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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-04-08 Historic MINASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION Minutes April 8, 1992 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Vice-Chairperson Terry Skibby at 7:35 p.m. Members present were Jim Lewis, Terry Skibby, Jane Dancer, Keith Chambers, Le Hook and Steve Ennis. Also present were Assistant Planner Kristen Cochran, Secretary Sonja Akerman and Council Liaison Susan Reid. Lorraine Whitten, Jean MacKenzie and Deane Bradshaw were absent. (Lewis sat in the audience during the first staff report and discussion due to a conflict of interest.) NEW MEMBER Skibby introduced newly appointed member Steve Ennis. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Hook moved and Dancer seconded to approve the Minutes of the March 4, 1992 meeting as mailed. The motion was unanimously passed. STAFF REPORTS PA 92-001 Subdivision "A" Street Donna Andrews/Southern Pacific Railroad Cochran explained the applicants are proposing to divide this property into 16 lots. When the notice first went out, neighbors expressed concern about traffic problems and lack of a neighborhood park (a portion of the proposed subdivision had been designated as open space by the City when the map was adopted by the City Council). She went on to say that five issues will be addressed in the findings: 1) neighborhood park-- which is designated as open space from 6th to 8th Street in the recent update of the Comprehensive Plan (possibility of neighbors forming a local improvement district because key issue is funding); 2) traffic ("A" Street is so narrow) -- remove parking on north side of "A" Street and construct a truck turn-around between lots 5 and 6; 3) intrusion of non-residential traffic into residential areas -- dedication at 4th Street to go through (although this one will take a minimum of two years to implement), route traffic through Oak and Pioneer Streets, install signs at 6th and 7th Streets designating no truck traffic, and 6th, 7th and 8th Streets narrowing at entries to slow down traffic; 4) possible site contamination -- all State laws will have to be met (City Attorney has recommended a condition that all parcels be approved for construction by the Department of Environmental Quality prior to final plat signature approvals by the City); and 5) future site design concerns -- the site review ordinance should encompass this, as it is very restrictive and designs need to be compatible (not issue at this time). Staff is recommending approval for the subdivision, but conditions are being worked out regarding each of the above five issues. Alan Sandier, who owns property between 6th and 7th Streets and has an option to purchase lots in the proposed subdivision across the street, stated he wanted to know what position the Historic Commission would take regarding taking land for a park. Reid informed him only the City Council can make a decision such as that and added the Historic Commission is charged with making decisions and recommendations regarding historic nature. Sandler then said he would like to purchase the lots to protect his view and expand his business, and would be willing to donate or sell the City a portion for a park. He would also like to see deed restrictions put in place now instead of later regarding design. Richard McKinney stated he lives in the Railroad District and offered a critique of the proposal. He feels his quality of life and property values will be adversely affected by this. The area has historically been residential, with some small scale commercial areas along 4th Street. The streets in the area (including "B" Street as a collector) are quiet and residential, many without sidewalks. Traffic will be greatly increased. McKinney quoted from the Design Standards section of the Land Use Ordinance regarding fully improved existing streets to be used as access to a subdivision. He feels the proposal is completely out of scale with the neighborhood. He stated he is not opposed to development in the area and offered an alternative plan which would place the development where it historically should be and the park needs would be met. He also feels the entire SP property (on both sides of the track) should be included in a "master plan" as provided in chapter 18.80.040. (The testimony is on file in the Planning Department and has been made a part of the record for PA 92-001.) Bill Emerson said that in 1988, his neighborhood met with the Traffic Safety Commission to get a stop sign on the corner of 5th and C Streets because of the heavy traffic, including traffic to and from the Grange Co-op. They got a yield sign instead and it has helped. They had felt that 4th Street was the logical designated through street. At the time, the Traffic Safety Commission was going to do more research on this, and he questioned if this had been done, as there is bound to be more heavy traffic with this type of development. He also stated the neighborhood park has already been designated by the Parks Commission and the City and did not feel it is fair to barter this property. Chuck McKereghan said it is a fact the Railroad District has desired a park for many years and this has been recognized by the City. He also said he feels it would be premature for anyone to pass judgment on this issue because there is not enough information regarding the subdivision. Ellen Downes stated that when she came before the Historic Commission she had to present detailed plans of what she was doing. This subdivision is in the heart of the Railroad District and she suggested no subdivision be possible until everyone has had more time to Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 8, 1992 Page 2 review the proposal, a master plan has been submitted and the history of the property researched. Tom Phillips maintained 5th Street is already used as a corridor and the children in the neighborhood have to play in the alleys and streets because there is no open space in the area. He said that to require a master plan could only be a win-win situation. Most people in the Railroad District want to see development, but in the proper way. It is important to not only look at the Comprehensive Plan and the designated park between 6th and 8th Streets, but to also look at the need and the number of people that would be using the park. Maybe it would need to be larger. Business and development have their appropriate places, but they also need to determine how to keep the neighborhood. He later commented that the remainder of the SP property has been taken off the market, but no one has looked at the big picture. He cautioned the Commission about taking action bit-by-bit rather than looking at a master plan. Reid asked Cochran if a traffic study was required for this action. Cochran answered no. Reid said there are legal questions and planning questions and it sounds as though not all the information has been collected. The reason for this is that negotiations are still taking place explained Cochran. Jim Lewis read 18.80.020(G) from the Land Use Ordinance regarding public acquisition of property. He stated neighborhood meetings have been held and he feels it is possible to fund the park through an LID. They don't want to lose this chance to acquire the land. Gary Brewer questioned Sandler on how much property he would be willing to donate and how much he needs to expand his business. Sandier said he is now unsure if he will donate anything. Negotiations are within 75 to 100 feet of park space and they are now waiting for the neighborhood to get together. Bill Emerson and Richard McKinney both stated they are not asking for everything. Emerson said he had talked with a planner a couple years before and was assured the property designated as open space would stay that way. Betty Camner said she also talked with a planner who said that area would still be a neighborhood park. Then the substation proposal came up so it was dropped for a while. Bob Martindale stated that in Oregon, a public official can tell you something and it can either be true or false. Jim Lewis explained the Comp Plan is a ten year document and it has just recently been revised. The applicant has neither addressed the Comp Plan nor traffic, in his opinion. Cheryl Lewis said John Fregonese had attended the neighborhood meetings and said the Parks Department supports this neighborhood park and is willing to maintain it. Jim Lewis added there are letters on file from the Parks Commission to support this. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 8, 1992 Page 3 Diane Sly added there are no other open space choices in the Railroad District, this is the land that is for sale and it is the property that has been designated by the City. Betsy Anderson said it is already like a park and people walk through it all the time. She has read the LCDC goals (which are State law) and preservation of the viewshed is a portion of one of the goals. This has always been a viewshed, as only one structure has ever been built there. She asked that the viewshed be maintained. She also would like to see a master plan of the entire 25 acres and recommended the subdivision approval be postponed until this is submitted. Ann Bass added it has been almost unanimous for the neighbors to form an LID, as they are willing to put money into it. Jim Duncan questioned the legality of SP selling options before the property is subdivided. Peter Brunner stated he is a broker and part owner of Brunner & White, the real estate company selling the property. Towns are designated for development and we all have to live here. Owners have property rights. The SP property was listed almost a year ago and the property did not sell. SP came to his company to sell the property. Since people couldn't afford or were not interested in buying the large parcel, they came to Brunner & White and wanted to invest their money in smaller parcels. He added it is common practice to reserve a lot, as it is not really an option, it is a reservation. The Comp Plan is already here and it identifies E-1 property. Open space is also a part of the Plan. The City cannot tie up property more than one year for acquisition, and it has to be shown the people or City can come up with the money. Skibby stated he was not comfortable with the incomplete plans presented. Hook added he has difficulty in recommending anything without conditions (referring to the five conditions stated earlier by Cochran). He has heard a lot about the need for a master plan and agrees with this. Chambers was surprised only one person brought up the viewshed. Open space began at 8th Street in the beginning of the City and he has a hard time imagining a two story building as an improvement. He feels it would be irresponsible to consider this action without seeing a master plan. Dancer agreed. Ennis said the issues brought up with parking and traffic sound like it is going in the right direction, but without seeing more of the entire package, it would be difficult to make a decision. Skibby added the first house in Ashland was located in the Railroad District near the proposed park and the Golden Spike is also located there. There are too many items which need to be addressed so he is not ready to approve. Hook moved to not recommend approval or denial on this action because of 1) the lack of a master plan for the entire 25 acres and 2) the lack of information. Chambers amended the motion to recommend denial of the requested subdivision, as the Historic Commission feels it is appropriate to request a master plan to provide full detail of the 25 acres and a resolution of the area to be included in open space. Ennis seconded the motion. Skibby added the five conditions as stated earlier also need to be addressed and the historic nature of the site should be researched. Peter Brunner interjected a point of order, stating the Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 8, 1992 Page 4 Historic Commission is not the Planning Commission, nor the Traffic Safety Commission, nor the View Commission. Skibby explained the Commission is addressing livability, which is a part of its duties. The motion, as amended, passed with all voting aye except Lewis, who was still in the audience and abstained. PA 92-036 Conditional Use Permit 245 Van Ness Avenue Cynthia White Cochran explained the applicant would like to put a new foundation under her garage, which is a non-conforming structure. It is located six inches from the side yard property line. Cynthia White said she has owned the property since 1985 and is currently living there. She would like to keep the structure, and in order to do this, needs to put in a foundation and re-roof composition it with composition shingles. It will remain a garage and there will be no other major changes. She will also add a garage door, which will probably be wood. Hook commended White on the reuse of the windows. White stated they were the windows which were originally in the house. Hook moved to recommend approval of this application with the condition the garage door be of compatible material with the structure. Lewis seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. PA 92-044 Conditional Use Permit 41 Gresham Street Lucy Flood Lewis declared a conflict of interest since he is the contractor for the applicant. Cochran said this is another non-conforming structure. The applicant would like to upgrade the existing foundation, as portions are in disrepair. Lewis explained they are proposing a split face block perimeter foundation. The existing bricks need to be replaced and the shingles removed. It will be structurally more sound. Lucy Flood stated she has owned the property for nine years and agreed with Lewis that a previous remodel had been poorly handled. The bricks are broken and loose. Ennis commented the exposed concrete could take away some of the charm of the house. Flood stated she will be planting enough shrubbery that the concrete will hardly show. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 8, 1992 Page 5 Dancer moved to recommend approval of this action as presented. Chambers seconded the motion. It was passed with all voting aye except Lewis, who abstained. PA 92-045 Conditional Use Permit and Variance 147 Church Street Ken Krumdieck, Inc. Cochran explained this is another application for upgrading a non-conforming structure. The applicant proposes to replace a wooden foundation with a concrete one. Hook stated the only concern with the Review Board was that the garage door maintain the appearance and size as the original. Mike Neely, representing the applicant, brought a brochure of the proposed garage door. He clarified everything except the foundation and garage door will remain the same. Chambers moved and Dancer seconded to recommend approval of this application. The motion passed unanimously. PA 92-046 Conditional Use Permit 51 Winburn Way Judie Bunch Cochran said this request is to allow the Ashland Marketplace temporary use of the Hillah Temple parking lot on Saturdays and Sundays. Originally, the applicant had approval for expansion of the Marketplace under the viaduct, but it was not manageable. An agreement has been signed with Hillah Temple regarding the use. She added a letter of concern had been received regarding parking and traffic control of the adjacent parking lot. Judie Bunch said the Marketplace has been using Calle Guanajuato for the past nine years, and space has been cut back by the Parks Commission. Therefore, they have an agreement with Hillah Temple to use its parking lot. The Marketplace will pay a percentage to go to a transportation fund to take children to and from Portland for medical care. She stated now that she knows of the concerns for the adjacent parking lot, she will take care not to allow its use by vendors. The Commission expressed concerns about the visual aspect of overnight storage on the property, possibly near the Alice Peil Walkway (the Hillah Temple storage area). Lewis stated, however, that it will come back for review in one year. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 8, 1992 Page 6 Dancer moved to recommend approval of this application. Hook seconded the motion and itwas unanimously approved. 92-034 Conditional Use Permit 248-254 Van Ness Avenue LBI and Friends Cochran explained this application is proposed in order to convert the existing apartments to condominiums. Hook questioned if the Building Official's concern about the two-hour fire wall requirements had been addressed. It was unknown. Gary Brewer said he was not against the proposal, as he would rather see actual owners of the units than renters. He presented three letters to be made a part of the Planning Commission record and read a letter he had written to LBI and Friends in 1990. He said at that time, they were working out problems with a view screen since balconies had been built and he was left with no privacy. The view screen never happened, so he is now requesting a fence be built. He also asked the Historic Commission to consider height of structures in future developments and privacy for neighbors. Lewis moved to recommend approval of this application with the stipulation an acceptable fence be built at the rear and that the occupants use the garages for parking rather than storage. Hook seconded the motion, then amended it to include no additional alley paving occur as a result of this approval. The motion was unanimously passed as amended 92-048 Comprehensive Plan Map & Zoning Map Amendments Area Around Ashland Community Hospital City of Ashland Cochran explained the proposal is for a new zone in the area around the hospital to be called Health Care (HC). It includes a small portion in the Historic District on the corner of Maple Street and Scenic Drive. This area has been added to the HC zone because it is already committed to a medical office. Neighborhood meetings have been held and there have been no complaints. Hook moved and Dancer seconded to recommend approval of this action. The motion passed unanimously. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 8, 1992 Page 7 BUILDING PERMITS Permits reviewed by members of the Historic Commission and issued during the month of March follow: 670 Siskiyou Blvd. 153 Oak St. 277 Almond St. 326 N. Main St. 130 Will Dodge Wy 36 S. 2nd St. 345 Lithia Way 300 N. Pioneer St. 199 Terrace St. 144 Nutley St. 230 Van Ness Ave. 421 "A" St. 120 N. 2nd St. Roy Martin Joseph Page J. & J. Townsend David Fadden Sid Ainsworth/Daddy-O's Dale & Pierre Verger Ken Crowson Erik Wallbank Chuck Taubner Phil & Pat Walden Darrell & Lana Boldt Grange Co-op Evan Archerd Real Estate Appraisal Remodel Interior Remodel Addition/Remodel Re-roof* Remodel Cooler/Roof/Steps Remodel Accessory Building Deck Addition/Remodel Remodel Sign Sign Review Board Following is the schedule (until the next meeting) for the Review Board, which meets every Thursday from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the Planning Department: April 9 April 16 April 23 April 30 Dancer, Skibby and Lewis Skibby, Lewis and Dancer Hook, Skibby, Chambers and Ennis Hook, Skibby and Dancer OLD BUSINESS Alley Committee Cochran explained John McLaughlin hadn't had time to comment on the draft, however, he thought the idea was good. He suggested the need to work on what will trigger paving, the need to procure Public Works support, the need to come up with alternatives to paving and the need to assure alleys have adequate capacity for facilities. Vivienne Friedman recommended alleys become a part of the Comp Plan for the Railroad District. Traffic and speed increase when alleys are paved. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 8, 1992 Page 8 The Commission expressed its willingness to help the Alley Committee. Chambers moved to support the general tenor of the Alley Committee draft report, request Staff review and meet with groups in carrying it futher, and because this will take time, recommend to City Council the current moratorium on alley paving be left in effect. Lewis seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved. 228 "B" Street Lewis stated the Pelton house sold to people who wish to restore it and turn it into a Bed & Breakfast. The carriage house will be remodeled and added on and will operate as the owner's unit. (Hook moved and Dancer seconded to extend the meeting beyond lO:30 p. m. The motion was unanimously passed.) National Historic Preservation Week Skibby reported the Chamber of Commerce had mailed the brochure to 650 businesses. The brochure will also be in various businesses throughout the City. He will be conducting a walking tour of the Downtown area and Bradshaw will be guiding one on Granite Street. Bellview School is celebrating its 100 year anniversary and photos will be on display during the Month of May. May is also Cultural Heritage Month for the Chamber of Commerce. He added Buckhorn Springs will be celebrating Historic Preservation Week too. The awards will be on Friday, May 15th at noon. Historic Landmark Preservation Ordinance Nothing new to report on this. East Main Houses Hook moved and Ennis seconded to authorize George Kramer to evaluate five houses on East Main Street, including "Clark Cottage" and the Edinburgh Inn, that were not incorporated in the Cultural Resource Inventory. Motion passed unanimously. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. ADJOURNMENT With a motion by Hook and second by Lewis, it was the unanimous decision to adjourn the meeting at 10:45 p.m. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 8, 1.992 Page 9