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Home My WebLink About2024-09-04 Historic MIN HPACCommittee Minutes September 4, 2024 4:00PM – 6:00PM Community Development/Engineering Services Building – 51 Winburn Way **See presentation from this meeting at the end of the minutes** 4:00PM CALL TO ORDER Scharen called the meeting to order at 4:03 Commissioners Present: Council Liaison: Shostrom Jeff Dahle Skibby - Zoom Staff Present: Repp -Zoom Derek Severson; Planning Manager Bonetti Regan Trapp; Admin Support Scharen Whitford Emery Brouillard Commissioners Absent: ALL PRESENT READING OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Land Acknowledgement was read by Scharen. (4:05) APPROVAL OF AGENDA (5 min) Commissioner suggested amendments to Agenda. No suggested amendments were made to the agenda until later in the meeting. The o planning action review was moved up as the Climate Friendly Areas discussion took longer than expected. (4:10) APPROVAL OF MINUTES (5 min) Historic Commission meeting of August 7, 2024 (4:15) PUBLIC FORUM (15 min) There was no one in the audience wishing to speak. HPACCommittee Minutes (4:30) LIAISON REPORTS (5 min) Councilor Dahle gave liaison report. Items discussed were: Sabrina Cotta has been officially appointed as City Manager. Severson gave the staff report. Items discussed were: Report of Ross Johnson Tires being demolished without the approval of the demolition application. The findings are currently unknown. (4:45) DISCUSSION ITEMS (10 min) A.Climate Friendly Areas discussion – Deadline for decision is December 31, 2023. See Power Point presentation given by Severson (attached after the minutes) o The state-adopted Climate Friendly & Equitable Communities (CFEC) rules require the city to select and zone Climate Friendly Areas (CFAs) to accommodate 30 percent of Ashland’s future population in mixed- use, pedestrian-friendly areas served by a robust multi- studied the former Croman Mill site, the Transit modal transportation system. Ashland has Triangle, the Railroad Property and the historic Downtown as potential Climate Friendly Areas and must select and re-zone sufficient land area to satisfy the CFEC rules by the end of December 2024. In considering the CFA Project, the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HPAC) discussed: That the mandated CFA rules at a minimum allow an additional ten feet/one-story over current height limits, and that many historic resources in the downtown are well below the current maximum heights. The CFA rules would also remove maximum density limits. The HPAC discussed whether additionalheight and density allowances might encourage the demolition of historic resources, or incompatible additions, due to increased redevelopment potential. Staff noted that inclusion of the downtown as a CFA was not necessary to meet the population requirements for a CFA, and that it would be reasonable for HPAC to recommend against CFA designation for the downtown if they had concerns over detrimental impacts to the district’s historic character. There was also discussion of whether it might be possible to treat the downtown as a secondary CFA, forgoing the prescriptive requirements dealing with height and density in favor of a demonstration that the existing standards meet more performance-based standards in the CFA rules. HPAC discussed how CFA requirements might impact the implementation of existing historic district and downtown design standards in the National Register-listed noted that current Historic District Development Downtown Historic District. HPAC Standards seek heights to conform with buildings in the immediate vicinity (AMC 18.4.2.050.B.2) while the Downtown Design Standards call for a slightly dissimilar heights to maintain a traditional staggered streetscape (AMC 18.4.2.060.C.1). The prescriptive CFA rules appear to require an outright allowance of at least 50 feet that does not readily accommodate limits imposed through design standards. The CFA rules allow single-use residential development when a minimum density of 15 per acre is achieved, which could result in apartments or townhomes dwelling units in otherwise commercial areas. The CFA rules may allow cities to require a percentage of ground floor space be retained as commercial similarly to current city rules in the commercial uses. (Staff C-1-D district requiring that 65 percent of the ground floor be HPACCommittee Minutes also noted that recently adopted state laws independent of the CFA rules require cities to allow affordable housing in commercial zones and to allow conversion of vacantcommercial space to residential use; both circumstances would override any commercial space requirements.) local ground floor The relationship of the potential Railroad Property Climate Friendly Area (CFA) to the historic Railroad Addition Historic District, noting that the two are separated by the existing Union Pacific Railroad tracks and that development of the Railroad Property will very much be visible from the Railroad District. Following this discussion, HPAC members generally indicated: That they were supportive of the purposed and intent of the Climate Friendly & Equitable Communities rules and specifically with the Climate Friendly Areas project. That they believed that the other three potential Climate Friendly Areas at the Railroad Property, the Transit Triangle and the former Croman Mill site seemed to make sense in the big picture for Ashland. That while new development in the Downtown would likely tobe limited to a few vacant lots and parking lots, the new CFA requirements would nonetheless pose concerns if they in any way supplanted existing Historic District and Downtown Design Standards which have been crafted over the years in cooperation between the City and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to minimize the impacts of new development on the National Register- listed Downtown Historic District. HPAC members generally seemed willing to support the new CFA requirements in terms of heights and densities for the vacant lots within the downtown but noted that they would have concerns if the new requirements increased pressures to redevelop existing historic resources in the downtown. Historic Preservation Advisory Committee members also expressed concerns that, if the goal of the CFEC rules is to provide housing within CFAs, allowances for short-term rentals in Accommodations or Hotel/Motel uses should be restricted or the form of Travelers townhomes and apartment buildings developed as single-use residential would quickly convert to short-term rentals and the intended climate-friendly benefits of the district designation lost. Emery/Scharen m/s to express HPAC's support for the designation of the Downtown as a secondary Climate Friendly Area provided that such a designation would not result in the alteration existing approval criteria or design standards. Voice vote: All AYES, Repp abstained. Motion passed. (4:35) PLANNING ACTION REVIEW (20 min) PLANNING ACTION:PA-T2-2024-00050 SUBJECT PROPERTY: 113 Pine St. APPLICANT & OWNER: Rogue Development for Charlie Hamilton DESCRIPTION: Outline & Final Plan Performance Standards Option subdivision to create four-lots including three residential lots and one common space. Also includes: a request for an Exception to Street Design Standards to not install park row and retain the curbside sidewalk; and a request to remove seventeen trees, five of which are ‘significant’. Conceptual building HPACCommittee Minutes designs have been provided; final home designs will be developed as each lot is sold. \[Note: Demolition of the existing ‘E.E. Phipps House’ as a dangerous building has been approved by the Building Division. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATION: Single Family Residential; ZONING: R-1- 7.5; MAP: 39-1E-08-AD; TAX LOT: 2600 Severson gave the staff report for PA-T2-2024-00050. There was no conflict of interest or ex-parte contact indicated by the Committee. Applicants present: Amy Gunter, applicant’s representative Charlie and Kasey Hamilton, owners DISCUSSION ITEMS (Continued after Planning Action Review) B.Cabinet Replacements – ODOT Bonetti/Repp C.Review Board – Sept/Oct Sept 5 - Canceled th Sept 19 – Whitford, Brouillard, Emery th Oct 3 – Scharen, Emery, Repp rd Oct 17 – Brouillard, Shostrom, Scharen th ADJOURNMENT Next meeting is scheduled October 2, 2024, at 4:00pm at, 51 Winburn Way There being no other items to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 5:45 pm Respectfully submitted by Regan Trapp