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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-02-04 Historic MINAshland Historic Commission Minutes February 4, 1998 CALL TO ORDER The Meeting at the Community Center was called to order by Jim Lewis at 7:30. Members present were Jim Lewis, Terry Skibby, Curt Anderson, Vava Bailey, Joyce Cowan, Dale Shostrom, Carol Anbrahmson and Joan Steele. Also present were Associate Planner Mark Knox and Adam Hanks from the Planning Staff. Keith Chambers was absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Curt Anderson moved to approve the minutes as submitted from the last meeting, second by Joyce Cowan. The motion was unanimously passed. NEW BUSINESS (Planning Action applicant was not present, Ms. Nelke was moved forward) Mary Nelke, 136 N Second Street, has a conditional use permit for a travellers accommodation at this location. The project is nearing completion and she would like the condition of approval to be waived that requires the removal of a driveway and curb cut in the front of the property. She feels that because of the parking overflow from the downtown area, the on street parking in front of her property is rarely, if ever available for use. The driveway would allow deliveries, service calls etc. to be made without creating a traffic safety problem on the street. Mark Knox stated that staff feels that the retention of the driveway isn't consistent with the historic design of the district and that the parking in the rear of the property adequately handles off-street parking requirements. Don Greene, General Contractor for the project reiterated the parking difficulties in the area due to the close proximity to the downtown area and felt that, until the City was able to solve the downtown parking problems, any off-street parking that currently exists is beneficial to augment the on-street parking. Lewis agreed that the parking problem does exist, but he also agreed with staff' s desire to bring the parcel back to its original condition where the alley access was used for vehicle parking. Bailey asked about reserved parking situations for residential areas with parking problems like this. Knox responded by stating that many cities do have different programs that allow residents access to the on-street parking in their neighborhood. Nelke asked that the Commission give her an indication of their viewpoint on the potential for waiving the condition because she felt that the Planning Commission would rely heavily on the Historic Commission's opinion before making their decision. Anderson requested a straw pole - no member was in favor of supporting the waiver request. STAFF REPORTS Planning Action 98-009 Conditional Use Permit 372 Iowa St Steven Meeks Knox described the proposal, indicating the orientation of the unit to the primarily undeveloped alley. The attempt is to retain the rural feel of the alley, minimizing the development (paving, curb, etc) with a requirement to gravel the alley at a width of 9 feet Basic architecture of the unit has many positive elements with porch, trim. Staff is in support of the conditional use with the five conditions listed in the Staff Report. Bailey inquired about the ability to split the lot rather than construct an accessory unit. Knox responded that the lot is close but not large enough to be a separate parcel, hence CUP. It was also noted that the alley on the Mead side of this project will be improved at the time of development of the newly created lot by Eva Cooley. Lewis liked the narrow (9') alley to keep the rural feel. Gravel will develop and fade over time Shostrom questioned the design of the turnaround area, noting that it may not even work as shown by plan, needs 36 feet turnaround. Skibby inquired about the accessory unit policy, questioning the use of accessory units because they turn alleys into streets. Knox defended the infill policy and their value to the community, stating that the primary benefit olinfill is the reduction of annexation and sprawl. Anderson moved to approve the CUP as designed with a notation to the Planning Commission to reiterate that the alley is to be maintained with crushed rock to maintain current characteristic of the alley and not be paved. The motion was seconded by Cowan and was passed with a unanimous vote. NEW BUSINESS George Kramer gave the Commission an update on the Railroad District National Registry. Kramer brought a map showing the boundaries of the district and discussed how they were determined and the differences between these and the perceived boundaries of the Railroad District. Kramer also gave some preliminary statistics of the make-up of the District with the statistic of primary importance being the seventy percent contributing resources within the District. Fifty percent contributing resources is the minimum standard for registry eligibility. Discussion continued concerning the process (field work, background information, category definition, etc.) Anderson moved to extend the meeting to 10:15 and the motion was passed unanimously. REVIEW BOARD Following is the February schedule for the Review Board, which meets every Thursday at 3:00 in the Planning Department: February 5 February 12 February 19 February 26 Skibby~mderson~Lewis SkibbyL~brahamson\Steele\Cowan Skibby\CowanXBailey\Shostrom S kibbyLAbrahamson\Steele~Lewis OLD BUSINESS Project assignment PA 98-009 372 Iowa Street - Joyce Cowan Knox gave an update on the following subjects 1) Progress on the Downtown design standards. A public meeting will be scheduled with the downtown merchants in the near future. 2) A Grant for downtown landmark status will be ready in the next two weeks 3) Pete Lovrovich is scheduled to meet with the Historic Commission next month concerning transformers, meters, etc. Steele discussed a grant proposal for an internet project that would place Ashland Historic Registered homes on the National Travel Itinerary. Preliminary submittal is due March 1. Steele asked for support from the rest of the Commission if the Grant is approved. All members are in support of the Grant and agreed to participate in future grant work. Anderson extended meeting to 10:30, Skibby seconded the motion and was unanimously passed. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 10:30p.m.