HomeMy WebLinkAboutBHPCMinutes_2012_10_04Brookings Historic Preservation Commission
October 4, 2012
A meeting of the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission was held on Thursday, October 4,
2012 at 5:15 p.m. in City Hall. Members present: Tom Agostini, Dennis Willert, Janet Gritzner
and Les Rowland. Mary Bibby, Father Ryan Hall and Pam Merchant were absent. Shari
Thornes, City Clerk, was also present.
Chairperson Rowland called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m.
Agenda: Proposed Ordinance 25-12, which modifies the conditional use permit process and
the Knights of Columbus Hall to be burned were added to the agenda. A motion was made by
Gritzner, seconded by Willert, to approve the agenda as amended. All present voted yes,
motion carried.
Minutes: A motion was made by Gritzner, seconded by Agostini, to approve the August
minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Next Meeting: Proposed dates were Wednesday, November 7th @ 5:15 or Thursday,
November 8th @ 5:15 p.m. TBA.
NEW BUSINESS
Amendment to Conditional Use Permit Process. On October 9th, the Brookings City Council
will hold a public hearing and action on Ordinance 25-12, which modifies the conditional use
permit process. If passed, conditional use requests would no longer go before the City
Council. The Planning Commission would make the final decision, unless an appeal is filed
within 5 business days. This would include conditional use requests in historic districts.
Brookings National Register Historic Properties:
Commercial Historic District (59)
Central Residential Historic District (209) *
University Residential District (245) *
Sexauer Seed District (9)
20 individually listed public and private properties not included in a district **
* Number includes secondary structures
**additional properties are individually listed but are now located in a district
The Commission said they were not opposed to streamlining process for routine requests that
would not harm or alter historic properties and environs. According to Community
Development staff, the majority of the requests are minor such as a hair salon in a basement or
lawnmower repair in a garage.
The Commission was supportive of the additional detail that would be required in future site
plans to include defined uses, more details on parking and elevations of buildings.
The Commission commented that its primary purpose is to preserve, promote and develop
historical resources in the City. Pertinent sections of the BHPC Powers & Authorities pertaining
to this issue were cited:
Section 10-96. Powers and Authorities. Pursuant to SDCL 1-19B, the BHPC may
exercise the following powers, duties and responsibilities in addition to the powers,
duties and responsibilities stated elsewhere in this ordinance:
(1) To preserve, promote and develop the historical resources of the City;
(3) To participate in the conduct of land use, urban renewal, and other planning
processes undertaken by the city;
(9) To recommend ordinances and otherwise provide information for the purpose of
historic preservation to the City Council.
Questions raised regarding the proposed ordinance:
Applications involving alteration of the exterior or removal of historic structures and
environs would be subject to 11.1 review. Findings of an 11.1 review must be completed
prior to final decision being made. If final action is made at Planning Commission level,
wouldn’t the review need to be completed prior?
It was clarified that Conditional Use Permits are subject to review under SDCL 1-19-A-11.1
Review. Any project that would encroach upon, damage or destroy any historic property in
the National Register or the environs of such property, would be subject to review. The
state or any political subdivision of the state, or any instrumentality thereof, may not
undertake any project which will encroach upon, damage or destroy any historic property
included in the National Register of Historic Places or the State Register of Historic Places
until the Office of History has been given notice and an opportunity to investigate and
comment on the proposed project. SHPO’s Administrative Rules (ARSD 24:52:00) define
“project” as “an activity, permit, plan, or action, including restoration or rehabilitation,
which affects or may affect the physical structure or physical setting of a historic property.”
A recent conditional use project that the BHPC reviewed was in 2011 with the proposed
removal of a historic property in the Central Residential Historic District.
How are items determined to be controversial? Would all proposals that alter or remove a
historic property automatically be deemed controversial and scheduled for City Council
action?
Clarification is needed on who could appeal the Planning Commission’s decision. Could
someone concerned with a historic resource appeal the Planning Commission’s findings?
Five business days to appeal seems too short.
The proposed process would greatly reduce public notice and public input.
o 1 legal notice instead of 2
o 1 agenda (Planning Commission) notification instead of 3 (Planning Commission and
two City Council)
o 1 (PC) public hearing instead of 2 (PC & CC)
o Mailings to neighbors aren’t cited in the ordinance. Would this continue? Should
this be made mandatory?
o In the past, the public had time to hear and learn about a potential change in their
neighborhood. This would reduce that time from approximately 31 days to 10 days.
If they miss the legal notice 10 days prior, notice would be 7 days (sign) or possibly 5
days with agenda in local paper. The Commission was concerned that less notice
and input would greatly reduce opportunities to protect historic properties.
The Commission discussed the following possible amendment requests:
Require written notice be mailed to neighbors.
Extend time for written appeal from 5 to 10 days.
Any application that modifies the exterior or environs of a Local, State or National Register
of Historic Places property automatically must appear before the City Council. There was
consensus that this amendment would provide the needed additional public input for a
reviewable project.
BHPC staff will be gone October 4th to October 9th and unable to attend the City Council
meeting. The Commission asked her to summarize the questions, comments and concerns to
provide to the Chair. Rowland agreed to attend the City Council meeting to listen, ask
questions, provide comment and propose possible amendments.
Knights of Columbus Hall. SHPO and Preserve South Dakota notified staff that SDSU received
approval from the Board of Regents to demolish the former Knights of Columbus Hall. The
building is located on the very north edge of the Ag Experiment Station facilities north of SDSU
campus. The facility has been used for archived theater scene storage, surplus property storage
and general storage needs. According the SDSU, it has been vacated and is no longer
serviceable. The building is a two storage wood frame building, 2590 sq. ft.
The Commission asked if SHPO had toured or photo documented the building. They suggested
building components be salvaged and donated to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore (doors,
windows, hardware, etc.) before burning.
Updates/Reports
Combined Mayor’s Awards Event. Approximately 120 people attended the 2012 Mayor’s
Awards for Historic Preservation presentation which was held in conjunction with the Butler
Human Rights Award and the ABLE Awards at the Brookings High School Cafeteria on Thursday,
September 27, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with the program beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Mayor Reed and Chairman Rowland presented the following awards:
1. Old Market, 424 5th Street, “Commercial Adaptive Reuse”
2. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 726 6th Street, “Historically Sensitive Addition”
3. The Brownstone Restaurant & Lounge, 313 Main Avenue, “Interior Restoration”
Venue:
• The Brookings High School Bobcat Commons was a beautiful venue. The set up of tables
was complete by 3:30 p.m. the day of the event with the exception of adding 3 more tables.
By 4:45 p.m., linens, drinks and food were ready.
• The Historic Preservation Commission, Human Rights Committee and Brookings Committee
for People who have Disabilities board members wore nametags and greeted guests at the
door.
• 6 easels were borrowed from the Swiftel Center to display the posters behind the food
buffet.
• Brookings High School provided a computer and projector to display the PDF’s of the
posters from a jump drive. There was difficulty projecting the posters to a visible size
without displaying the toolbar menus. Laurie worked on this using Foxit Reader, but did not
have a complete solution by the time the reception began. Next year, need to find a
solution for this ahead of time.
Food
• Aramark had a display of food set up in front as you walked into the Bobcat Commons along
3 tables end on end. The buffet was double-sided. At the last minute, removed 1 cake and
added an Aramark staff member to cut and serve the cake. Also rearranged the drink
station to the south side rather than the north side of Bobcat Commons.
• At the end of the reception had almost 2 full white sheet cakes left over and a full cheese
tray with crackers. One cake was given to the Brookings High School, the other was brought
back to City Hall.
Music: The band, Murph and Friends, set up on the south end of Bobcat Commons. The music
was beautiful and appreciated by the attendees. The band took a break during the program,
then resumed playing afterwards. Most people had left by 6:45 p.m., so the band was
dismissed at that time.
Comments & Misc.
• We received many welcome comments about the combined event. Board members and
attendees found it a good mix for the reception and provided an opportunity to learn about
each committee. It was an amazingly beautiful late September evening, so we may have
lost attendees due to the weather.
• The posters were returned to the award winners after the event. Also, emailed copies of
the PDF’s to the award winners.
Real Estate Workshop. The Real Estate Workshop was a resounding success with 33 attending
the Brookings workshop and 36 attending the Deadwood workshop. Staff relocated the
Brookings event to a larger space due to higher registration numbers. Attendees received
packets containing BHPC information, brochures and national register district maps.
Presenters’ information was provided on City of Brookings jump drives. The evaluations were
very positive. Unfortunately, there were technical difficulties with the video. We need to
discuss future offerings. Will this be provided every other year and be funded by the State?
Could we bring in Donovan Rypkema, a nationally known expert on the economics of historic
preservation?
Brookings Commercial Historic District Walking Tour Brochure. The new brochures are done
and look great! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard on this expedited project. Allegra
Printing was able to print a quantity of 7,500 at 64 cents each. Distribution and promotion will
be discussed at the next meeting.
Preserve America Signs. When asked for an update on the project, Dean Kattelmann, Assistant
Vice President, Facilities and Services, advised that the SDSU Faculty Committee met last week
and delayed the decision until Oct 3 meeting. He said there is some concern about the quality
and appearance of the signs. Staff was advised that SDSU may come back with a proposal to
have the plaques made in bronze which would conform with SDSU standards. If that is their
recommendation SDSU would bear the costs to have the signs redone. Mayor Reed is following
up on this issue.
2011-12 Grant Closeout; Additional Funding Allocation. Just prior to the grant closeout
deadline, SHPO contacted Brookings with an offer of additional funds. In addition to the extra
funds for the brochure ($4155), the state provided an additional $6,461 for a total addition of
$10,616. The BHPC’s original 2011-12 grant was $8,160. Additional funds were used for the
brochure project, real estate workshop promotion, replacement plaques downtown, and
National Trust conference attendance. BHPC action will be needed to reallocate 12-13 funds.
National Trust Conference, Spokane, October 30-Nov 3. Brookings received National Park
Service funding to send two individuals to the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Conference. Willert and Rowland are attending and will provide verbal and written reports at
the December meeting.
Proposed Legislation. No report.
Preservation Partners Report
SHPO: The Preservation Director position remains vacant. Staff suggesting inviting Paul Porter
to a meeting to give presentation on tax incentives
DBI: Thornes asked on the status of the kiosk. She noted several Main Street communities
host a farmers’ market downtown and asked if that could be considered on a side street. She
suggested partnering with the chamber next year to promote the Central Residential District
during the “Parade of Lights.” Perhaps the BHPC could sponsor carriage rides and encourage
luminaries along the walk?
PSD: PSD sent out their Fall 2012 edition of the Preservation Advocate newsletter or online at
http://preservesd.org/. PSD will be celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2013, and they are
looking for ways to celebrate. They are thinking of hosting receptions in historic buildings
around the state, or coordinating tours of historic buildings, or something along those lines.
They’d like to know any ideas among the BHPC or historic buildings owners in Brookings that
they could work with. Kate Nelson is available to attend a BHPC meeting and give a
presentation.
Historic Properties Reports. A SHPO site visit is scheduled in Brookings on October 24th. Paul
Porter and staff will meet with the new owner of 727 Main Avenue to provide technical
assistance.
Announcements/Correspondence/Communications/Calendar
• NAPC newsletter is now digital
• Oct. 30-Nov 3 National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference, Spokane, WA
• Dec. 6th Mayor’s Holiday Party, McCrory Gardens Visitor Center, 5-7 p.m.
Draft November Agenda: Goal Setting for 2013, Next year’s History Festival, More public
education events, Annual Reports, National Trust Conference Reports, Legislative update.
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
Submitted by Shari Thornes