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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-11-08 Historic MINASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION Minutes November 8, 1995 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Jim Lewis at 7:35 p.m. Members present were Terry Skibby, Jim Lewis, Keith Chambers, Bill Harriff, Fredricka Weishahn, Larry Cardinale, and Cliff Llewellyn. Also present were City Council Liaison Steve Hauck, Planning Director John McLaughlin and Secretary Sonja Akerman. Members Bill Emerson and Casey Mitchell were absent. NEW MEMBER Lewis introduced Cliff Llewellyn, who was appointed to replace Chloe Winston. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Skibby moved and Harriff seconded to approve the Minutes of the October 4, 1995 meeting as submitted. The motion was unanimously passed. STAFF REPORTS PA 95-120 Site Review 88 Granite Street Mark Reitinger McLaughlin explained this request is for the construction of a substantial addition to the Perozzi House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mark Reitinger, architect for the project, has been to the Review Board and attended the August 2nd meeting of the full Commission. Since it is on the Register, review by the Historic Commission is required. The City's local control is the Site Design and Use Standards, which has been adopted by the City Council. Another level of review is by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Since the property has received the tax freeze benefit for the last 14 years and will be under the special assessment through June 30, 1996, SHPO approval would be needed prior to construction. The applicant's letter is in error, as it stated this benefit had already lapsed. The proposal is to enlarge the master bedroom area upstairs and construct a conservatory bridge to the existing guest cottage. The addition to the upstairs would be visible from the front and side. Also, the existing flat roof from a previous addition would become a pitch roof. McLaughlin noted this was a tough decision for Staff. The owners are proposing the remodel/addition to meet their specific needs. The architect has submitted the best design of matching the existing home and it meets the standards we have in place, even though the addition will be massive. He also related he called SHPO about this, but the plans have not yet been submitted. Again, this is a different level of review. Unfortunately, McLaughlin said, our standards do not refer to National Register status. We only have the text and graphics in the Site Design documem. Skibby recounted the Review Board commems. He said he personally objects to the change of the from elevation and the double gable. He then passed around composites he did with photos depicting the addition and how it will look from the front and side. Reitinger, he related had presented an alternate design to the Review Board with a lower roof line, however, the original design has been submitted. This is a major change to the front elevation. Lewis stated SHPO has stated in the past it is not looking for duplication. However, if there is a need to increase the square footage, the roof will have to change. He said he has faith in the architect, who is also cleaning up previous addition lines. Chambers conveyed the front elevation as Skibby reconstructed in the photo does not feel that bad to him. While it is not as successful from the side, he feels the front is probably the best design for the addition. Llewellyn asked if the hip roof were extended in from and moved back, would there be enough head room. Lewis said there would not be, and added if there was more of a roof line, it would be more massive. The gable, he said, is not that bad, and it would need some architectural detail as shown in the plans. He again stated Reitinger is an excellem designer and feels he thought about this addition quite a bit. He agrees it is massive, but said you can't make everybody happy. Weishahn said she feels this was a humble house to begin with. After looking at Skibby's composite, she said she does not feel it looks so bad. In fact, another gable might accent the original one. Skibby said he dislikes the double effect. Chambers asked if Reitinger had submitted any alternative plans. McLaughlin and Skibby said Reitinger had attempted to trim down the roof, but the owners felt the original design would fit their needs better. Harriff asked about SHPO review. McLaughlin answered if SHPO does not approve the design, it is a possibility the owners would wait until the tax freeze was up in July, then go ahead with the project. Harriff said the front elevation doesn't bother him. Often, items are repeated and he likes the syrmnetry. He would not like to see this house taken off the Register, however. He said he realizes citizens have passed tax relief laws such as the special tax assessmem to help owners restore and rehabilitate structures. However, owners have the right to make their homes more livable for them. Skibby said the taxes have been reduced by $1260 this year, so the owners have saved approximately $15,000 by being in the program. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes November 8, 1995 Page 2 Chambers stated you always try to get the best out of a given situation, and overall, he sees the design as a lot better than what we could be looking at. The owners will be putting a lot of money into the addition and he feels they would want something tasteful. Skibby asserted he did not want this to set a precedence. Harriff countered he hasn't seen this in the past. Skibby then asked how the new ordinance would affect this property. McLaughlin said the existing standards would still need to be used. Lewis added since enough of the original house exists, it would still be an addition/remodel, not a demolition. McLaughlin agreed. Harriff asked what would happen if the Commission passed a motion, but asked for SHPO input on concerns such as repetiveness and massiveness. Skibby said he would feel comfortable with deferring these concerns to SHPO. McLaughlin noted SHPO has another level of review and uses different criteria, as it has different concerns. It has to look at National Register status. If the owners get a building permit without SHPO approval first, they could be required to pay back taxes while under the special assessment program. Lewis agreed with McLaughlin the design meets the existing criteria. McLaughlin admitted there is a hole in reviewing National Register buildings. Chambers moved to recommend approval of this Site Review, but with some reservations that have to do with mass of the front gable addition and the extensive changes to the side elevation, and would further like to see the Minutes sent to SHPO for its input. Harriff seconded the motion. Weishahn noted she got the impression Reitinger had played around with many different designs and feels he ended up with the most reasonable one. The motion passed unanimously. NEW BUSINESS AL Alsin~ - Historic Photos -- A1 Alsing said he recognizes the Historic Commission is interested in historical projects, and described one he is working on. He was able to obtain Glen Simpson's collection of approximately 300 glass negatives depicting all aspects of the Ashland area from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. He is now working with Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) and would like to identify all the photos. In 1928, the Tidings did an article about Newton DeHaven who used to work for Simpson. Simpson was going to throw away the negatives, but DeHaven was able to obtain them. Craig Hofarth bought them from DeHaven. Alsing said he had known about and tried to obtain the slides for 20 years, and finally succeeded last year. He has since donated the glass negatives to SOHS with the stipulation the entire set of photos be placed in the library. Before photos can be made from the negatives, however, extensive work needs to be done on each one. SOHS has thousands of glass slides from the Peter Britt collection, and cannot afford to take on this project at this time, as it costs $55.00 to restore each slide, which is done in Seattle. Alsing said a few Ashland residents have volunteered and donated some money, but more is Ashland Historic Commission Minutes November 8, 1995 Page 3 needed. If anyone wants to donate money, it can be done through SOHS (with the stipulation it go into the SIMPSON FUND). All help will be appreciated. Alsing also said it was unknown who took most of the photos. Skibby said F.L. Camps took some of them. The Commission thanked Alsing for all the work he has done in getting the negatives. BUILDING PERMITS Permits reviewed by members of the Historic Commission and issued during the month of October follow: 347 North Main Street 323 High Street 353 East Main Street 268 Van Ness Avenue 270 Fourth Street 140 Central Avenue 98 Pine Street 201 Gresham Street 259 "B" Street 115 East Main Street 102 Will Dodge Way 629 "A" Street Bob Dreiszus Charles/Grace Walker Dom Provost Dennis Hofer Frank Papen Lois VanAken Anne Pollack/Bob Kuenzel Bill Ashworth Steve Sacks Blue Heron Gallery & Gifts Low Down The Listener Remodel Repair Porch Repair Window Remodel Commercial Bldg Enclose Deck SFR Remodel Roof/Dormers Sign Sign Sign REVIEW BOARD Following is the schedule (until the next meeting) for the Review Board, which meets every Thursday from 3:00 to at least 3:30 p.m. in the Planning Department: November 9 November 16 November 23 November 30 Lewis and Skibby Skibby, Weishahn, Lewis and Chambers(?) Thanksgiving Day Skibby, Weishahn, Cardinale and Llewellyn OLD BUSINESS Street Naming Committee A list of possible street names was distributed. Lewis said the list was a result of going through Marge O'Harra's First 130 Years, the Heritage Landmarks List, cemetery lists and the 1900 Ashland census. McLaughlin suggested a brief context for each name because Engineering requires a form to be filled out stating why the street name was chosen. Skibby will set up another meeting, probably for November 29th at 4:00 in the Gresham Room again. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes November 8, 1995 Page 4 Golden Spike Marker Lewis reported the Street Department wants the marker moved because it doesn't want anything to happen to it. Right now, it is in the "B" Street yard, but large equipment moves around inside the yard and it could get damaged. Since there is no place in the public right- of-way to move it near its original location, it was decided to have it moved in the vicinity of the new Railroad Park, with the spot to be picked by Lewis and Skibby. Ashland Location of Southern Oregon Historical Society Lewis reported he had met with Brian Almquist, Hauck, and the SOHS Board of Directors. He said Almquist was very eloquent in speaking of the need to relocate an Ashland branch of SOHS, and offered the Community Center as a possible site. Although Brent Thompson was unable to attend the meeting, he had suggested the basement of Roger Ledbetter's building on the corner of Third and East Main Streets, and wanted the Chamber of Commerce involved. Hauck said the Board has had discussions on this and it sounds as though it could happen. Lewis conveyed the budget was already set for this year, but in the future it sounds good. Almquist will pursue the matter. In the meantime, the Board was thinking of ways to start something as soon as possible with photos and displays it already has in possession. Chambers said the Dankook University building across from the Mark Antony is also a possibility for periodic displays. He knows the owners and they would probably rather see SOHS displays in their building than let it sit between their displays. Historic Preservation Ordinance McLaughlin reported that on November 16 at 7:00 p.m. in Wesley Hall (Methodist Church on North Main Street), George Kramer will give a slide presentation on the Historic District and will talk about why we have historic preservation. It will be an open house style where interested people can ask questions. He said the Historic Commission should attend, and will be notified. He also noted the Board of Realtors sent a copy to the State Board, who in turn replied it is concerned about the ordinance and will join Oregonians In Action to appeal it to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) if necessary. He said he hasn't heard much from local realtors. Lewis commended Kramer's question and answer handout. He also noted he had talked with Tim Bewley, who offered to do a call in show on the Historic Commission. Lewis suggested the show focus on the ordinance. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes November 8, 1995 Page 5 NEW BUSINESS Goals Hauck reminded the Commission to send in the top three goals of the Historic Commission to the City Council, as the Council will have its goal setting session soon. The goals include the passage of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, obtaining Certified Local Governmem (CLG) status, and revising the design standards. ADJOURNMENT It was the unanimous decision of the Commission to adjourn the meeting at 9:20 p.m. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes November 8, 1995 Page 6 ASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION Agenda November 8, 1995 L CALL TO ORDER: 7:30 p.m. -ASHLAND COMMUNITY CENTER 59 Winburn Way 11. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: October 4, 1995 III. STAFF REPORTS: PLANNING ACTION 95-120 is a request for a Site Review to construct an addition to the residence at 88 Granite Street (Perozzi House) which is on the National Register. Comprehensive Plan Designation: Single Family Residential; Zoning: R-l-Z5; Assessor's Map #: 9BC; Tax Lot: 2900. APPLICANT: Mark Reffinger IV. OLD BUSINESS: A. Review Board ~ Appointments/Volunteers B. Street Naming Committee Meeting Update C. Placement of Golden Spike Marker Report from Lewis regarding relocating Ashland branch of Southern Oregon Histrocial Society D. Other V. NEW BUSINESS A. Historical Photos - Al Alsing B. Other VI. ADJOURNMENT