important that has happened that might have been overlooked, please reach out and let her know. Also let her know of any education or volunteering or anything that's related to preservation and their roles on the Commission in last year. Bristow also stated the Iowa City Rec Center that the Commission reviewed for the National Register nomination has been approved by the National Park Service, so it's now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. ADJOURNMENT: Brown moved to adjourn the meeting. Beck seconded. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 6:05 pm. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2024-2025 NAME TERM EXP. 2/8 3/21 4/24 5/22 6/13 7/11 8/8 9/12 10/10 11/14 12/12 1/9 BECK, MARGARET 6/30/27 X X X X X X X X O/E X X X BROWN, CARL 6/30/26 O/E X X O/E X O/E O/E X X X X X BURFORD, KEVIN 6/30/27 --- --- --- --- --- X X X X X X X LEWIS, ANDREW 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X O/E RUSSELL, RYAN 6/30/27 --- --- --- --- --- X X O/E X O/E O/E SELLERGREN, JORDAN 6/30/25 X X X X X X X X X X X X STORK, NOAH 6/30/24 X X X X X --- --- --- --- --- --- --- THOMANN, DEANNA 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X VILLANUEVA, NICOLE 6/30/25 X X X X X X O/E X X X X O/E WAGNER, FRANK 6/30/26 X X X X X X X O/E X X X X WELU- REYNOLDS, CHRISTINA 6/30/25 X X O/E X O/E X X X O/E X X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a member Date: February 6, 2025 To: Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission From: Geoff Fruin, City Manager Re: Staffing Model Changes to Support Historic Preservation Thank you for volunteering your time and expertise to further Iowa City’s historic preservation efforts. Alongside our staff, the Commission plays an important role in promoting and preserving our historic assets. The entire staff team is grateful for your willingness to serve the community in this capacity. This memo is to inform you that we have recently implemented a change to how our urban planning staff is managing the historic preservation workload. Our goal in making this change is to create a framework that in the log-run will provide an enhanced level of service to the public. Moving forward, our entire urban planning team will be engaging in historic preservation work tasks. This includes cross-training all staff to assist with resident and property owner inquiries. This shift in staffing approach will enable us to be more responsive and build a deeper team that can lean on each other’s time and strengths to provide the best service possible. Our hope is that it will also free up capacity for value-add historic preservation activities, such as educational campaigns. In the past, these tasks have been constrained by the concentration of case workload. While Jessica Bristow will continue to be the primary liaison to the Historic Preservation Commission, you will begin to see other team members present on the specific items that they are assigned. Like with all change, there will be a learning curve to navigate. However, I have full confidence in each of our team members’ abilities to contribute. In time, our collective understanding and proficiency with historic preservation matters will increase, and we will be able to strengthen our service to the public while simultaneously bolstering support for historic preservation. I again thank you for your service on the Commission. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at gfruin@iowa-city.org or (319) 356-5013.