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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-09-07 Historic MINASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION Minutes September 7, 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, Chloe Winston, Steve Ennis and Keith Chambers. Also present were Associate Planner Mark Knox and Secretary Sonja Akerman. Casey Mitchell was absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Wood moved and Chambers seconded to approve the Minutes of the August 3, 1994 meeting as submitted. The motion passed unanimously. STAFF REPORTS PA 94-109 Conditional Use Permit 774 "C" Street Myrtle Franklin Knox explained this application is for the conversion of a 416 square foot garage into a one- unit traveller's accommodation, which is allowed in the R-2 zone. Philip Lang called this action up for a public hearing because of the negative impacts this would have on the neighborhood. Staff disagrees with this because it is in conformance with the relevant Comprehensive Plan policies. The applicant plans to add a porch to the garage, of which the details and trim will match the existing house and its new porch. Knox noted the applicant is sensitive to her neighbors, as the added parking space will utilize cement tire areas mixed with brick and grass. Staff feels there will be less impact on the area than an apartment and will, in fact, benefit the immediate area. Skibby asked the distance of the cottage to the fence. Knox said it is ten feet, but it could be as close as three feet. Lewis asked if a rental unit would be permitted outright. Knox acknowledged it would. Skibby noted the applicant had been to the Review Board to get ideas for the house and cottage. He then asked about the garden area and the curb cut not being used on "C" Street. Myrtle Franklin related she has no intention of making another driveway. Skibby asked that this be made a condition. Franklin clarified for Wood she will be living in the existing house, will be improving the existing driveway for herself, and will use brick and grass for the new parking space. Philip Lang, 758 "B" Street, stated he had been coming to Ashland since 1982, has lived here since 1992, and that he and his partner own 13 properties in the Railroad District. He emphasized the need for a plan to protect and restore the Railroad District. Only two property owners (including himself) were at the workshop in August. If the Planning Commission continues to approve Conditional Use Permits in the Railroad District, there won't be much left. He feels the City needs to start on a plan for the Railroad District now. He also believes there should be no more transient accommodations approved and no more daytime only uses approved. One by one, Conditional Use Permits are destroying the neighborhood. Lang then said a B & B is not less disruptive than an apartment, and wondered where Staff obtained the data claiming more complaints are received regarding multi-family residences. Also, he does not agree mixed use encourages upgrading of the property, as a conversion to a day use leaves structures dead at night. The City needs to stop doing this and have a plan for the Railroad District. Wood expressed the necessity to address the existing criteria, explaining the City is currently beginning work on a plan for the Railroad District. While he appreciates Lang's comments, the Commission needs to deal with what exists. Lang stated he refutes the criteria. Ennis said he does not disagree with Lang, but the need is to focus on what the current ordinances say. Chambers declared he also got the points Lang made but he should continue to address them in the correct form, as it is not right to attack or fight this small project. This is something the Commission faces at every meeting and he agreed the City needs a plan. Lewis added Lang does have allies and stated the Commission began working on some of these same points two years ago; however, in his opinion, a traveller's accommodation is a residential use, whereby it is relatively easy to go back and forth. Knox interjected the Cities of Ashland and Jacksonville have received a joint grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to look at the Historic Districts. The goal is to reduce the number of trips generated within these districts. Requests for Proposals have been sent out, and by September 30, citizen involvement meetings should begin. He also noted SHPO has money available to address the Landmarks List and address the guidelines. Staff agrees there have been changes in the Railroad District. This is not to say the district will change in the direction Lang is advocating however because ODOT encourages mixed uses. Lang said he feels strongly the City needs a plan that involves everyone. He then inquired if the City knows if all conditions placed on Conditional Use Permits are being met. Knox replied Staff will respond when a complaint is received. Chambers recommended Lang and neighbors lobby the City Council. Ennis informed Lang the subcommittee that worked on proposed changes for the Railroad District to limit commercial growth came to a standstill when he was told the starting point would be public hearings and neighborhood input. Lewis maintained many people in the Railroad District will show up for meetings involving their neighborhood. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes September 7, 1994 Page 2 With a motion by Winston and second by Skibby, it was unanimously agreed to recommend approval of this action to the Planning Commission with the condition the extra curb cut on "C" Street not be used as previously noted plus the three Staff recommended conditions. PROPOSED HOUSE AT 228 "B" STREET John Ferguson, owner of the Pelton House and Carriage House located at 228 "B" Street, and designer Dave Fisse met with the Commission to discuss the design of the proposed house to be located in the far left corner of the property. The house will be the living area for the Ferguson family. Ferguson said he has been negotiating with SHPO for the last six to eight weeks, and an agreement has finally been reached. He explained the ridge line will be the same as the Pelton House. When asked about the existing parking area, Fisse responded the area is 24 feet deep now, but it only needs to be 18 feet. Ferguson verified only four feet of the parking area will be lost. Skibby said he was under the impression the new structure would be similar to the Carriage House. Ferguson replied it is still similar, but his family has lived there and it is too small. In operating a B & B in the Pelton House, his family needs its own space. Skibby stated the proposed structure is too large. Ferguson explained he has had his plans at SHPO for six to eight weeks already and has gone to a lot of expense with the plans which have been submitted for review. The footprint of the new house is 24' x 26'. He is not taking out any trees and is trying to preserve as much grass area as possible. He said it would be more of an impact if it were one story and spread out on the site. Skibby asked Fisse if SHPO was aware of the Historic Commission concerns regarding scale. Fisse replied he had faxed these concerns. Harriff inquired if the elevations presented were dictated by SHPO design concerns. Fisse answered they were. Knox stated when he first spoke with James Hamrick, Deputy Director of SHPO, he indicated the structure should not be higher than a story and a half. He has also spoken with Henry Kunowski at SHPO who has been working on this project. Kunowski indicated he is still open for design changes, especially if it will help preserve the resources on the property. Knox also explained that according to Ashland's ordinances, the proposed structure is considered three stories (due to its two story stature and 12 x 12 roof pitch with dormers) and would not be allowed. Harriff asked if Ferguson could live with a smaller pitch roof. Ferguson said he could and he had already talked with Kunowski about it. Ennis asserted the proposed house is too massive - too narrow and too tall. Given the proximity of the Pelton House, it will be a distraction. Chambers suggested a smaller footprint and lower roof. Lewis stated even if the house was a story and a half, dormers can still be utilized. Ennis and Lewis agreed the roof should be decreased by four feet, then Ashland Historic Commission Minutes September 7, 1994 Page 3 Ennis remarked if the footprint was 24' x 36', the impact would be reduced. Ferguson agreed to reduce the roof pitch by four feet. Skibby asked for a scale drawing of the Pelton House and Carriage House with the ()ne proposed. Harriff stated he would also like to see elevations with the roof height down. Lewis proposed the base be increased, and the upper story with the dormer be reduced in order to retain the same square footage. Ennis stated he personally could not vote for approval if only the roof pitch were dropped by four feet. Knox stated SHPO is concerned with massing down and keeping structures compatible. Ferguson agreed to go a story and a half. Harriff added he could accept smaller proportions in the windows to reduce the height. He again stated he would like to see elevations of what they are willing to do. Skibby noted the lines of the Pelton House are broken up and this might help with the design of the proposed house also. Lewis stated the Historic Commission, SHPO, and Building Department do not always agree, but there is a need to make them all happy. He also said the utility of the third floor windows seem wasteful. The Site Design and Use Standards require a certain rhythm, and there are other ways to get 1,20(i) square feet of living space than what has been proposed. The Commission agreed it would like to see elevations of the proposed house with perhaps more than one option. The elevations should also include at least an outline of the Pelton House and the Carriage }louse. Knox said sketches should be turned in rather than computer generated drawings, as sketches will give more dimension to the project. Fisse requested a response to his rendition using a lowered roof and widow's walk. Chambers replied the north elevation looked OK, but he didn't like the other sides with the fiat part. Cardinale commented it would help to get the height down so it is not competing with the Pelton House. Ferguson and Fisse will come to the Review Board on September 15th. (Winston left at this time - 8.'55 p.m.) BUILDING PERMITS Permits reviewed by members of the Historic Commission and issued during the month of August follow: 75 Dewey Street 200 Meade Street 266 Fifth Street Andy Burt William & Roxann Jones Mary Krystine Roof Deck Remodel/Addition Porch Remodel Ashland Historic Commission Minutes September 7, 1994 Page 4 234 North First Street 83 Granite Street 83 Granite Street 151 Nursery Street 137 Seventh Street 549 "B" Street 255 "A" Street 24 Dewey Street 130 Fourth Street 101 East Main Street 440 East Main Street REVIEW BOARD James Little Narcissa Kelley Narcissa Kelley Bob Meiser Dale Rooklyn Ashland Property Management Ashland Insurance Donald Murray Melanie Mindlin The Clay Angel Astro Oil Company Garage Foundation Remodel/Addition New Guest Studio Reroof Garage Swimming Pool Exterior Staircase Office/Apartment SFR Addition Sign Sign 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: September 8 September 15 September 22 September 29 Skibby and Lewis Skibby, Chambers, Lewis and Cardinale Skibby, Wood and Cardinale Skibby and Cardinale OLD BUSINESS Railroad District Development Philip Lang's comments were discussed with regard to Conditional Use Permits in the Railroad District. All agreed it would be best to start with neighborhood meetings. Goals Results of the ranking will be discussed at next month's meeting. NEW BUSINESS Siskiyou Boulevard Changes Skibby reported a representative from ODOT will be in Ashland next week to get input regarding an environmental impact study of the Boulevard, including impact on the Historic District. The representative needs a list of Historic Commission concerns. He explained the actual plan has not been devised yet, but ODOT will take all the information gained from meetings which have been held and draw up a plan to present to the City Council. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes September 7, 1994 Page 5 It was agreed to have Skibby represent the Commission next week. The main concern is that the Commission be able to review the final plan because of the importance of Siskiyou Boulevard. National Re~ister Nomination of Ashland Cemeteries Chambers moved and Harri. ff seconded to advise the City Council to recommend the State Historic Preservation Office accept the City's nomination of the historic cemeteries of Ashland. The motion passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT It was the unanimous decision of the Commission to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.m. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes September 7, 1994 Page 6