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Brookings Historic Preservation Commission
February 19, 2015 Minutes (amended)
A meeting of the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission was held on Thursday, February 19, 2015
at 4:00 p.m. in City Hall. Members present: Mary Bibby, Les Rowland, Janet Merriman, Janet Gritzner
and Tom Agostini. Leah Brink and Dennis Willert were absent. Shari Thornes, City Clerk, was also
present.
Chairperson Rowland called the meeting to order. A motion was made by Bibby, seconded by Gritzner,
to approve the agenda. All present voted yes, motion carried. A motion was made by Merriman,
seconded by Bibby, to approve the minutes as amended. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, March 19th at 4:00 p.m.
Tabled: Discussion and possible action on an 11.1 Review Case Report for 9th Street Vacation between
Medary and 9th Avenues, South Dakota State University, applicant. South Dakota State University has
applied to vacate a portion of two streets in or adjacent to the Brookings University Residential Historic
District. SDSU wishes to vacate one full block of Harvey Dunn Street, which is adjacent to the District,
from Medary Avenue to 9th Street. They also have applied to vacate the east half of 9th Street, which is
located in the District, from Medary Avenue to 9th Street.
SDSU property is located in the proposed vacated portion of 9th Street and the remaining half block
would consist of SDSU parking to the north and contributing District residential property to the south.
The Brookings Historic Preservation Commission expressed concern at a previous meeting that the 9th
Street vacation could negatively impact two historic structures, 902 and 912 9th Street. There is concern
that the elimination of a through street could reduce the future usability of both structures for
residential, commercial or public uses.
The applicant appeared before the Commission on December 5, 2014. The Commission took the action:
“A motion was made by Brink, seconded by Willert, stating the BHPC has determined there is insufficient
information in the case report to provide comment and this item was tabled until the applicant could
provide the following information: the applicant is asked to provide information on traffic counts for
the proposed plan (with and without closing Harvey Dunn), the lighting plan adjacent to the District, a
landscaping plan to buffer the parking lot from the District, consideration to leave Harvey Dunn open,
and revise the case report to include a complete narrative of all feasible and prudent alternatives that
have been explored. All present voted yes, motion carried.”
Steve Erpenbach, President & CEO, South Dakota State University Foundation, said based on input they
received from neighbors and the city, they’ve decided a better plan would be to leave Harvey Dunn
Street open as a common thoroughfare from Medary Avenue and to limit the street closure to the east
half block of 9th Street.
Chad Kucker, Confluence Landscape Design, developed a revised plan based on those comments. He
noted the new plan includes a drop-off half circle on Harvey Dunn for the University House. Scobey Hall
and parking lot will stay the same at this point. An arch-shaped sidewalk from the parking lot was added
to provide better access to SD Art Museum. Ninth Street would be vacated on the east half. Existing
alley on west side of Lohr building would be widened to 27 feet. No perpendicular parking would be
added. He noted a loading area into the alumni center. The lighting will be center of the lot and not on
the perimeter, but this won’t occur until Scobey Hall is removed and the lot is redone.
Mike Lockrem, SDSU Director of Marketing and Communication, said they had conducted light readings
in three main lots on campus: big east lot, alumni green lot and Daktronics lot. Readings were taken
under lights and in between the lights. According to the Energy Trust of Oregon recommendations, a
non-profit organization that publishes best practices for lighting tasks, the recommended average
maintained horizontal foot candle for a neighborhood parking lot is 1.0. The range is recommended
between .5-2. By comparison, NCAA recommended FC for a football stadium is 50 for games not on TV
(Coughlin). NFL stadiums are about 125.
The readings for SDSU lots: Big East Lot – 1.0-1.5 under the light/.66 in-between lights/.5 along eighth
near student married house/.3-.5 along garden square; Daktronics Lot – 1.0-1.5 under the light/.30 in-
between lights/.8 average on the exits; and Alumni Green Lot – 1.0-1.5 under the lights/.44 between
lights/between .1-.3 on the perimeter. Other comparisons using the same principles: Wall Mart – 1.2
average, Main Street – 1.1 average, Movie Lot – 1.4 average. Lockrem noted all readings were within or
less than the recommended average and still met safety and security requirements.
Rowland asked the width of the buffer at the Daktronics lot and if it was wide enough for tree species
that provided buffer. He recommended the boulevard and buffer in the new lot be wide enough to
accommodate a variety of tree species to provide an instant buffer to the residential neighborhood.
He asked if the lighting style would be similar to that of the Daktronics lot. Yes.
Commission members asked if there would be a way to slow down traffic exiting from 9th and the
parking lot. They recommended a bump-out design similar to downtown.
There will be no changes to parking lot until Scobey Hall is removed.
Jeff Weldon, City Manager, noted that the half-circle driveway at the President’s House would be out of
the city’s right-of-way and SDSU’s responsibility to plow and maintain.
No changes will occur with Woodbine Cottage or the Rammed earth wall.
ACTION: A motion by Merriman, seconded by Gritzner, to agree with the findings of the case report as
amended, which included not vacating Harvey Dunn Street, a landscape plan for the parking lot to buffer
it from the neighborhood, and downward lighting in the center of the lot. All present voted yes; except
Bibby, motion carried.
Pending:
Conditional Use Permit for a 15 unit apartment at 9th Avenue and 8th Street. Rowland advised that
this project was no longer planned. Thornes had already received calls from neighbors expressing
concern.
Demolition permit and new construction plan for 722 7th Avenue. Thornes said the owner wishes to
remove the existing structure and build a one-story residential home on the lot. The home was built in
1899 and is non-contributing in the District. The home’s foundation is failing, the electrical and
plumbing need total replacement, and there are no remaining historical materials such as trim, flooring
or architectural elements inside or outside of the structure. He feels even if a total rehabilitation was
completed, the end result would not be a desirable home.
The proposed new house would be single story, 30’x48’, with a front porch and a double projecting
gable. The materials would be LP siding, aluminum clad windows and asphalt shingles. The proposal
was for casement-style windows; however, the owner is willing to install double-hung windows if more
appropriate for the neighborhood. The home would be income producing.
Removal of the structure located at 722 7th Avenue is not perceived as a negative impact to the District.
The proposed structure, if built with the design modification of double-hung windows, would not be
considered a negative impact on the District.
PROJECT/ ISSUE UPDATES & FINAL REPORTS:
City Planning Commission Comprehensive Plan Review. The City Planning Commission is holding a
series of special meetings to review the current 2020 Comprehensive Plan. They have invited the BHPC
to send representative(s) to a meeting to provide information and answer questions related to the
historic resources in Brookings. The BHPC is scheduled to attend the March 5th meeting from 4 to 6
p.m.
The Planning Commission is seeking a general conversation on updating the information in the Vision
2020 Plan. This would include any changes to the existing historic district boundaries, the Historic
Preservation Plan strategies and priorities, and any future goals that the HPC may want to attain during
the planning period (2015-2035).
The Commission identified the following general topics: post-modern National Register listings,
expansion of existing Districts, Local Register properties and districts, and design guidelines.
House Bill 1165. HB1165 was approved by the Local Government Committee on Tuesday, February
17. Rowland and Bibby drove to Pierre to the hearing and provide testimony. It unanimously passed
the House on consent on February 18.
Hosting 2015 Statewide CLG Meeting. A statewide CLG meeting was held in Pierre last May.
Brookings offered to host the 2015 meeting. June or September has been suggested. It will be
important to find a date that state staff is able to attend. Thornes will contact CLG staff and
commission chairs for topic and date input.
Public Education Committee Report. The subcommittee will be meeting with Thornes to work on the
property owner flyer.
Old Park & Recreation Building (former National Guard Armory). Rowland said a group are working on
developing an adaptive reuse plan for the old Park and Recreation building at 221 Main Avenue. They
are studying different possible uses for the space. Ideas include an artist gallery and retail space.
Merriman suggested a community theater space. The current entrance and bathrooms are not
accessible. Thornes noted that there are planning grants available for feasibility studies.
PRESERVATION PARTNERS:
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). SHPO staff is currently working on the state historic
conference and annual meeting planning. They are also considering doing an educational piece for
insurance companies. They’ve learned that there is a misunderstanding among many insurance
companies about national register properties and their value.
Downtown Brookings Inc. (DBI). DBI has hired Elliott Johnson as its new executive director. Their
monthly meetings will be held the fourth Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS/CORRESPONDENCE/COMMUNICATIONS/CALENDAR.
• Feb 27th: Evaluating Replacement Windows Webinar - 11:00 AM EST.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/953699158249400577
ADVANCED LEVEL: Windows are a significant feature of most historic buildings, and there are few
rehabilitation projects that do not involve windows. Applying the Secretary of the Interior's
Standards for Rehabilitation to the treatment of windows in a project involves both a justification
for replacement and an evaluation of the characteristics of the replacement windows.
In this 60-minute webinar we will review existing NPS policies for applying the Secretary’s Standards
to window replacement and look in some detail at how to evaluate any proposed replacement
windows. Specific topics will include:
• Understanding how the condition and location of the existing windows can affect the needed
characteristics of the replacements.
• Comparing the various levels of replacement from sash-only to rough opening installations.
• Correlating drawing details with visual effects of the installed material.
• Comparing the possibilities and limitations of various materials.
• Identifying common deficiencies in matching historic windows and opportunities to correct those
deficiencies.
Speaker: John Sandor, Architectural Historian, National Park Service
• March 5, Planning Commission comp plan meeting regarding historic preservation, 4-6 pm
• May 1-2, History & Garden Festival is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, 221 Main Ave
• May 29-30 SDSHS Annual History Conference in Pierre w/ SDSHS Board Meeting
• June 9-11th – SHPO Archaeology Camp for Kids
• July 7-9 – SHPO Section 106 Training in Pierre w/ the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation
Meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m.
Submitted by Shari Thornes