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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-12-07 Historic MINASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION Minutes December 7, 1994 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Jim Lewis at 7:35 p.m. Members present were Terry Skibby, Larry Cardinale, Jim Lewis, Steve Ennis, Keith Chambers, Bill Harriff and Casey Mitchell. Also present were Senior Planner Bill Molnar, Associate Planner Mark Knox, Secretary Sonja Akerman, and Council Liaison Pat Acklin. H.L. Wood and Chloe Winston were absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ennis pointed out that the third paragraph on page 4 of the November 2, 1994 Minutes should say 24 foot building height rather than roof. Mitchell moved and Ennis seconded to approved the Minutes as corrected. The motion passed unanimously. STAFF REPORTS PA 94-145 Site Review 362, 366, 370 Lithia Way Richard Wagner Knox related that last March, a second story addition was approved for this building. Because of difficulties, those plans were discarded and the new plans consist of adding on 600 square feet at various locations. The exterior material will be similar to what is existing. He noted the conditions of approval will be the same as the ones approved in March, with the addition of a laurel hedge by the sidewalk. Architect Richard Wagner clarified the location of the additional space and what will be removed. He said the additions will be in segmented small areas to accommodate more needed space. Wood windows will replace the horizontal aluminum sliders, and glass doors will replace the existing entry doors. Everything will be kept simple and straight forward. Harriff moved and Chambers seconded to recommend approval of this action, and the motion was unanimously passed. PA 94-122 Site Review and Variance 509 Siskiyou Boulevard Christopher Briscoe Knox explained the applicant proposes to add a second story to the existing building. Staff has worked with the designer for the past four months and is satisfied with the elevations which have been presented. The existing building was probably built in the 1950s and is non-contributing to the area. The applicant and his designer, Les Langmeyer, have been sensitive to the close proximity of the E.V. Carter House which is on the National Register, and have designed the addition to be four feet back from the existing building to make sure it will not impact the Carter House, while still adding interest to the building. The parapet will no longer exist, and Staff feels this is a nice addition compared to what exists now. The applicant is also requesting a parking variance. The building itself takes up most all of the property area. According to the applicant, a single parking space was deeded to the property at the time of its creation. There are agreements between the neighboring property owners to share spaces. Knox noted if the second story were to be converted to residential use, there may be a deed restriction placed on the property to offset the parking. Ennis questioned the flat roof. Langmeyer stated the front part of the building is square and then it angles back. It would be very difficult to gable the roof, so it was designed flat. Knox stated Staff is requesting the balcony be no less than six feet in order to have more usable space. It is currently drawn as a four foot balcony. Lewis and Skibby both stated that would be a major design change. Ennis agreed the balcony would be more usable, however the hipped roof of the porch would be lost. Ennis said he was not comfortable with the design concept of the building. It is typical of a downtown type of building, but in his eyes, it is out of place in this location, especially between the Carter House and the Stratford Inn. Skibby asked about the siding. Langmeyer said that in discussing this with Staff, it was felt a natural color stucco would be best. Skibby then noted there has been commercial buildings along Siskiyou Boulevard at that site in the past. Harriff said there isn't much that could be done differently to the building in order to utilize the property unless the existing building were torn down. Lewis stated he felt the building will be less bulky with the flat roof. He then noted the designs of Fire Station 1 and the Blue Mountain Cafe do not have gabled roof lines. Ennis responded the Carter House and Stratford Inn are more relevant. When questioned about the height, Langmeyer stated the total height of the addition is 61/2 feet. Ennis maintained he personally feels the building will be too bulky and he thinks this bulk could be trimmed. Mitchell stated the concept is not just three buildings here, but a mixture in the area. Regarding the balcony, Langmeyer stated it would probably not be used extensively. Knox responded if it was six feet, it would at least give people the opportunity to use the balcony. Harriff suggested if the second story were to be converted to an apartment, a deed restriction would ensure the doors and windows would be moved back two feet in order to make the balcony six feet at that time. Christopher Briscoe added he has attempted to conduct staff meetings on the roof top, but the noise is too loud. The reason for the Ashland Historic Commission Minutes December 7, 1994 Page 2 addition is that he needs more shooting space and he needs high ceilings for his photography work. Ron Thurner, 1170 Bellview Avenue, stated if the deed restriction is important to put on now, he does not see that the plans would come before the Historic Commission again if changed to residential use. Knox recommended the designer draw up alternate sketches for the Review Board depicting the recessed doors and windows. Harriff asked about the purpose of having a six foot balcony. Molnar stated it is not necessarily a personal staff preference, but there is extensive literature on the subject and planners have to look at long term influences. Harriff asked if the six foot balcony condition could be placed on the property if it were converted to a residence, and at that time, the doors and windows could be set back. Langmeyer said he would offer to reset them at the time of residential conversion. Harriff stated he felt the smaller balcony offsets the bulk of the building. Chambers related the Historic Commission has a responsibility that is longer term. He likes the design of the building, but said it would fit in better on Fourth Street. Skibby disagreed, stating the site is in a transition area, and asserted he felt comfortable with the design. Skibby moved to recommend approval of this application with the condition the windows and doors be set in two feet at the time of a residential conversion in order to make the balcony a depth of no less than six feet. The motion passed with Lewis, Skibby, Mitchell and Harriff voting aye, and Ennis, Chambers and Cardinale voting nay. (Ennis left the meeting at this point - &30 p.m.) PA 94-117 Site Review, Outline Plan Approval and Solar Waiver Church Street M.H. Hedges Molnar explained this was heard at the October Historic Commission meeting, but was delayed before it went to the Planning Commission meeting. The Commission had expressed concerns about the scale of the project as it related to Church Street. Since that time, the property has been surveyed and it was found to be 400 square feet larger, so the permitted density is seven units outright, without bonus points. The lap pool, however, is still part of the project. The percentage of lot coverage has changed with the reduction of impervious surfaces (private front concrete areas and walkways have been removed). While the scale has not changed much along Church Street, the designer has submitted a streetscape drawing of the area from North Main Street to High Street. Harriff stated the submitted streetscape has reduced his concerns. Designer David Larsen verified the streetscape was drawn to scale. He also said the center building has been set back a bit, lawn areas will still be in front, and the elevation along Church Street has been Ashland Historic Commission Minutes December 7, 1994 Page 3 scaled down to 66 feet. Skibby declared he also felt more comfortable with the project after seeing the streetscape. Density was discussed. Lewis stated it is difficult to predict the impact of the project on the rear of the property. Mitchell said the design and massing do not seem that large, especially compared with the Bard's Inn. Although Harriff likes the design, he said he does feel for the neighbors. Skibby agreed, but added it is already a busy area because it is so close to North Main Street. Mark Jenne, 92 Church Street, asked about the color. Larsen said each unit or every other unit will be painted a different color. All the trim will probably be the same color. He noted they will be using historic colors. Jenne remarked he was certainly calmed somewhat by the elevations, as he likes the design. He declared, however, that the neighbor directly across the street was ill and she had asked him to voice her concerns about the density on Church Street. (Mary Maher, the neighbor, had written letters to that effect and were included in the packet.) Skibby noted the houses around the corner on High Street are fairly close together. Mitchell and Chambers both expressed concern that after projects are approved by the Historic and Planning Commissions, there are instances whereby the plans change quite a bit and they are not brought back to the respective commissions for review. When asked about the conditions, Molnar clarified all the conditions of the applicant will be incorporated into the conditions of approval. Harriff moved and Cardinale seconded to recommend approval of this project to the Planning Commission. The motion passed unanimously. BUILDING PERMITS Permits reviewed by members of the Historic Commission and issued during the month of November follow: 200 Meade Street 147 Strawberry Lane 267 Eighth Street 208 Oak Street 212 Van Ness Avenue 135 Oak Street 5 North Main Street 250 North Pioneer Street Owen/Roxanne Jones Alex Reid Kenneth McCulloh Lance Pugh Myran Heidson Gateway Real Estate Gateway Real Estate Valley of the Rogue Bank Revisions Deck Foundation Remodel Partial Reroof Sign Sign Sign (2) Ashland Historic Commission Minutes December 7, 1994 Page 4 REVIEW BOARD Following is the schedule (until the next meeting) for the Review Board, which meets every Thursday at least from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the Planning Department: December 8 December 15 December 22 December 29 Lewis, Cardinale and Skibby Winston, Lewis, Cardinale and Skibby Mitchell and Skibby Winston, Mitchell, Cardinale and Skibby OLD BUSINESS Landmarks List/Neighborhood Meetings Molnar reported the draft Historic Preservation Ordinance is in the process of being revised. In January, there will be a study session with the Historic Commission to review the draft. By June of 1995, the Ordinance and List will need to be adopted. Paralleling this process, is the revision of the standards for the four subdistricts within the Historic District. Neighborhood meetings will be held in each of these areas. He also noted the authority of the Historic Commission will be elevated and it will gain more "teeth" once Ashland becomes a Certified Local Government (CLG). Alley Slide Presentation Knox gave a slide presentation on alleys. NEW BUSINESS None. ADJOURNMENT It was the unanimous decision of the Commission to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.m. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes December 7, 1994 Page 5