HDC_10 05 2023October 5, 2023
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT
723 West Markham Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334
Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax:(501) 399-3435
www.little rock.gov
LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
MINUTE RECORD
Thursday, October 5th , 2023, 4:00 p.m.
Willie Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12 th Street
I.Roll Call
Members Present: Chair, Amber Jones
Vice Chair, Christina Aleman
Jonathan Nunn
Amber Haugen
Tom DeGraff
Scott Green
Members Absent: Tom Fennell
Staff Present: Hannah Ratzlaff
Sherri Latimer
Jeremy Gosdin
Alice Anderson
Citizens Present: Peggy Veregin
II. Finding a Quorum
A quorum was present being six (6) in number.
Ill. Minutes
1.August 3rd, 2023 Minutes
The minutes were presented. Commissioner Jones made a motion to
approve the minutes. Commissioner Nunn seconded. The minutes were
approved by voice vote as submitted.
IV.National Register Nominations
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October 5, 2023
None
V.Deferred Certificates of Appropriateness
None
VI.New Certificates of Appropriateness
None
VI I. Other Matters
1 . CLG Grant Updates
Ratzlaff, Staff, made a presentation regarding the 2023 CLG grant
projects. The Commonwealth Heritage Group was contracted on
September 21 st for the Hillcrest Historic District resurvey, Phase 3 project.
They will begin field work in late October/early November. Letters would
be mailed out to property owners within the resurvey area notifying them
of the resurvey effort.
The Lakota Group was contracted on September 25th for consulting
services to create new design guidelines for the MacArthur Park Historic
District. Ratzlaff announced that a staff member of the Lakota Group,
Peggy Veregin, was attending the meeting virtually for a meet and greet
with the Commissioners and to answer any questions.
2.Kick-Off Meeting with the Lakota Group, Design Guidelines
Ratzlaff introduced Peggy Veregin. Mrs. Veregin made a presentation to
the Commission. Ratzlaff confirmed that the Lakota Group and City of
Little Rock staff would be meeting virtually soon to nail down the project
schedule and community engagement plan moving forward, and Staff
would have that information for the Commission soon.
The Commission had a discussion with Mrs. Veregin concerning goals
for the guidelines. Commissioner DeGraff asked what goals had been set
for the guidelines in previous discussions with the Commission. Ratzlaff
shared a list of goals resulting from previous Commission meetings which
she had incorporated into the Request for Qualifications that went out to
bid in July. The Lakota Group addressed each of these goals directly in
its RFQ response.
Goals:
•Incorporating national historic preservation regulation best practices
for design guidelines to Little Rock's context.
•In addition to a regulatory guide, the new guidelines should be a
resource to property owners/developers/contractors for maintenance
and repair as well as incentives and resources.
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October 5, 2023
•Treatment of "non-contributing" resources.
•Correcting gaps in existing guidelines, such as guidelines for historic
detached accessory structures.
•The appropriate use of artificial materials for various project types:
new construction, alterations to existing structures, additions, site
improvements, etc.
•Consideration and possible development of a residential infill pattern
book to encourage and incentivize desired neighborhood infill.
•Consistency throughout document.
•Creating an efficient and consistent process for administrative
approvals and appropriate submittal requirements that are in
compliance with state and local law (e.g., description of project versus
architectural elevations and renderings).
•Neighborhood design standards for right-of-way improvements.
There was additional discussion about what would be included in the new
guidelines. After the discussion concluded, Mrs. Veregin finished her
presentation to the Commission and left the meeting.
Commissioner Aleman asked Ratzlaff how involved the Commission
would be with this process. Ratzlaff clarified that the Commission was
welcome to, and encouraged to, be a part of the process as much as
possible, especially with community meetings. It was not necessary that
Commissioners join the consultants when they come into town to do field
work and tour the district.
There was a discussion about which locations within the MacArthur Park
Historic District would be good venues to host community meetings.
Ratzlaff said there was consideration for the Arkansas Museum of Fine
Arts since it was central to the district, well-equipped, and could
accommodate a flexible amount of people.
3.AACR LRSD Grant Letter of Support
Ratzlaff presented a draft letter of support to the Commissioners for their
consideration to support the Little Rock School District's application for
the National Park Service African American Civil Rights grant. If so
awarded, the grant will fund window improvements to the Little Rock
Central High School National Historic Site.
Commissioner Aleman pointed out a correction to make to the draft letter.
Ratzlaff documented the amendment. Commissioner Aleman made a
motion to submit a letter of support to the Little Rock School District for
the purposes of the grant pursuant to the amendment proposed.
Commissioner Nunn seconded. The motion passed unanimously by
voice vote with six (6) ayes, zero (0) noes, and one (1) absent.
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October 5, 2023
4. Review of the By -Laws
Ratzlaff presented amendments to the Historic District Commission by-
laws for consideration. Deputy City Attorney, Sherri Latimer, discussed
several of the amendments recommended by Staff. The proposed
amendments primarily included grammatical corrections, helpful
references to the Little Rock Historic Preservation Code, and clarification
of administrative and Commission procedures to reflect contemporary
practices.
There was discussion on whether the ordinance amendment (Other
Matters Item 5, below) concerning COA expirations would be
incorporated in the by-laws if passed by approved by the Board of
Directors. Mrs. Latimer said it was unnecessary and it would be
redundant to include them. Ratzlaff and the Commission agreed.
Commissioner Aleman made a motion to approve the amendments to the
by-laws as presented. Commissioner Haugen seconded. The motion
passed unanimously by voice vote with six (6) ayes, zero (0) noes, and
one (1) absent.
5. COA Term Expirations & Extensions
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October 5, 2023
OTHER MATTERS NO.: FIVE Ordinance Amendment: COA Expirations
NAME: COA Conditions & Expirations
LOCATION: Ordinance Amendment to Little Rock Historic Preservation Code
APPLICANT: Staff
A. BACKGROUND
The implementation of expirations for approved COAs has been discussed at HDC
meetings since at least September 2006. In 2006, Staff had recommended time
limits and the Commission had approved them. The Staff/Commission ceased
doing so because it was determined that it was not in the power of the Commission
to do so without an ordinance revision. The Commission, during this time, decided
not to have time limits on the COAs.
In 2013, the Commission revisited COA expiration terms. It was determined by
legal counsel that the Little Rock Historic Preservation Code would need to be
amended through an ordinance in order to set these terms and then the By-Laws
would need to be amended to include such actions. At the July 8, 2013 meeting,
the Commission approved changes to the code, shown below: (approved changes
shown as underlined text)
"Sec. 23-115. Certificate of appropriateness required.
(a)COA Requirement. No building or structure, including stone walls, fences, light
fixtures, steps and paving or other appurtenant fixtures shall be erected,
altered, restored, moved, or demolished within the historic district created by
this division until after an application for a certificate of appropriateness as to
the exterior architectural changes has been submitted to and approved by the
historic district commission.
(b)COA Expiration. A certificate of appropriateness shall expire if all permits
required for constructing or altering structures are not obtained within one (1)
year of the commission's approval of the certificate of appropriateness. If all
required permits are obtained within one (1) year of the commission's approval
of the certificate of appropriateness, the certificate of appropriateness shall be
valid as long as each permit remains valid. If a building permit or other permit
granted for purposes of constructing or altering structures is not req uired. a
certificate of appropriateness shall be valid for one year; and the project must
be completed within that one-year period. A six-month extension of a certificate
of appropriateness may be granted by the commission based on good cause
beyond the control of the applicant. All applications for extension of a certificate
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October 5, 2023
OTHER MATTERS NO.; FIVE Ordinance Amendment. CDR Expirations
of appropriateness must be submitted to the commission at least one (1) month_
prior to expiration of the certificate of appropriateness."
These changes are not _in effect. There was no ordinance proposed to the Board
of Directors to revise this section of code and, therefore, it was not adopted.
Past Action & Discussion
On July 8, 2013, the Commission voted to approve changes to the Little Rock
Historic Preservation Code (Sec. 23-115) to set expiration terms for Certificates of
Appropriateness.
B. PRO POSAUREQUEST/AP PLICANT'S STATEMENT:
Staff proposes the consideration of the attached ordinance amendment
(Attachment A) to revise the Little Rock Historic Preservation Code (Sec. 23-115)
to include conditions and time limits for certificates of appropriateness. A redlined
ordinance (Attachment B) is submitted for the Commission to compare the existing
code with the proposed revisions.
C. EXISTING CONDITIONS:
There are currently no conditions set in the Little Rock Historic Preservation Code
for COA expirations or time limits.
D. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS:
Public notice has been provided for this item. At the time of distribution, there were
no comments regarding this item.
All neighborhood associations registered with the City of Little Rock in proximity to
the local ordinance district were notified of the public hearing.
E. ANALYSIS:
Staff has considered previous actions and discussions of the Commission and
taken statewide and nationwide historic preservation commission regulations and
preservation ordinances under advisement. Alignment with the City's existing
procedures for other permits in the Planning & Development Department have
been examined. The Little Rock Zoning Code sets procedures for zoning permit
expirations, including additional actions of the Planning Commission and Board of
Adjustments. To be compatible with other Planning & Development conditions of
approval, while also recognizing the unique purpose and responsibilities of the
Historic District Commission, Staff believes clear, compatible, and specific
procedures are necessary for consistent and reliable treatment of projects.
October 5, 2023
OTHER MATTERS NO.: FIVE Ordinance Amendment: COA Expirations
There is a need to have a process which: handles both large-scale and small-scale
projects smoothly; does not disincentivize property maintenance and project
completion; and provides necessary public review for delayed impactful
developments.
F.STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the ordinance amendment.
G.
COMMISSION ACTION: OCTOBER 5, 2023
Ratzlaff presented a proposed ordinance amendment to amend Chapter 23, Article
IV, Division 3 (Sec. 23-115) of the Little Rock Revised Code of Ordinances to
provide a revision of the purposes and procedures concerning certificates of
appropriateness, primarily the inclusion of terms of expiration. Ratzlaff confirmed
that public notice was provided for this item and the Commission could take action.
She also confirmed that there were no public comments received for the item.
Commissioner Aleman was concerned that the following statement in the proposed
ordinance amendment would unfairly penalize an applicant if they chose to
complete a partial project scope rather than the full scope as approved by the
Commission: "In the event any condition or requirement included in the certificate
of appropriateness has not been met, or work requiring a certificate of
appropriateness occurs in the absence of a certificate of appropriateness, a
citation for violation shall be issued pursuant to Sec. 27-78 of this division and all
work shall immediately cease until such violations have been remedied." She gave
an example of an approved application for front porch repairs. She wondered if the
owner was approved to repair the concrete steps leading up to the porch but due
to financial constraints they decided to hold off on this item for a later date, would
the owner be penalized for not completing the full scope of the approved work.
There was a discussion about how to reword this section for clarity.
Commissioner Aleman asked if applicants would be made aware of the new
certificate of appropriateness terms and requirements. Ratzlaff said, following
Board of Director approval, all Historic District Commission documents would be
updated to reflect these requirements.
Ratzlaff said the Planning and Development Department was currently looking at
ways to improve the inspection process for certificates of appropriateness. These
improvements would also be reflected in future Historic District Commission
documents.
Commissioner Nunn was concerned that a certificate of appropriateness would
expire in the middle of the building permit process. He said the two processes
should be compatible and free of conflict. There was a discussion about how to
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October 5, 2023
OTHER MA TIERS NO.: FIVE Ordinance Amendment: COA Expirations
reword this section for clarity. Latimer suggested that the item be deferred to the
next meeting so Staff could make the necessary amendments discussed.
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October 5, 2023
6.Enforcement Issues
There were no enforcement issues to report.
7.Certificates of Compliance
HDC2023-023 -818 S Commerce -window, siding, fence, and concrete
steps repair, roof replacement
HDC2023-024-1402 S Commerce -HVAC improvement
8.Citizen Communication
No citizens chose to speak during this time.
VII I. Adjournment
There was a motion to adjourn and a second. The meeting was adjourned at
5:23pm.
ATTEST
Chair Date
Staff Date
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