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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Historic Preservation Commission - Meeting Date: 4/22/2010 r$76 Historic Preservation Commission ii Minutes GLENIIE THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 7:00 P.M. GLENDALE CITY HALL 5850 WEST GLENDALE AVENUE, ROOM 2A CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at approximately 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Becky Shady, Jim Grose,Nancy Lenox, Mary Lou McNeil City Staff Present: Ron Short, FAICP, Deputy Director for Long Range Planning, Karen Flores, AICP, Historic Preservation Liaison, Marilyn Clark, Recording Secretary, Crystal Miller, Senior Secretary, and Pam Wertz, Assistant Director for Building Safety APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Chairperson Shady called for approval of the minutes of the meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission for March 25, 2010. Commissioner McNeil made a motion to approve, Commissioner Grose seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. BUILDING CODES: Pam Wertz, Assistant Building Safety Director, provided a presentation regarding the application of building codes to historic properties. Ms. Wertz explained that building codes are minimum standards intended to protect life or limb, health, property, and public welfare. Glendale adopted its first building code in 1965 which was the 1964 Uniform Building Code. The codes establish uses or occupancies of buildings and assign an occupancy type, such as R Occupancy for residential or B Occupancy for business. Questions that arose with historic buildings relate to how much they can be changed to make them green or update them while maintaining the historic character. The 1964 code, for example, established minimum standards for window sizes in all rooms used for living, dining, or sleeping of 12 square feet or 1/8th of the floor area of the room. Over time the codes have changed, especially for bedrooms. The 1970 code required that every bedroom below the fourth floor have at least one window or exterior door approved for emergency exit or rescue, and that window sill heights be a maximum of 48 inches above the floor. Historical homes can retain many features as they were originally built, but it is important that residents are aware of the risks of some features such as small windows which may be too small for firemen to enter with their gear and perform rescue operations. April 22,2010 Minutes Historic Preservation Commission Page 2 Because they are occupied by a single family, homes are considered less risky than businesses that serve the public, so greater restrictions are placed on businesses. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations must be met. Bathrooms in older homes being converted to businesses can present challenges due to their small size, and ramps must be installed according to prescribed specifications. Each occupancy type is assigned a minimum required square footage per person, and has restrictions regarding building materials and number of exits. An alternate code is the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) which offers more flexibility in the use of alternative approaches to achieve compliance with minimum requirements. The IEBC applies to the repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition, and relocation of all existing buildings, and thus does a nice job of addressing issues with historic buildings. Challenges with meeting codes for various historic properties in Glendale were discussed. CENTENNIAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION BUS TOURS: Karen Flores, AICP, Staff Liaison provided an update regarding the three Centennial Historic Preservation bus tours scheduled for Saturday, May 22, 2010, from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon. Notification materials have been drafted and will be provided to the Mayor and Council members, the City Manager's Office, Boards and Commissions, and to the public through the city website and a press release next week. • Preliminary itineraries have been prepared for each of the three tours, and a narrative and photos for the various historic resources to be visited are being prepared. This information will be incorporated into booklets to be distributed to the participants. The bus tours will be as follows: Bus#1: Glendale Gems Tour The Glendale Gems Tour will provide walking tours of the First United Methodist Church Sanctuary, Glendale High School Auditorium, the First National Bank Building, and Thunderbird Control Tower. (Karen Flores, AICP, Staff Liaison to the Historic Preservation Commission,will be the tour guide.) Bus#2: Historic Homes and Districts Tour The Historic Homes and Districts Tour will consist of walking tours through three historic homes / buildings and armchair tours aboard the bus of Catlin Court, Northfield, Glendale Tract, and Thunderbird Estates/McDonald Addition Historic Districts. (Ron Short, FAICP, Historic Preservation Officer will be the tour guide.) April 22,2010 Minutes Historic Preservation Commission Page 3 Bus#3: Grand Historic Landmarks Tour The Grand Historic Landmarks Tour will consist of a guided tour through Sahuaro Ranch and Manistee Ranch. Key points of interest will include walking tours of the main house and guest house at Sahuaro Ranch, and the house and office building at Manistee Ranch. (Jon M. Froke, AICP, Planning Director,will be the tour guide.) Thirty-three seats are available on each of the three buses, and reservations will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT GRANT PROJECTS Ron Short, FAICP, the Historic Preservation Officer, provided an update regarding Certified Local Government Grant projects currently in process. SHPO has forwarded nominations for the Northfield and Thunderbird Estates/McDonald Addition Historic Districts to the Keeper of the Register, and final approval is anticipated in the next couple of months. The nomination package for the Sands Estates Historic District has been completed and sent to SHPO. Review by the Site Selection Committee has been scheduled for October. PROCLAMATION FOR NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH OF MAY 2010 Karen Flores, AICP, Staff Liaison provided copies of the text for Glendale's Proclamation for National Historic Preservation Month of May 2010 to the Commission and other staff members. Commission members were encouraged to attend the meeting of the City Council on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, when the Mayor will present the proclamation to Becky Shady, Chairperson for the Historic Preservation Commission. STAFF REPORT Ms. Flores officially welcomed Nancy Lenox as a new member of the Commission on behalf of other members of the Commission and staff. She indicated that Jacoba Worsdell and Gary Hirsch will be sworn in as new members of the Historic Preservation Commission by the Mayor at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. Commissioners were encouraged to attend the City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, when the Ruth Byrne Award will be presented to Natalie Stahl and Mrs. Henning's After School Technology Class. Chairperson Becky Shady, Vice Chair James Grose, and Commissioner Nancy Lenox, who were beginning new terms, signed Oaths of Loyalty. Commissioners were reminded that the 2010 State Historic Preservation Conference will take place in Flagstaff, on May 13 — 14, 2010. A total of five scholarships for the registration are available for staff and Commissioners. Ron Short, FAICP, Historic Preservation Officer, will be attending and four scholarships are remaining for Commissioners wishing to attend. Karen Flores, AICP, Staff Liaison, will not be attending. April 22,2010 Minutes Historic Preservation Commission Page 4 Speakers for future Commission meetings will be Diane Nevill in May, regarding the history of the Glendale library, and Richard Prouty in June, regarding the Arizona Memory Project. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:00 p.m. NEXT MEETING: May 27, 2010. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Clark, ecording Secretary