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HDC_10 06 2022Little Rock HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 723 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax:(501) 399-3435 www.littlerock.gov LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION AGENDA Thursday, October 6, 2022, 4:00 p.m. Willie Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12th Street Roll Call Members Present: Chair, Amber Jones Mark Hinson Christina Aleman Jonathan Nunn Tom Fennell Amber Haugen Members Present: Vice Chair, Robert Hodge Deputy City Attorney: Sherri Latimer Staff Present: Hannah Ratzlaff Walter Malone Jamie Collins Citizens Present: Elizabeth Moses Erma Sanders Mary Lisa Kessler Janet McDonald James McDonald Barbara Jones Glen Lang Gladys Hatton Prince Chinney Larry Hughes Andrew Jones Ann Swanigan Bobby Mathews Betty Ford Phyllis Brown Muskie Harris Mae Lee Isom Carolyn L Black Paulette Davis Eric Bridges Betty Givan Larry Hawkins James N Mae Young Demetra Brown Shirley Burse Ronnie Burse Shirley Robinson Angela Matthews Janet Perkins Kim Dade Patricia Blick Sheila Miles Beverly Bryant Sandra Brossard Denise Leeson Bonnie Jones Lois Mack Linda Alexander Garnes Boles Rosa Swain Gary Persons II. Finding a Quorum Quorum was present being six (6) in number. III. Minutes A. September 1, 2022 The minutes were approved with no corrections or amendments by a motion, a second, and a voice vote. IV. National Register Nominations 1. None V. Deferred Certificates of Appropriateness 1. None VI. New Certificates of Appropriateness ITEM NO.: ONE FILE NO.: HDC2022-23 NAME: Local Ordinance District LOCATION: Central High School Neighborhood Historic District OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: City of Little Rock Planning & Development Department 723 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR, 72201 AREA: 306.98 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 1,058 WARD: 1 HISTORIC DISTRICT: Central High School Neighborhood Historic District HISTORIC STATUS: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places 1996, boundary increase 2012 CURRENT ZONING: Various A. BACKGROUND Location The subject area is the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District (Figure 1). The property's legal description is: Beginning at a point at the southeast corner of the intersection South Summit Street and West 18th Street at UTM E 564493 N 3843736, the boundary follows South Summit Street approximately 0.1 miles south to a point at the northeast comer of the intersection of South Summit Street and Wright Avenue at UTM E 564489 N 3843582. It then follows Wright Avenue southeast approximately 0.34 miles to a point at the northwest corner of the intersection of Wright Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at UTM E 565035 N 3843558, where it then follows Martin Luther King Jr. Drive north approximately 0.17 miles to a point at the southwest corner of the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and West 17th Street at UTM E 565043 N 3843828. The boundary then follows West 17th Street approximately 0.27 miles west to a point at the southeast corner of the intersection of West 17th Street and South Battery Street UTM E 564606 N 3843844, where it follows South Battery Street approximately 0.1 miles south to a point at the northwest corner of the intersection of South Battery Street and West 18th Street UTM E 564603 N 3843734. It then follows West 18th Street approximately miles west to the beginning. The City of Little Rock has 24 National Register historic districts (Figure 2). A National Register historic district is a geographically definable area with a significant concentration of buildings, structures, sites, spaces, or objects unified by past events, physical development, design, setting, materials, workmanship, sense of cohesiveness, or related historical and aesthetic associations. It is a national, honorary designation. Of the 24 districts, there is currently only one that is also a local ordinance district within the city, the MacArthur Park Historic District. A local ordinance historic district is a geographically definable area in which historic structures and their setting are protected by public review, typically by a Historic District Commission. In 1976, the City of Little Rock established the Little Rock Historic District Commission (Ord. 13,154). In 1981, the City of Little Rock established the MacArthur Park Local Ordinance District (Ord. 14,042). No other local ordinance districts have been established in the city. The Central High School Neighborhood Historic District was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, PU9772. In 2012, the district was expanded by 9 blocks to increase the number of historically significant resources. The district is comprised of 82.5 blocks of the Wright Avenue and Central High neighborhoods (there are 25 blocks within the district shared between the two neighborhoods). Today, the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District is an endangered historical resource due to demolitions, property neglect, and incompatible alterations. The creation of a local ordinance district is proposed to retain and steward the surviving historical character and value of the neighborhoods; safeguard property owner access to economic development tools; and strengthen and stabilize the economy of the neighborhoods. There are 950 existing sites within the district, of these: 555 are contributing, 385 are non-contributing, 9 are independently listed, and 1 is a National Historic Landmark. The period of significance of the district is 1870 to 1961. The district has more than 150 years of physical history and more than 15 different architectural styles. In total, Little Rock has 5 National Historic Landmarks and nearly 4,400 individual historical sites. The historical sites in Central High School Neighborhood Historic District make up 12.6% of Little Rock's contributing and independently listed structures and is the second largest historic district in the city by area and number of sites. Only the Hillcrest Historic District is larger. Recent Action On August 16, 1996, the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On July 7, 2012, the district was expanded to the west side of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive between West 17th Street and Wright Avenue. 91 M x On July 14, 2022, the proposal to establish a local ordinance district was presented to the Planning Commission pursuant to A.C.A. § 14-172-207 and received unanimous approval. On July 20, 2022, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program submitted a letter of support for the proposal. PROPOSALIREQUESTIAPPLICANT'S STATEMENT: The City of Little Rock Planning & Development Department requests a local ordinance district be established for the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District. EXISTING CONDITIONS: See Local Ordinance District Report — Application (Attachment A). NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Staff received two comments in support of the application (Attachments G and H) at this time. Staff received zero comments in opposition at this time. Staff received 11 informational calls and emails about the application at this time. All owners of properties located within the district and all neighborhood associations registered with the City of Little Rock intersecting the district were notified of the public hearing. E. ANALYSIS: In order to create a local ordinance district, the City of Little Rock must follow the requirements mandated by Arkansas (A.C.A. §§ 14-172-201, et seq.) and the City's Historic Preservation Ordinance (Little Rock, Ark, Rev. Code ("LRC") 23- 100(c)). See Attachments C and D. The Planning & Development Department has followed these requirements. The boundaries of the proposed historic district are identical to and encompass the area of the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District, pursuant to A.C.A. § 14-172-203(2). An investigation and report of the historic significance of the district has been prepared pursuant to A.C.A. § 14-172-207(1)(A)(i) and LRC 23- 100(c). The report was provided to the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and the City of Little Rock Planning Commission for recommendations to the Historic District Commission. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program has recommended approval of the proposal (Attachment E). The City of Little Rock Planning Commission has recommended approval of the proposal (Attachment F). Pursuant to state statute and local ordinance, public notice of the hearing before the Historic District Commission is required by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, the first publication to be at least twenty (20) days prior to the public hearing. In compliance with these requirements, public notice of the hearing was published once a week for four (4) consecutive weeks with the first publication being 23 days prior to the hearing. Additionally, a letter was mailed to all 822 property owners in the district on September 1, 2022, notifying them of the hearing and providing information on the proposal (Attachment 1). Equally, notifications of the hearing and the proposal have been posted periodically to the Historic District Commission's social media sites —Facebook and Instagram—prior to the hearing. In addition to the proposal report, a proposed ordinance to establish the local ordinance district is presented. If approved by the Historic District Commission, the ordinance will be presented to the Board of Directors. The ordinance (Attachment B) establishes the boundaries of the local ordinance district to be identical to the existing National Register historic district, pursuant to A.C.A. § 14-172-203(2). Planning & Development Department staff met with two neighborhood associations to discuss the proposed district, i.e., the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association and the Central High Neighborhood Inc. ("CHNI"). Below are the primary comments resulting from these meetings: •Consider a less expensive alternative to using a licensed abstractor for public notice addresses. • Include tree preservation regulations in the future design guidelines. • Request for the future design guidelines to focus on two goals: the preservation and increase of contributing historic structures to the district and the prevention of demolition to contributing and likely contributing structures. Request to avoid guidelines for projects outside these goals, such as site design. • Request that the two additional positions on the Historic District Commission be representatives of the two neighborhood associations: one owner and occupant of property within the Wright Avenue neighborhood and one owner and occupant of property within the Central High neighborhood. F. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the proposed local ordinance district for the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District. G. COMMISSION ACTION October f. 2022 Chair Amber Jones announced Item No, 1. Hannah Ratzlaff, staff and Planning & Development (applicant) representative, made a presentation to the Commission and read the recommendations on the local ordinance district from the Planning Commission and the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Chair Jones opened comment to petitioners. The Quapaw Quarter Association spoke in support of the proposal. Denise Leeson, President of the Central High Neighborhood, Inc., spoke in support of the proposal with specific requests as stated in a letter submitted to the Commission. Ms. Leeson spoke of the need for flexibility and alternatives within the design guidelines and to allow flexibility within the application process, specifically concerning the requirement of using a licensed abstractor for public notices. Sheila Miles, President of the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association, spoke to the proposal neutrally with specific requests as stated in a letter submitted to the Commission. Ms. Miles spoke of: the need for the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association ("WANA") representation on the Commission; the involvement of residents and the WANA in the construction of the future design guidelines; the protection of the historic fabric within the WANA area; concerns of displacement; concerns of burdens to low income and fixed income residents; and the request for the local ordinance district to have a separate name from the National Register Historic District name, i.e., the "Wright Avenue Neighborhood Historic District." Ms. Miles shared a concern about the future inclusion of the WANA in the process moving forward stating that early drafts of the LOD report omitted the WANA by name. Ms. Miles requested that the proposal be deferred in order to answer resident concerns. Several other interested persons spoke in support of the proposal. Chair Jones opened comment to objectors or interested parties. Several interested persons posed questions to staff, primarily concerning the proposed boundary of the district, the application process, project types that would require approval administratively or by the Commission, and the use and eligibility of Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits for property owners. Several persons spoke in opposition to the proposal. Ms. Phyllis Brown spoke in opposition to the proposal with concerns of regulation of the Central High School, additional regulations on resident homeowners, and the use of the Capitol Zoning District Commission regulations on the area. One gentleman said that he did not want the City or the Commission to tell him what he could and could not do the exterior of his property. Ms. Ratzlaff provided a rebuttal and answered questions from the Commission and citizens present. Ms. Ratzlaff addressed the concerns presented by Ms. Leeson. She stated that, if the ordinance passed, the design guidelines would be composed in partnership with a consultant with high expectations of community participation. Ms. Ratzlaff addressed the concerns presented by Ms. Miles. She stated that the next item on the agenda proposed an increase in HDC membership to provide direct representation of the new local ordinance district should the proposal pass. She restated the process for the drafting of the future design guidelines for the district. Concerning affordability and displacement, she stated that the Commission was currently researching ways to strengthen its economic hardship process. She also stated that many communities across the county adopted locally regulated districts as a tool to maintain affordability and reduce displacement in their neighborhoods through the public review of demolitions and new construction, and the continued access to state and federal economic preservation tools. Ms. Ratzlaff clarified that the local ordinance district would not set minimum requirements for maintenance of properties. Property conditions would continue to be monitored and regulated by Housing & Neighborhood Program standards for safety, as they currently are citywide. Ms. Ratzlaff spoke to Ms. Miles' concerns about the draft of the LOD report and the omission of the WANA and clarified that the early draft report focused on the historic narrative of the historic district and did not focus on the history of the neighborhood associations themselves. She stated that the in the early draft, the historic district name was written in short form as the "Central High Neighborhood Historic District" and was then corrected to the "Central High School Neighborhood Historic District". She apologized for the confusion and understood the concern. She stated that the draft was put out for neighborhood comment before it was finalized so that corrections and concerns could be identified at the early stage and the correction of the name came from this step. She stated that the district name was chosen when the district was nominated in 1996 and likely did not have anything to do with neighborhood association names, rather the shared history of the area found in the school. She stated the request for the local ordinance district to have a separate name is not within the consideration of the Historic District Commission and would be best addressed at the Board of Directors meeting for this proposal. She explained that the local ordinance district boundaries were identical to the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District boundaries. Pursuant to Arkansas law, if the City is the entity to propose the district, rather than a majority of property owners by petition, the boundaries of the LOD must be identical to the existing National Register Historic District. Ms. Ratzlaff stated that the WANA and the CHNI have been included in the proposal process since July and it would continue to be a priority of staff to keep the neighborhood associations involved throughout the process. Addressing Ms. Brown's concerns, Ms. Ratzlaff clarified that the proposed local ordinance district would not impose regulations on the Central High School site since the National Historic Landmark was regulated at the federal level. She also clarified that the Little Rock Historic District Commission ("HDC") was not the same body as the Capitol Zoning District Commission ("CZDC"). The Central High School Neighborhood Historic District is not within the CZDC regulation boundaries. She explained the CZDC is a special planning and historic preservation commission operating at the state level which regulates land use and development standards in areas of the city surrounding the Governor's Mansion and the Arkansas State Capitol. Ms. Ratzlaff confirmed that the Little Rock HDC is a separate entity with separate processes and standards and operates at the local level through the City's Planning & Development Department. Ms. Brown posed questions about tax credits for her home. Chair Amber Jones spoke to the process and the eligibility of state and federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits. Ms. Miles stated that the WANA was purposefully excluded from the draft proposal and requested that the item be deferred. A resident in the proposed district asked why they did not receive a letter in the mail like her neighbors. Ms. Ratzlaff said that only property owners within the proposed local ordinance district boundaries were notified since properties outside of the district boundaries would not be affected. She stated that residents who did not receive letters that awned property in the district might have received them at their mailing address listed with the County Assessor. She encouraged property owners to keep their preferred mailing addresses up-to-date and make sure it was correct with the County Assessor so that they would receive notification letters in the future. Chair Jones opened Commissioner discussion of the item. Commissioner Aleman took a moment to share with present citizens about her experience as a property owner and resident in a local ordinance district. She asked staff what would happen between the time the local ordinance district is approved (if it is passed by the Board) and the guidelines were approved for the new local ordinance district. Staff responded that the new LOD would temporarily adopt the current MacArthur Park guidelines until the new guidelines were created. Staff shared that she would provide the MacArthur Park guidelines to attendees via email and social media and that they were available also at the Planning and Development office and online on the City's website. Commissioner Nunn stated that there was a lot of confusion from area residents about what was being proposed and how it would affect them. He stated he would support the deferral of the proposal in order for staff to continue to provide information to area residents. Commissioner Nunn made a motion to defer the item. There was not a second. The motion failed. Chair Jones stated that staff had been working with the neighborhood associations since July, requesting and hosting meetings with each, and providing information to area residents throughout these past months. She said there was concern that the Commission would not receive new information on the proposal at the next meeting and did not see a need to defer. Commissioner Jones made a motion to approve the proposal and recommend approval to the Board of Directors. Commissioner Fennell seconded. The motion passed with a vote of 5 ayes, 1 no, and 1 absent (Commissioner Hodge). Pursuant to the by-laws, each commissioner explained why they voted for or against the proposal. Chair Jones stated she voted for the proposal because the district was endangered, and it was the Commission's purpose to support the preservation of the historic assets of the city. Commissioner Hinson stated he voted for the proposal to provide protection to the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District. He shared that as a property owner and resident of MacArthur Park Historic District, he sees how important the MacArthur Park local ordinance district is for protecting and promoting his neighborhood. Commissioner Aleman stated she voted for the proposal because the Historic District Commission is tasked with the historical preservation for the City of Little Rock. Commissioner Nunn stated he voted against the motion because he felt the item should be deferred in order for residents to better understand what was being proposed and to address concerns and confusion presented. He stated he was in favor of the local ordinance district in general. Commissioner Fennell stated he voted for the proposal because the district was in jeopardy, and it was time for it finally to be protected. Commissioner Haugen stated she voted for the proposal because it would help preserve the neighborhood and its historic designation. Staff, Hannah Ratzlaff, stated that she would continue to work with the neighborhood associations and area residents to address concerns, provide information, and assist with preservation efforts. She stated that comments at the meeting provided a lot of clarity and feedback on the type of communication that works best for area residents. ITEM NO.: TWO FILE NO.: NONE NAME: Historic District Commission Member Increase LOCATION: City of Little Rock OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: City of Little Rock Planning & Development Department 723 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR, 72201 Staff Presentation A. BACKGROUND Context The City of Little Rock has 24 National Register historic districts (Figure 1, pg. 2). A National Register historic district is a geographically definable area with a significant concentration of buildings, structures, sites, spaces, or objects unified by past events, physical development, design, setting, materials, workmanship, sense of cohesiveness, or related historical and aesthetic associations. It is a national, honorary designation. Of the 24 districts, there is currently only one that is also a local ordinance district within the city, the MacArthur Park Historic District. A local ordinance historic district is a geographically definable area in which historic structures and their setting are protected by public review, typically by a Historic District Commission. In 1976, the City of Little Rock established the Historic District Commission (Ord. 13,154). In 1981, the City of Little Rock established the MacArthur Park Local Ordinance District (Ord. 14,042). No other local ordinance districts have been established in the city. In 2011, the City of Little Rock increased the number of members of the Historic District Commission from five to seven and identified the following positions (Ord. 20,414): Position 1: Owner of property located in the MacArthur Park Historic District. Position 2: Owner and occupant of a structure located in the MacArthur Park Historic District. Position 3: Architect. Position 4: Quapaw Quarter Association representative selected from a list of three (3) candidates submitted by the Quapaw Quarter Association board of directors. Position 5: At large. Position 6: Owner and occupant of a structure located in a National Register Historic District other than the MacArthur Park Historic District. Position 7: Owner and occupant of a structure located in a National Register Historic District other than the MacArthur Park Historic District. A local ordinance district for the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District is being proposed which would result in the expansion of review responsibility of the Historic District Commission from one local ordinance district to two. The historical sites in Central High School Neighborhood Historic District make up 12.6% of Little Rock's contributing and independently listed structures. The district is the second largest historic district in the city by area and number of sites. Only the Hillcrest Historic District is larger. Recent Action On March 1, 2011, an ordinance was passed (Ord. 20,414) to increase the number of Historic District Commission members from five to seven. B. PROPOSAUREQUESTfAPPLICANT'S STATEMENT: The City of Little Rock Planning & Development Department requests that the Historic District Commission membership be increased from seven to nine to allow for representation of the new local ordinance district. C. EXISTING CONDITIONS: See Draft Ordinance — (Attachment A). D. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: None. E. ANALYSIS: The City's Historic Preservation Ordinance (Little Rock, Ark, Rev. Code ("LRC") 23-97(a)), states: The historic district commission shall consist of seven (7) members who shall be electors of the city holding no salaried or elective municipal office. Each member shall be appointed by the board of directors to fill one (1) of the following positions: Position 1: Owner of property located in the MacArthur Park Historic District. Position 2: Owner and occupant of a structure located in the MacArthur Park Historic District. Position 3: Architect. Position 4: Quapaw Quarter Association representative selected from a list of three (3) candidates submitted by the Quapaw Quarter Association board of directors. Position 5: At large. Position 6: Owner and occupant of a structure located in a National Register Historic District other than the MacArthur Park Historic District. Position 7: Owner and occupant of a structure located in a National Register Historic District other than the MacArthur Park Historic District. Positions 3-7 have been held by residents who live in various districts across the city. A majority of positions have been held by residents of the Hillcrest Historic District, Governor's Mansion Historic District, MacArthur Park Historic District, and the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District. Staff believes that the establishment of a local ordinance district for the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District necessitates the Historic District Commission membership to be increased by two positions, for a total of nine members. The two additional positions are recommended to be Position 8: Owner of property located in the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District north of Wright Avenue. Position 9: Owner of property located in the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District south of Wright Avenue. Arkansas law limits the number of positions on a historic district commission to no less than five (5) and no more than nine (9), pursuant to A.C.A. § 14-172-206(a)(1). Staff suggests increasing the Commission by two members rather than one in order to maintain an odd number to avoid ties in voting. Planning & Development Department staff met with two neighborhood associations to discuss the proposed district, i.e., the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association ("WANK) and the Central High Neighborhood Inc. ("CHNI"). The WANA has verbally requested that the neighborhood association have representation on the Commission. To provide opportunities for property owners within both neighborhood associations to have representation on the Commission together, while avoiding the influence of the boundaries of prlvate entities, staff suggests that the additional positions be defined by property owners north and south of Wright Avenue rather than a property owner and an owner/occupant. F. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the proposed ordinance to increase the number of members on the Historic District Commission with the following conditions: Position 8: Owner of property located in the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District north of Wright Avenue. Position 9: Owner of property located in the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District south of Wright Avenue. G. COMMISSION ACTION October 6, 2022 Chair Amber Jones announced Item No. 2. Staff made a presentation to the Commission. Chair Jones opened comment to petitioners or objectors. Nis. Denise Leeson asked that the proposed positions be for resident property owners only, not just property owners. She stated that representatives of the district should be residents. Commissioner Aleman agreed and made a motion to change the language of the proposed positions to read as "owner and occupant" rather than "owner" and "structure" rather then "property". Position 8: Owner and occupant of structure located in the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District north of Wright Avenue. Position 9: Owner and occupant of structure located in the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District south of Wright Avenue. Commissioner Fennell seconded. The motion passed with a vote of 6 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent (Commissioner Hodge). After the amendment to the ordinance was approved, a motion was made by Commissioner Aleman to approve the newly amended item and Commissioner Fennell seconded. The motion passed with a vote of 6 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent (Commissioner Hodge). VI I. Other Matters B.2023 Grant Project Opportunities The Commission moved to defer discussion of grant opportunities to the next public hearing in November. C.Enforcement Issues There were no enforcement issues to present. D.Certificates of Compliance HDC2022-024 -406 E 7th -reroof Staff gave a presentation of the approval to the Commission. There were no questions. E.Citizen Communication There was discussion and concern by present citizens about the creation of the design guidelines for the proposed local ordinance district. Jamie Collins, Planning & Development Director, spoke to these concerns and described the procurement and budget process involved in hiring a consultant to work with staff and the neighborhoods to develop appropriate guidelines. Until the guidelines specific to the district are developed and adopted, staff and the Commission will use the existing MacArthur Park Historic District Design Guidelines for Rehabilitation and New Construction. Ms. Ratzlaff stated that she would provide links to these guidelines and any requested information from this meeting to the email addresses listed on the sign in sheet for the meeting and will post these resources to the Commission's social media pages. VIII.Adjournment There was a motion to adjourn the meeting and a second. The meeting adjourned at 6:08pm. Attest: Chair Date Staff Date