HomeMy WebLinkAboutBHPCMinutes_2013_06_271
Brookings Historic Preservation Commission
June 27, 2013 (amended)
A meeting of the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission was held on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at
5:00 p.m. in City Hall. Members present: Janet Gritzner, Dennis Willert, Mary Bibby, Les Rowland, Leah
Brink and Holly Fetzer-Finkler. Tom Agostini was absent. Shari Thornes, City Clerk, was also present.
Chairperson Bibby called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Leah Brink and Holly Fetzer-Finkler were
welcomed to the Commission. A motion was made by Gritzner, seconded by Rowland, to approve the
agenda. All present voted yes, motion carried. A motion was made by Brink, seconded by Gritzner, to
approve the May 16 minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Next meeting: Thursday, August 8th at 4:00 p.m. Meetings will return to 5 pm or later when school
starts.
NEW BUSINESS
Conference Call with Consultant. The Commission had a conference call with Betty Anne Beierle,
Preservation Consultant, to discuss her proposed amendments to the Brookings Historic Preservation
Ordinance.
Cultural landscapes were added to the definitions: “Cultural Landscapes are places impacted by human
endeavor including, but not limited to: topography, vegetation, and water and circulation features:
roads, paths, steps, walls, fences, benches, lights, and sculptural objects.”
The Commission discussed the extreme hardship definition. Beierle said the Supreme Court’s recent
ruling on takings will be a setback for land use across the country. It’s important for the Commission to
be able to defend the ordinance against “takings” arguments.
(12) “Extreme hardship.” The inability of owners of a historic property to make reasonable use
of their property. Extreme hardship occurs when a historic property cannot be used by the
owner or a tenant because of its condition and the historic property cannot be rehabilitated for
an amount of money that it would be reasonable for an owner to invest in a property. In
reaching a decision on whether extreme hardship exists, the BHPC or the local Historic District
Commission shall evaluate the information that the applicant submits including some or all of
the following: the current occupants of the building and their ability to make reasonable use of
it, its present condition and cost of operation each year, the cost of any repairs that are needed,
the present income from the building and the projected income from the building after repairs.
Any past listing of the Historic Resource for sale or lease, the price asked, and any offers
received on that Historic Resource.
Section 10-93 – Manner of appointment, composition, terms. No change to original language.
Thornes will check with SHPO and City Attorney on this addition: Section 10-97. Coordination with the
Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Board of Appeals and City Departments. Comments to be
given to State Historic Preservation Office. a. The Planning Commission, the Board of Adjustment, the
City Building Official and city departments shall, through the City Manager, notify the BHPC of matters
pertaining to property on or adjacent to the Local Register, the National Register of Historic Places, and
the State Register of Historic Places. The BHPC shall be given this notice about proposed work as soon
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as the matters pertaining to property on the local, state and national registers are received by the
foregoing city officials.
A motion was made by Gritzner, seconded by Rowland, to make the following change to Section 10-111.
Demolition and House Moving of Individually Listed Local Register Properties. (4)Photodocumentation.
Every application for a demolition permit or a moving permit for a Historic Resource individually listed
on the Register shall include photodocumentation. The owner must record the condition of the Historic
Resource prior to demolition with at least six (6) digital photographic images: one (1) of each of four (4)
elevations of the Historic Resource; at least one (1) overview of the Historic Resource depicting the
relationship of multiple structures or buildings, if any; and at least one (1) depicting the Historic
Resource from any nearby public right-of-way depicting the Historic Resource's location in the
streetscape. In the case of moving an individually listed Historic Resource, the owner must
photodocument both the existing resource on its current site, and the condition of the receiving site
with at least six (6) photographic images each as described above. The State Preservation Office City
Clerk shall maintain a file of these photodocuments in the State Archives that shall also be available to
the public. All present voted yes; motion carried.
A motion was made by Brink, seconded by Willert, to make the following change to Section 10-117.
Establishment of a Local Historic District Study Committee.“…..The Local Historic District Study
Committee shall investigate the district’s historical, architectural, archaeological, paleontological and
cultural significance of the buildings, structures, sites, cultural landscapes, and surroundings and the
level amount of property owner support for the proposed Local Historic District designation over a time
not to exceed one hundred and eighty (180) days, unless the Local Historic District Study Committee
requests an extension from the City Council. The Local Historic District Study Committee’s investigation
and subsequent recommendations shall comply with the criteria contained in Section 10-102 which
includes criteria adopted by the State Historical Society Board of Trustees. All present voted yes;
motion carried.
A motion was made by Gritzner, seconded by Fetzer-Fickler, to delete the following portion of Section
10-119. Action by the City Council on Nomination of a Local Historic District. The City Council may
exempt owner-occupied properties from inclusion in a Local Historic District, however, such properties
shall be included in a Local Historic District upon the change of ownership. All present voted yes;
motion carried.
A motion was made by Gritzner, seconded by Rowland, to accept the amendments to Chapter 46 of the
Revised Code of Ordinances pertaining to historic preservation in the city of Brookings, South Dakota.
All present voted yes; motion carried.
Mayor’s Awards for Historic Preservation. The Commission considered the following possible nominees
for the 2013 Mayor’s Awards:
• 1001 6th Avenue (Lockhart House) – Overall interior & exterior restoration
• 720 6th Avenue Nels Hansen House – Addition
• 521 8th Street – Porch Addition – no sure on street number (NW corner 8th St & 6th Ave)
• 517 Medary Avenue (Dawes Apartments) – Interior
• 9th Street – Restoration (no street number – NW corner 9th St & 7th Ave)
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A motion was made by Willert, seconded by Brink, to give Mayor’s Awards to 1001 6th Avenue, 521 8th
Street, and 625 9th Street. All present voted yes; motion carried.
The combined award event will be held on Thursday, September 12th. Location to be announced.
UPDATES/REPORTS
Meeting with SD Department of Transportation Secretary Bergquist regarding 6th Street Project.
Mary Bibby attended a meeting with Secretary Bergquist on June 4th and provided the following
remarks.
“Thank you for traveling to Brookings and for the opportunity to have a conversation with you about the
proposed US Highway 14 project from Main to Medary Avenue. I am here as a representative of the
Brookings Historic Preservation Commission. Our purpose is to allow the city to engage in a
comprehensive program of historic preservation to promote the inspiration, pleasure, and enrichment
of the citizens of this city and to preserve, promote and develop the historical resources of the city.
Among our charges is the responsibility to protect and preserve our cultural landscape. Within that
cultural landscape is the canopy of trees along Sixth Street between Main and Medary Avenues and the
green space provided in the boulevards. Your project description would remove the trees and much of
the boulevards in order to expand the number of existing traffic lanes and incorporate a bicycle lane
along that stretch of highway. In our view, the necessity to expand the number of lanes is not a crucial
need. I travel that route almost daily from my home on Eighth Avenue and rarely is there any
congestion. Traffic operates smoothly. What do your traffic volume studies show?
Part of the setting of the historic district on the north and south sides of the street are the old-growth
trees that have been there since the neighborhoods were developed. Those plantings were part of the
overall design and character of the neighborhoods, and removing them to widen the road even further
will create a potential for effect on both districts. Also the reduction of the front lawn of these
properties will have the potential for effect on the historic resources that front Sixth Street. Depending
on the current setback and what the new setbacks would be, this project has the potential to impact
property values and decrease said values depending on the degree of impact to these sites.
A better solution to any traffic congestion on Sixth Street would be to reconfigure the major
intersections to allow for higher volume of traffic during peak times, but maintain the four lane as it is
on the blocks in between. The other issue here is that the wider the road, the higher the tendency for
people to drive faster. Installing a bike lane along a major road like this is not going to help matters for
safety of cyclists. In fact, it could seriously increase the risk of injury or death as a vehicle speed
increases five or ten miles per hour. Putting bike lanes on Seventh or Fifth Street might be a better
solution for students to travel safely between the University and downtown.
Entrance to another community in South Dakota, slightly smaller but even richer in historic treasures,
was recently described by a visiting writer as a “characterless strip lined with the usual gas stations, fast
food outlets, motels, malls. My guidebook had promised a ‘gem-like historic town,’ but any such claims
could only be justified by the few blocks squeezed into the small business area close to the riverbank.”
In Brookings, the trees and the boulevards create a good transition to the downtown area. Brookings
does not need nor want a speedway or “characterless strip” from 22nd Avenue to Main. For those who
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wish to get around the town quickly, there is a Highway 14 bypass. For those of us who live here, please
let us keep the lovely thoroughfare we have.”
The June 7, 2013 Brookings Register issue commended Bibby for her comments.
The City Council has now asked to discuss this issue at a future Council meeting.
Final Report on National Historic Preservation Month (May) Activities. The BHPC did the following
activities to commemorate National Preservation Month: Newspaper article, solicited nominations for
the 2013 Mayor’s Awards for Historic Preservation, Mayoral Proclamation, issued the official “release”
of the new Commercial Historic District Walking Tour Brochure, and ran the first issue of the BHPC “Now
You See It” Column.
Volunteer Leadership Coffee. Bibby attended a Volunteer Leadership Coffee session with Mayor Reed
on May 16th.
Preservation Partner Reports
• Preserve South Dakota: This weekend PSD will finish their “Art of Place” event with an art show at
the Oahe Days Music and Art Festival. “Art of Place” was a month-long event to celebrate historic
places in the Pierre/Fort Pierre area and get local artists to produce new works of art based on those
historic places. They’re hopeful that the art show will raise awareness for the history and heritage
of this area, and that they can use this experience as a “pilot project” to be adapted to other
communities in the future. Watch FB page for updates on that.
They’re also in the midst of a membership drive. Their new membership brochure was provided to
members.
Kate Nelson, Executive Director, is beginning to pull together the Fall 2013 Preservation Advocate
newsletter, and story ideas are always welcome. If the BHPC has a story of a preservation project in
Brookings or something that might be interesting to PSD members, we need to let her know. They
love to include local success stories in each issue. August 1st deadline for story submittals. The
Commission suggested submitting an article on the Lockhart House at 1001 6th Avenue. Bibby will
contact the home owner.
Staff Report:
• Status of 2012/13 Grant: A remaining balance of approximately $2500 will reallocated to another project.
2012/2013 National Park Service Grant
$10,502 2012/2013 Park Service Grant
Funding Cycle: June 1, 2012 to May 1, 2013 (Amended to August 1)
Grant: $10,502 ($2,000 Basic; $8,502 Supplement)
Status: Open
Basic Allocation Funding - Project Titles:
1. Mayor’s Awards for Historic Preservation - completed
2. Public Workshop - completed
3. Membership in state and national preservation organizations - completed
Supplemental Funding – Project Titles:
1. Public Education Accredited Real Estate Workshop – completed
2. Board Development Training **
A. National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (3) - completed
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B. National Trust for Historic Preservation (1) – completed
• Status of 2013/14 Grant Application: No word on the funding award yet. SHPO usually issues grant
awards on June 1st or sooner, but it’s late due to Federal delays. SHPO’s funding was cut by 10%.
The following is a summary of our grant application:
2013/2014 National Park Service Grant
$17,282 National Park Service Grant
Funding Cycle: June 1, 2013 to August 1, 2014
Grant: $2,000 Basic; $15,282 Supplement
Status: AWARDED in 2014
Basic Funding:
1. Membership in state and national preservation organizations
2. Brookings Mayor’s Awards for Historic Preservation
Supplemental Funding – Project Titles:
1. Public Education – Bob Yapp Workshop & Seminars
2. Board Development Training **
A. National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Forum – 2014 (staff & 1 member)
• Proposed Statewide CLG Staff Meeting: Thornes is working with the City Planner from Huron to
organize a Historic Preservation staff member workshop in eastern South Dakota this fall. This idea
was discussed last year at the Norfolk Trust conference.
Historic Properties Reports
• Pending 11.1 Review – 605 Sixth Street / University District: David and Sara Kneip, owners of 605
Sixth Street, have applied for a demolition permit for a house and garage located at 605 Sixth Street.
The house is a contributing property and the garage is a non-contributing property in the Brookings
University Residential Historic District. The Kneip’s own a real estate company located adjacent to
605 Sixth Street. They wish to remove the house and garage for a 28’ x 40’ addition and additional
parking. Case report remains pending.
• Completed 11.1 Review – 306 3rd Street: The building is owned by the City and is scheduled to be
demolished and the site graded in 2013. The plan is to construct a parking lot in 2014; however, a
final design has not been determined. The structure, circa 1941, is located adjacent to the Brookings
Commercial Historic District. It was originally built as a garage/storage building/gun shed for the
former National Guard Armory, which is now the Park & Recreation Center. The Armory was built
in 1937 as a WPA project, but we don’t believe the garage was a WPA. It was remodeled in the
1970s for the Senior Citizens Center and later became the City Fire Auxiliary Building. This item is
closed. SHPO has ruled no adverse effect.
• Technical Assistance - Historic Watson Clinic, 510 Main Avenue: Thornes was contacted by the
new property owner regarding information on historic property benefits and restrictions. The
owner was referred to Paul Porter, State Restoration Specialist for the State Historic Preservation
Office (SHPO), for information on the Federal Investment Tax Credit and State Property Tax
Moratorium programs. Proposed work includes window replacement, plumbing, wiring, roof, rear
addition and interior remodeling. Further, the owner is considering façade modification to the tiled
entrance surround, brick window boxes and an awning.
Announcements/Correspondence/Communications/Calendar
October 1st Deadwood Grant Deadline
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Oct 29-Nov 2 National Trust Conference – Indianapolis
November 1st State Property Tax Moratorium Application Deadline
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Submitted by Shari Thornes