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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-10-04 Historic MINASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION Minutes October 4, 1994 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Jim Lewis at 7:40 p.m. Members present were Terry Skibby, H.L. Wood, Larry Cardinale, Jim Lewis, Bill Harriff, Steve Ennis and Keith Chambers. Also present were Senior Planner Bill Molnar and Secretary Sonja Akerman. Casey Mitchell and Chloe Winston were absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ennis moved and Skibby seconded to approve the Minutes of the September 7, 1994 meeting as submitted. The motion passed unanimously. STAFF REPORTS PA 94-121 Site Review 50-52 East Main Street (F.L. Camps Building) Oregon Shakespeare Festival Association (OSFA) Molnar explained OSFA plans to completely remodel the second floor of the F.L. Camps Building and construct a 646 square foot addition located where the old one was removed. A wood deck will also be constructed. The exterior will match the worn brick facade, and the skywall on the west side that has been covered up for years will be rebuilt. Also, all the second floor windows will be replaced. Molnar noted OSFA will be working with an arborist and taking extreme precautions to retain the ivy. There will be minor changes in the landscaped areas. Also, new ramping will replace two existing short stairways. Cardinale asked about the new transformer to be located near the Chautauqua Walk and how it will be screened. Molnar stated if it were concealed by lattice, it would probably attract more attention, so plantings will be used to screen it. Ennis wondered if there would be enough room for plantings. Gary Afseth, architect for the project, stated there should be three feet on each side of the pad the transformer will sit upon. Skibby asked about the brick on the east wall. Afseth related the plans call for brick which will replace the wood framed walls. The brick facade will consist of masonry walls with full- sized brick as a veneer. Afseth clarified, when asked by Cardinale, that the brick will be on all three walls. In discussing the skywall, Skibby noted the building was designed by Frank Clark and the skywall existed in a 1913 photo he had. It was probably removed in the 1940s. Afseth said the skywall will be a full size five unit panel that will match what is existing below. He also related all the windows will be new wood double hung ones with painted metal frames. He went on to say they also plan to restore the pilasters and pediments. Ennis questioned the area between the grate and new wall. Afseth said it will be a planter. The grate will be raised a little to accommodate the new ramp. Ennis also asked about the deck area and the Chautauqua Walk. Afseth answered the stairway will be curved and narrowed from 15 feet to 10 feet to create a softer transition to the brick rather than just a straight line. This will blend in more with the landscaping. Ennis stated it will change the traffic flow and Afseth agreed. Chambers wondered if this would give the public a restricted feeling. Afseth said they are only adding 100 square feet more than the old addition that was removed. He said he felt it will create a larger visual space and will average out well. Also, OSFA is comfortable with it. When asked about the ramp, Afseth said it will provide ADA access to Macaroni's and to the Camps Building. Skibby said he felt this was a good design and would feel comfortable approving the plan. Chambers questioned Molnar about the proposed deck and if it will be located on public or private property. Molnar said he assumed it will be on private property, but that will need to be cleared up in the final survey. He apprised the Commission the OSFA theaters are located on City property and the land is leased. Any encroachment on City property, however, could be approved by the City Council. Skibby asked about the center rail on the stairway, and Afseth said it will probably be replaced due to ADA requirements. Chambers asked Afseth if they had considered a smaller deck and giving two feet back to the walkway. Afseth said it was discussed at length with OSFA and the landscapers, who all felt ten feet would be ample. Of course, they would be willing to take another look. Ron Thurner, 1170 Bellview Avenue, said he would like to address the issue of seismic retrofitting of the building. Afseth said this is being done now. The Site Review is Phase II of the project, while Phase I consisted of interior strengthening of the walls against earthquake forces. Afseth also noted the building will be receiving a new roof. Phase I is almost complete. Skibby moved to recommend approval of this action. Ennis amended the motion, stating the Historic Commission would like to add the owner and architect consider widening the walkway two to three more feet in order to allow a smoother traffic flow. Skibby agreed to this amendment. Cardinale seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. PA 94-117 Site Review and Outline Plan Approval Church Street M.H. Hedges Molnar explained this application is for a seven-unit, seven-lot, multi-family townhouse subdivision. Each unit will be on its own tax lot, while the open space will be owned in common. Five of the seven units will be connected by common walls. The architect has Ashland Historic Commission Minutes October 4, 1994 Page 2 made the structures compatible with those on the opposite side of Church Street. The majority of the parking will be off the alley behind the Bard's Inn Annex. There are five existing large trees on the property which will be retained. A lap pool will be constructed in the open space area. The height of the buildings seems to be a concern of the neighbors along Church Street. The highest gable will be 29 feet. Molnar noted the building heights in the area, from approximately 16 feet (Pat Sprague's Real Estate Office) to Bard's Inn Annex at around 36 feet. He explained 35 feet is the maximum height in a residential zone. Harriff asked about building heights on Church Street. Molnar said the Pat Sprague Annex is around 25 feet and the single story houses are probably around 16 feet. The proposed heights of the townhouses average 24¥2 feet. Molnar continued, stating Staff is recommending this action be continued and heard at the November meeting. Concerns include 1) lot coverage (65% is allowed in an R-2 zone, 72% is being proposed), 2) design configuration for backup and parking areas off alley, 3) density (6.95 or 6 units are allowed, 7 units are requested - however, the lap pool, which is part of lot coverage, may be used for density bonus), and 4) solar waiver potentially needed for one of the units. Currently, there is not enough information. Lewis stated he feels the project would look more friendly if there was a separation between the buildings. Harriff agreed and said the Church Street side seems imposing. He suggested cutting back to six units, as it would fit better into the neighborhood. The scale and massing should be reduced. Ennis said he also agreed, but stated the project itself is well designed. He suggested reorienting the buildings, and also said the neighbors would get a better perspective if they could see a three dimensional view of the project, as the lines of the buildings are broken up and not in a straight line. The Commission agreed if taken individually, the designs are very nice. Harriff asked the designer, David Larsen, if he had explored separating the buildings. Larsen answered there is energy savings involved in having fewer exterior walls. The yards, fences and trees will also break up the design. Ennis commented he felt the tower on the corner would be too much and that he has seen too many of them lately. Mary Maher, 56 Church Street, stated she is concerned with the massiveness of the project. It is disheartening because she is not a developer. When she bought her house, she said she checked with the Planning Office about the lot across the street and was told since it was zoned residential and in the Historic District, it could not be anything massive. She said she is very distressed and added the developer never talked with any of the neighbors. David Larsen responded the owners are not developers, but want to do something that will fit into the neighborhood. Steve Morjig, 610 Chestnut, said he may be the contractor for the project and that he was under the impression the owner had spoken with a number of neighbors. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes October 4, 1994 Page 3 Ron Thurner asked Molnar about density bonus points and related his understanding was that fractions did not count; therefore, there would only be six units that could be approved. Molnar confirmed fractions don't count, but asserted it is possible to gain bonus points using energy conservation and water conservation in the project. He noted that even though the height restriction will be met, scale and massing need to be addressed, especially with respect to the Site Design and Use Standards in the Historic District. Larsen explained the townhouses are 22 feet wide and the actual second floor is built into the roof structure. He said he worked within the codes, but he is willing to look at options. He added the garages are all roof top gardens. Winn Frankland, 122 High Street, concurred about the massing. She said this lot is not much bigger than hers, and if she would have known about this project, she would not have bought her house. The access to her carport is through the alley and she is concerned about the increased traffic. Dennis Jarvi, 117 High Street, said nobody was apprised of this project. Some had heard there would be four units, but this is the first they heard of seven units. The neighbors are concerned with kids and traffic. Morjig suggested the neighbors get together and send a letter of their concerns to the owner. Ennis recommended the garage with unit 1 be flipped with unit 2, and perhaps unit 3 pulled over. Larsen said he dealt with what was there. The driveway cut was existing and the transformer box for Bard's Inn needed to be taken into consideration. Mark Jenne, 92 Church Street, said he does not have much appreciation for economic hardship in this case, as the owner of the lot will make money with five or six units. He does like the architecture. He also does not object to the alley units, but he does object to the Church Street side. You will see a long unbroken building, which is not in character with Ashland. If the middle structure on the Church Street side were removed, he could live with it. Lisa Schumaker, 122 High Street, conveyed she also is concerned with the alleyway and the density of traffic in the area. She said she would not like to have that many cars and kids in the alley. She would like to see less units to deal with the density. Lewis stated these concerns should be brought to the Planning Commission meeting. Thurner said he would like to amplify the comment about the project meeting the standards. The Planning and Historic Commissions have a great deal of latitude because it is in the Historic District. The Site Design Standards apply. Obviously, there are quite a few outstanding issues not addressed at this time. A change of 2% could dramatically alter the design of the project. He wanted assurance it would come before the Historic Commission again if it is continued. Molnar stated the Commission needs to give clear design Aslfland Historic Commission Minutes October 4, 1994 Page 4 recommendations, and Staff has not attached conditions yet. Therefore, if the Planning Commission agrees to a continuance, this will come before the Historic Commission again in November. Morjig stated some of the areas of concern are ready to be addressed now. Larsen indicated he had redone the landscaping and the lot coverage is now down to 62%. The patios have been removed and replaced with lawn. He noted the building footprint covers only 33% of the total area. Harriff maintained he liked a lot of the design elements and he does not want to see the design replaced with something ugly. However, he feels that too much is being crammed in and the increased traffic will crowd the alley. If one unit were to be removed, it would help. His concerns are with the density and massiveness of the project. Larsen noted the alley width has been doubled. Ennis said since the Commission is agreeing on the overall architectural design, he wants it to be clear this is separate from the Planning issues. Chambers moved to generally recommend approval of the overall nature of the design, but that the Commission is recommending a continuance based on the factors of streetscape on Church Street, which could be alleviated by eliminating the center unit to be more in scale with the residential nature of the street. Harriff seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. (Chambers and Molnar left at this time - 9:30 p.m.) BUILDING PERMITS Permits reviewed by members of the Historic Commission and issued during the month of September follow: 125 North Main Street 168 Meade Street 250 Oak Street 20 Helman Street 521 North Main Street 15 North First Street Elaine Martens Ted Clay Lance Pugh Bard's Inn Helping Hands/Dr. Scott Young Firefly Restaurant Remodel Basement Demolition SFR Tenant Improvement 12 Motel Units Sign Sign 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: October 6 October 13 Skibby and Cardinale Skibby, Lewis and Wood Ashland Historic Commission Minutes October 4, 1994 Page 5 October 20 October 27 Skibby, Lewis and Wood Skibby, Cardinale and Winston OLD BUSINESS Siskiyou Boulevard Changes Skibby reported he had met with two representatives from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Pam Barlow (from Public Works) on September 14th. ODOT is doing an environmental assessment of Siskiyou Boulevard. It will be looking at eligibility for the National Register as if Siskiyou Boulevard was actually on the Register. He pointed out the islands have been changed quite a few times over the years. More public meetings will take place before final plans are drawn up. They are currently in a preliminary stage. Lewis reiterated the importance of retaining the islands, even though they may be reduced. Skibby said the State plans to extend the islands to Walker Avenue, and asked if the Commission felt there should be a separation of the historic islands with the new ones. Ennis stated the development along Siskiyou Boulevard will make the distinction. Skibby also noted vegetation will be addressed at a later time. Seismic Retrofittine This will be put on hold to await Building Official Mike Broomfield's preliminaries. Goals The top three ranked goals were discussed. 1) Help move ahead the currently stalled alley initiative with presentation to City Council. 2) Run monthly meetings more effectively by controlling and limiting public testimony to the issues being directly considered. 3) Promote adoption of Historic Preservation Ordinance and Heritage Landmarks' List. Lewis stated the alley issue will be addressed within the ODOT grant recently received by the Cities of Ashland and Jacksonville. Also, the Planning Department is moving forward in its attempt to become a Certified Local Government (CLG). In the process, the primary goals to accomplish before next June include: adoption of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, adoption and updating of the interim Heritage Landmarks List, and the development of set specific design guidelines for each area within the Historic District. New Railroad Park Lewis stated the Parks Department would like Historic Commission input on the placement of the plaques. It was decided Lewis would talk to Ken or Steve in Parks to request information on the budget, and to let it be known the Commission would like to see Bill Emerson's plan of the area, which was dated May 23, 1994, go into effect. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes October 4, 1994 Page 6 Proposed House at 228 "B" Street The Commission took an informal look at the revised plans for the proposed house at 228 "B" Street. Skibby will inform the owner of Historic Commission concerns. NEW BUSINESS Renaming the Plaza -- In consideration of the letter to the Mayor sent by Jud Finley regarding renaming the Plaza area HELMANPLAZA, the Commission unanimously agreed with Kay Atwood's statements on why the name should remain as it is. Ennis so moved and Harriff seconded the motion. ADJOURNMENT It was the unanimous decision of the Commission to adjourn the meeting at 10:30 p.m. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes October 4, 1994 Page 7