HomeMy WebLinkAboutBHPCMinutes_2013_01_101
Brookings Historic Preservation Commission
January 10, 2013
A meeting of the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission was held on Thursday, January
10, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. in City Hall. Members present: Tom Agostini, Father Ryan Hall, Mary
Bibby, Pam Merchant and Les Rowland. Janet Gritzner and Dennis Willert were absent. Kristin
Heismeyer, DBI Director, and Shari Thornes, City Clerk, were also present.
Chairperson Rowland called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. A motion was made by Bibby,
seconded by Hall, to approve the agenda. All present voted yes, motion carried. A motion was
made by Bibby, seconded by Merchant, to approve the November minutes. All present voted
yes; motion carried.
Next Meeting: Thursday, February 14th at 5:00 p.m.
New Business
New DBI Director. Kristin Heismeyer, new Downtown Brookings Inc. (DBI) Director, was
introduced to the Commission. Heismeyer said she’s working on restructuring and rebranding
DBI. She noted that DBI hasn’t been following the National Main Street Program’s four-point
approach which consists of organization, promotion, design (historic preservation) and
economic restructuring. (NOTE: The National Main Street program was founded by the
National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980 with 2,000 programs nationwide). DBI is
eliminating events that aren’t helpful to promoting business and the 4 point message. Three
events planned for 2013 are the History and Garden Festival, Taste of Brookings and a winter
event. She hopes to expand the H&G Festival to include historic re-enactments and other
events to emphasis the history and architecture of downtown.
Thornes and Heismeyer met on December 31st to discuss more involvement between the two
organizations and the following potential collaborative events, projects and resources: History
and Garden Festival (4/26-27), Mayor’s Ride & Walk (6/1), Festival of Lights Parade to include
Central Residential Historic District (12/5), Taste of Brookings (8/10), mobile application (app)
for downtown to include walking tours, QR codes, historic tours, brochure promotion, working
with the State Historic Preservation Center & Preserve SD, and local/regional/national
workshop/training opportunities through the National Trust for Historic Preservation & Main
Street Center.
Discussion regarding 2013 History & Garden Festival Workshop Co-Sponsorship. The
Commission briefly discussed co-sponsorship of a speaker at the April 26/27 Festival. February
action item.
Promotion of New Commercial Historic District Brochure. Promotion ideas include a press
release, interviews with local paper and radio, social media, government channel and website.
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Brochure Distribution; Discuss Locations & Appoint Subcommittee. The Commission
currently has four historic walking tour brochures: 1) Central Historic District & Urban
Arboretum, 2) SDSU Walking Tour, 3) Brookings Commercial Historic District – A Walking Tour,
and 4) University Residential Historic District. Brochures will be distributed in increments of
25 with monthly follow-up. Volunteers were asked to obtain contact names, numbers and
emails for each location. The following locations & corresponding volunteers were identified:
1. Chamber of Commerce Heismeyer
2. Student Union Merchant (prior University permission is required)
3. Brookings Public Library Heismeyer
4. Hilton Briggs Library Bibby
5. Agricultural Heritage Museum Heismeyer
6. Community Cultural Center Heismeyer
7. SDSU Alumni Center Bibby
8. SD Art Museum Heismeyer
9. McCrory Gardens Visitor Center Father Ryan
10. Children’s Museum Heismeyer
Heismeyer also volunteered to distribute 500 brochures to several additional downtown and
hotel locations.
“New Article.” Bibby reported the Brookings Register has agreed to accept the new article
feature and will seek a sponsor. Gritzner is picking out buildings that may already have a story.
Agostini will take pictures of interesting architectural features. Narratives and pictures should
be submitted to Thornes for set-up. Additionally, the feature can be promoted on the city’s
website, channel and social media. Heismeyer also offered to promote the picture on the
Chamber’s email newsletter.
Appoint Nominating Committee. Agostini and Willert volunteered to serve on the nominating
committee and provide a recommended slate of officers at the February meeting.
Ordinance Recodification Project. Thornes said the City is mandated by the City Charter to
review and update its Code of Ordinances every 10 years. That process started this month and
will continue throughout 2013. Changes can include routine corrections and any state statute
updates.
US 14 Main Ave to Medary Avenue SDDOT Project. The BHPC received correspondence from
the SD Department of Transportation Environmental requesting written comments and
concerns regarding proposed project P-PH 0014(179)419 PCN 027B – US14 from Main Avenue
to Medary Avenue in Brookings including the intersections of US 145th Avenue and US 14/7th
Avenue. The scope of the project scope is expected to include removal and replacement of
existing surfacing, storm sewer, sidewalk, curb and gutters, ADA ramps, lighting and signals. The
project is scheduled for February 2016. An excerpt from the SDDOT Executive Summary stated,
“On a 9/28/12 Scoping meeting a decision was made to reconstruct Main to Medary to a 5-lane
section with additional width for bike lanes for the reasons outlined as follows: Both sections
adjacent are 5-lane sections (Medary to 22nd and Main to HY14 bypass), it would not make
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sense to neck down to a 4-lane section in the 2 block residential area only, the trees in the
residential area are within the ROW so it was recommended to remove them to accommodate
the 5-lane section, and bike lanes are going to be included on this section to accommodate bike
traffic to the university.”.
Three blocks of the Central Residential National Historic District abut the proposed project on
the south. Four and one-half blocks of the University Residential Historic District abut the
proposed project on the north. The proposed project would eliminate the north and south
boulevards and tree canopy. It is unknown how many trees would be affected. Thornes
contacted the City Park and Director, City Engineer and State Historic Preservation Office and
none were aware of this project. Thornes also contacted SDDOT Environmental Office and
learned the project is very early in the review process. Public hearings will be held in the
future; however, the Environmental Office is seeking comments now. No deadline was given.
Thornes suggested BHPC members meet with Mayor Reed to discuss concerns about the
proposed project and request his assistance in SDDOT negotiations.
The Commission asked for a draft letter of response to review at the February meeting. The
letter should include any references from the Preservation Plan and City Comprehensive Plan
regarding the importance of the tree canopy to the city and the historic district.
Continued Discussion on 2013 Goals & Objectives. Members were asked to come to the
February meeting prepared to prioritize goals and objectives. Thornes recommended
emphasis on public education initiatives, commission education and ordinance clarification.
Discussion regarding 2013-14 Funding Application. Deferred to February meeting; however,
staff will need direction at that time in order to prepare funding applications.
Updates/Reports
Proposed Ordinance Amending Conditional Use Permit Process.
At the November 8th meeting, the BHPC passed a motion instructing staff to submit the
following letter to the City Council:
November 19, 2012
Mayor & City Council Members
Brookings City & County Government Building
520 3rd St. / PO Box 270
Brookings, SD 57006
Dear Mayor Reed and Brookings City Council Members:
During our November 8th meeting, the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission unanimously passed a
motion for the BHPC to submit a letter to the Brookings City Council outlining our concerns regarding the
Conditional Use Permit Process: “A motion was made by Bibby, seconded by Willert, to write a letter to the
Brookings City Council thanking them for their attention to the BHPC’s concerns regarding the Conditional Use
Permit Process. The concerns of the motion are as follows:
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1. Lengthen or intensify public notice with at least two notices in the legals section of the newspaper;
2. Lengthen the appeal process beyond five (5) days;
3. Provide mandatory written notice to neighbors of conditional use applications;
4. Follow the mandate as set forth from the State Historic Preservation Office regarding SDCL 1-19B-11.1
review (see attached letter); and
5. Require any application which modifies the exterior or environs of an historic property to be submitted to
the City Council for final decision, in the same manner as provided for in appeal.”
As a follow-up to the initial motion, BHPC representatives met with Community Development staff on
Thursday, November 15th, to determine how the Commission’s concerns could be incorporated in the
proposed Conditional Use revisions. Given time constraints of the first meeting, a follow-up meeting with
Community Development will be held this Tuesday morning, November 20th, from 8:00 to 9:00 am to continue
the discussion. Community Development and BHPC staff will summarize the discussion of these meetings
during the City Council Study Session on Tuesday afternoon.
Sincerely,
Les Rowland, Chair
Brookings Historic Preservation Commission
Enclosure
Since November, Thornes, Willert, Bibby and Rowland have met with City Planning staff to
negotiate amendments that would address the BHPC cited concerns in the conditional use
process. The following amendment was submitted to the City Council on November 20th.
Sec. 94-224. Information on Site Plan
17. Historic District/Place – provide completed review by SD State Historic Preservation Office as required by
Chapter 46 of the Municipal Code.
This addition will require an applicant, who has submitted an application for a conditional use permit on
property in a historic district or historic place, to submit their data to the BHPC/SD SHPO for all applicable
reviews. The reviews would need to be completed prior to action by the PC.
Sec. 94-226.5 Appeal has been revised back to its original form except for the change in the appeal time period
from five (5) days to ten (10) days.
The City Council had tabled action on the proposed Ordinance until December 4th. On
December 4th, a motion was made to remove the item from the table; however, the motion
failed. The issue remains pending.
Proposed Legislation. The BHPC has been working with other CLGS in the state to revise HPC
residency requirements. However, a number of CLGS were late in their review responses, so
the decision has been made to wait until the 2014 Legislative Session to submit legislation.
Draft legislation language –1-19B-3. Composition of preservation commission--
Residence--Terms of office. The Historic Preservation Commission shall consist of not less
than five nor more than ten members, who shall be appointed by the governing body
with due regard to proper representation of such fields as history, architecture, urban
planning, archaeology, paleontology, and law. All members of the commission shall
reside within the jurisdiction of the county or municipality establishing the commission
and shall serve for terms not to exceed three years, being eligible for reappointment as
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shall be specified by the governing body. Residency requirements shall be as specified
by the governing body.
Preservation Partner Reports: SHPO, DBI & PSD. No further reports.
Historic Properties Reports: SHPO staff, Rowland and Thornes met with SDSU officials to
discuss window replacement options for the State Agricultural Heritage Museum. This project is
slated for May 2013.
Draft February Agenda: Continued Discussion on 2013 Goals & Objectives, Annual Reports,
Election of Officers, 2013-14 Funding Application, Proposed Amendments** (** An assessment
of the ordinance was conducted by the BHPC consultant pursuant to concerns cited in the 2012
planning retreat. Proposed amendments were provided to the BHPC members for initial
discussion at the February meeting. Additional review and corroboration will be needed to
include SHPO, National Trust officials and previous BHPC leadership. A conference call with the
consultant would also be beneficial. These ordinance amendments will not be considered during
the Ordinance Recodification project noted earlier in the minutes).
Meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
Submitted by Shari Thornes