Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-04-04 Historic MINASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION Minutes April 4, 1990 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Jim Lewis at 7:38 p.m. Members present were Jim Lewis, Terry Skibby, Rick Harris, Susan Reynolds, Lorraine Whitten, Maxine Colwell, Thomas Hunt, Mark Reitinger and Keith Chambers. Also present were Senior Planner John McLaughlin and Secretary Sonja Akerman. No Commission members were absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Whittenmoved and Skibby seconded to approve the Minutes of the March 7, 1990 meeting as mailed. Motion passed unanimously. STAFF REPORTS PA 90-020 Conditional Use Permit 34 Union Street and 549 Allison Street G.K. Schrock McLaughlin stated the applicant is now presenting a modification of the proposals previously reviewed. He is requesting a six unit travellers' accommodation - two in 34 Union Street, two in the existing garage which will be remodeled, and two in the new coach house, with the manager residing at 549 Allison Street. McLaughlin went on to explain that a Boundary Line Adjustment is also being requested to allow enough parking spaces and all the units to be located on the Union Street lot. When questioned about the owners residing off the property which will contain the travellers' accommodations, McLaughlin answered the City Attorney had previously ruled that if the owner resides on contiguous, adjacent property, it is acceptable. Each situation, however, is separate and is viewed on its own merits. He also stated that the ordinance regulating travellers' accommodations requires 400 square feet per unit and since the garage is only 485 square feet, it could only house one unit; therefore, six units would be too many. Jac Nickels, architect, explained he and the applicant are requesting approval of the six units and conceptual approval of the coach house. He also asserted that since the last meeting, they had hired a structural engineer to inspect the condition of the house at 34 Union Street because of structural support questions. They are now not sure of the economics of restoration. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 4, 1990 G.K. Schrock stated that for the record, his understanding of the age of the house at 34 Union Street is pre-1902, as observed from pictures provided by Skibby. It was originally a barn, then remodeled by Lowe in 1902. Skibby agreed and added that he feels the siding is the original from that remodel. Joyce Ward, who was involved in the February and March Commission meetings as a member, spoke from the audience as an architect. She reminded the Commission to consider the compatibility of the design of the new coach house with the other existing buildings. They should all look like they belong together. Lewis informed the audience that at the March meeting, the Historic Commission had unanimously recommended approval of four units at 34 Union Street (two in the house and two in the garage, plus a manger's unit). Harris questioned McLaughlin about the positioning of auxiliary structures in an R-2 zone. McLaughlin stated that auxiliary structures should be designed so the lot can be split, but if used as a residence, it is possible to obtain a variance. He agreed, however, that it could create an instance where the lot could not be split. He also said the coach house could be converted into a single family residence. Schrock clarified it was not his intention to use the travellers' accommodation as rental units during the off season. If this proposal is denied, he will go for a seven-unit apartment building. Harris then inquired whether or not the approval would go with the property in case the structural engineer deemed the house not worth saving at 34 Union Street, and whether or not the approval could be contingent upon restoration of the house. McLaughlin answered the application was filed for the existing structure at 34 Union Street to be used in this manner. It would be a new application process if a new structure was involved. It was also made clear that in order to demolish the structure, City Council approval is required since it is listed on the Landmarks List as a possible secondary structure. McLaughlin briefly summarized the Staff's position for denial and the March Planning Commission decision to continue the hearing. Until the Planning COmmission makes a clear decision, he stated, this application does not meet the criteria. As it is, six units are still too many and it is not appropriate for the owner to live on the adjacent lot. He further stated that the code was written with one structure in mind, and not more than one. Harris then said he can find no clear reason not to allow the manager's unit on Allison Street and that the 400 square foot calculation must be done on singular structures rather than adding them together. Therefore, he moved to recommend denial of the application based on six units. Whitten seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 4, 1990 Harris then moved to approve the application provided that: (1) the total units be changed from six to five, (2) this be a conceptual approval only, as not enough information on the coach house has been presented, and (3) the manager's unit be at 549 Allison Street, maintaining there be two units in 34 Union Street, one in the garage and two in the new. coach house. After discussion, the motion was amended to include all concerns of the unanimous decision of the Commission regarding the remodel of 34 Union Street at its March 7, 1990 meeting, and that the Commission see all elevations for all buildings before final approval is granted. Reynolds seconded the motion. Discussion followed. Chambers voiced his concern with approving separate dwellings as the manager's unit, stating the more times they are approved, the more they will set a precedence. Lewis thinks it is in the best interest of the Historic District to keep these satellite structures instead of getting a barracks type building with apartment units. The motion was further amended by Skibby to allow that only the property at 34 Union Street be used for the Bed and Breakfast site. The motion passed with seven ayes; Chambers and Whitten voted nay. PA 90-076 Site Review and Parking Variance 257 Fourth Street Golden-Fields McLaughlin stated this proposal is for a two-story building to be located between the Peerless Rooms and Positively Fourth Street. A deck will be situated on the front portion of the new building and a courtyard will be between the new building and Positively Fourth Street. Peerless Rooms will be maintained. The new building will house commercial uses, including a coffee shop, dried flower market and beauty shop. Parking will be shared with Positively Fourth Street on the alley since the uses will be complimentary. Because no parking will be on-site, Staff has suggested adding five more spaces in the alley. Reid interjected that if more parking will be brought to the alley, it will increase the noise and number of people in an area where residences are established. McLaughlin went on to say if the zoning were C-1-D (Commercial Downtown), parking spaces would not be required. Staff is encouraging commercial uses like this and at times, it is beneficial to take a chance with the parking. Marta Traister, owner of the property, informed the Commission that most of the trees are already existing behind Positively Fourth Street, and she would like to do a denser planting of evergreens and keep parking away from the alley. She stated she will bring letters to the Planning Commission meeting from other businesses in the area confirming their parking lots will be available in the evening. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 4, 1990 Ward stated that she has been to numerous family events at Positively Fourth Street and the back area is great for children, so she does not think it would be a good idea to add more parking off the alley. McLaughlin added that this application was presented to the Economic Development Commission, which recommend approval, including the parking variance. Skibby stated the rounded window design of the proposed building is typical of historic Ashland and feels it will upgrade the Railroad District. He also said there were originally buildings similar to this design in the Railroad District. When questioned by Harris about the availability of the roof deck for public use, Ms. Traister stated the skylight will be scaled down in size and will be completely protected. Harris then inquired about parking spaces if the City establishes a parking lot in the area. McLaughlin stated it is standard practice to have the owner sign an Agreement in favor of paying his/her share for a Local Improvement District (LID). If the LID is never formed, it would be no loss to the owner. This application is for a nine space variance. It was agreed by the Historic Commission that trees would be more acceptable than parking in the back. Reynolds moved to recommend approval of this application to the Planning Commission with the condition that the owner sign in favor of an LID for nine parking spaces. Whitten seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved. PA 90-074 Site Review and Conditional Use Permit 521 and 523 North Main Street Peter Cipes/The AP Group McLaughlin explained this property is on the corner of North Main Street and Coolidge Street. A run-down building presently exists on the site (which will be removed) and a two- story structure will be built. Offices will be on the bottom floor and a one bedroom apartment will be located on the second floOr. This was also reviewed by the Economic Development Commission with favorable recommendations. The applicant proposes cedar shingles and a circular deck, which will provide outdoor space for the apartment. Staff has concerns about the blank elevation on the North Main Street side. Peter Cipes stated he is open to suggestions from the Historic Commission. He oriented the building toward Coolidge Street to alleviate traffic problems which would be associated with ingress and egress off North Main Street. He has tried to incorporate some old and Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 4, 1990 some new design features, and wants it to look suitable since his office will also be in the building. He added he would also like to situate a picket fence around the property and do more extensive planting than depicted on the plans which were submitted. The Historic Commission voiced concerns about the northeast elevation (North Main Street), the roof pitch of the stairway porch, the circular deck and the orientation of the building. It was also agreed that shingle replication roofing should be used as opposed to shake replication, and that paint would look better than a stain. After further discussion, it was agreed .that the Commission would like to see new plans incorporating some of the suggested recommendations. (Harris moved and Whitten seconded to extend the meeting past 10.'30 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.) Skibby moved and Chambers seconded to recommend conceptual approval for the Conditional Use Permit, but that the Site Review be continued until the May meeting. The motion passed unanimously. BUILDING PERMITS Permits reviewed by members of the Historic Commission and issued during the month of March follow: jaCk Wasenus (Cafe Amadaus) Otis Maxwell Gere Brown John Schweiger (Varsity) Mary Louise Lucas B.J. Krieg Bill Molnar John Mayben Bike Brothers Shrew's House 130 E. Main Remodel 101 Pine St. Remodel 502 Allison Remodel/Addition 166 E. Main Remodel/Addition 294 6th St. Addition 196 Meade Storage Shed 155 Hillcrest Deck 160 Scenic Remodel* 40 E. Main Addition 570 Siskiyou Sign *Denotes permit that was issued with "disapproval" from Historic Commission. Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 4, 1990 OLD BUSINESS Historic Sign Code Ordinance Skibby moved to accept the revisions of the Historic Sign Code Ordinance and to direct the Planning Commission to set a public hearing on the matter. Whitten seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed. Historic Preservation Week Skibby reported the Ashland Heritage Committee would like to provide a walking tour of "A" Street from 4th to 8th Streets during Historic Preservation Week, perhaps during the lunch hour. It was also reported that Kay Atwood and George Kramer will present an evening program during that week. Kay's topic will be on the "Lesser Known Examples" and George's will be "Signage". After a short discussion, Harris volunteered to be chair of a subcommittee to oversee the activities of Historic Preservation Week. Skibby, Whitten and Hunt agreed to assist. 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 5 April 12 April 19 April 26 Skibby, Whitten and Harris Skibby, Reitinger, Reynolds and Lewis Skibby, Chambers and. Colwell Skibby, Harris and Hunt Plaza Area (4th and "A" Streets) This will .be discussed at the May meeting. Street Cuts in the Historic District McLaughlin informed the Commission that he had talked with Steve Hall, Director of Public Works, regarding street cuts in the Historic District. He needs to know the intent of the Historic Commission regarding these cuts. If they were to be duplicated, it would be necessary to first lay the asphalt, then cut out the portion in question and stamp in a replica. The Street Superintendent, McLaughtin went on to say, would be willing to do this, however, there would be extra costs involved. Harris then passed around the letter he had Ashland Historic Commission Minutes April 4, 1990 received from Hall in response to the letter he had written on behalf of the Commission last month. The Commission agreed these cuts, if duplicated, would help retain the historic character of the Railroad District, especially if the Street Department is willing to match the old sidewalk dimensions and scoring patterns. Skibby moved and Whitten seconded to recommend that street cuts be replaced after paving in such a manner as to duplicate the existing, historic cement crosswalks. The motion passed unanimously. It was also agreed that a letter should be written to Steve Hall. (Harris moved and Whitten seconded to extend the meeting past 11:00 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.) Alternative to Meeting on July 4th After a short discussion, Harris moved to change the meeting date of Wednesday, July 4th to Thursday, July 5th. Hunt seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed. ADJOURNMENT With a motion by Harris and second by Hunt, it was the unanimous decision of the Historic Commission to adjourn the meeting at 11:13 p.m. Steve Hall, Director of Public Works Rick Harris, Ashland Historic Commission STREET CUTS IN THE RAILROAD DISTRICT Thank you for your quick response to the Historic Commission's request concerning street cuts in the Railroad District. We discussed your letter at our last Commission meeting, and the solution you outlined was acceptable to everyone. You should know that we discussed the possibility of installing cement crosswalks throughout the Railroad district, so we may be in touch again if and when this gets past the planning stage. I'm sure we'll want your input regarding costs, feasibility, timing, etc. Once again, thanks for all your efforts on behalf of the Historic Commission. We greatly appreciate the spirit of cooperation you and your department show in helping to maintain Ashland's historic character. (A copy of the April 4, 1990 Historic Commission Minutes regarding street cuts is enclosed for your information.) cc: Jerry Glossop, Street Superintendent