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HDC_05 07 1998City of Little Rock HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION 7 MAY 1998 MINUTES Commissioners Present: John Bush Howard H. Gordon John Greer Charles Marratt Julie Wiedower Staff Present: V. Anne Guthrie Tim Polk Anthony Black Guests: Richard Butler, Don Campbell, Connie Manning, Jason Rinehart, Mark Zoeller The meeting of the Little Rock Historic District Commission (LRHDC) was called to order. Roll was taken, and as there was a quorum, the minutes from the February meeting were approved. The first Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) application was: Applicant: Ralph Patton Address: 1309 Cumberland Street Request: Construct a privacy fence (ca. 55') in rear of property The applicant presented the COA proposal request while passing around photographs of similarly constructed fences. The proposed rear yard fence, replacing an existing chain link, is approximately 55 linear feet; it connects to the house on the north, runs 35' east, then 20' south along the east side (with a setback of ca. 20' from the alley) and connects to a two-story garage at the southeast corner of the lot. The wooden fence is six feet (6') in height with an additional two foot (2') trellis. Two examples of this fence type are on the northeast corner of 14th & Cumberland streets and the northeast corner of 14th & Spring streets. After questions (i.e., regulated fence height), a motion was made by Commissioner Wiedower to approve the request subject to a variance approval for its height. A vote was taken, and the request was passed unanimously. The second item for consideration was: Applicant: Quapaw Quarter Garden Club Request: Install twenty (20) banners in the historic district Mark Zoeller, Vice President of the Quapaw Quarter Garden Club and chair of its Maintenance Committee, introduced Connie Manning and presented the request. (At this point, Charles Marratt entered the meeting.) There are 23 banners proposed for Little Rock Historic District Commission 7 May 1998 Minutes, Page 2 the Governor's Mansion district and 20 banners proposed for the MacArthur Park district. Zoeller gave an overview of the banner project: designed by Becky Witsell; made by Arkansas Flag & Banner company; sizes vary (30" x 70" for utility and 24" x 36" for period light poles); funded by donations from the Garden Club and $1,000 from a Neighborhood Challenge grant; and a maintenance committee was established. The LRHDC packets contained a project description, a Chronicle article about the banners and a mapping and listing of their locations in the historic district. The siting of the banners was dependent on the type of poles to which they will be attached, the street and visual perspective. After discussion, a motion was made to approve the request as submitted; the request was passed unanimously. The last COA agenda item was: Applicant: Arkansas Arts Center Address: 501 East 9th Street Request: Construct a 31,500 square foot addition to the existing building for new entry, galleries and offices Townsend Wolfe, director of the Arkansas Arts Center (AAC), and Gene Levy and Mark Wellborn of Cromwell Truemper Levy Thompson Woodsmall, Inc. architectural firm were representatives for the application. Wolfe presented an overview of the expansion project as enhancing (and not infringing upon) the neighborhood and park and stabilizing the downtown area. Their use of the Pike-Terry mansion as the Decorative Arts Museum is an example of the institution's commitment to and serving as a focal point of the neighborhood. The expansion's purpose is to allow the AAC to do their job better; to serve visitors better; to care for its collection; and to improve MacArthur Park's image as a safe area. Wellborn explained the general characteristics of the expansion as providing: a new exhibition gallery, a new entrance, an atrium lobby, a relocated Vineyard and museum shop, limited office space; and a vault. The expansion is generally to the northwest. On the west elevation, a circular driveway with a fountain and decorative landscaping identifies the new main entrance. New parking is along the property's southwest boundary. There is a new curb cut on Commerce and two new curb cuts on the north elevation, one for the service drive and the other for the dumpster. (Note: See application and Staff Report and Recommendations for project description.) After Wellborn's project review, Wolfe presented the landscape issue regarding the review two years ago by the Parks and Recreation department of the preliminary landscape plan. As the city owns and maintains the property, it complicates the issue in terms of if the landscape plan is not a part of the contract, who is responsible for its implementation, which is required as part of city regulations. It is within the LRHDC's Little Rock Historic District Commission 7 May 1998 Minutes, Page 3 responsibility to review landscape plans as it relates to new construction and parking. With an expansion of such scale and size, its approval is contingent upon landscaping, which should be considered a necessity for a project of this scope. Wolfe stated that it is in the AAC's interest to ensure that the landscaping is in place. Wellborn presented the architectural elements of the expansion, with the elevations as cascading or stepping away from the streets to lessen the scale; the scale and mass of the structure's physical form are reduced by the ability to stagger and offset the expansion. A scaled model of the expansion will be finished later this month. Wellborn detailed the expansion's interior floorplan. The current entrance used for the theatre will continue to be used, and the present location of the Vineyard will be converted into a lecture hall. Commissioner Gordon asked about the compatibility of the design with the historic neighborhood. Levy responded by saying that Ed Cromwell (the architect for the 1960s structure) intended for the original style and subsequent expansions to reflect a park­- like atmosphere. This is the reason for the cascading of the facades, and each expansion reflects the stepping back of the elevations. Repetition of this elevation treatment is carried over to the west end. The interior of the Rockefeller gallery, which contains the WPA facade of the 1937 building, was retained, and the expansion is compatible with the existing structure. The atrium separates the old from the new addition, yet it matches the old in colour, texture and materials. Wiedower stated that the project will have the most impact on the neighborhood from the west in its massing, scale, etc. While the expansion's west elevation meets required setbacks, more importantly, its design provides the AAC with a defined entrance. The project may place more traffic on 9th and Commerce streets and their intersection. It is a difficult intersection already with the presence in the ROW of existing power and transformer poles, street lighting and a large tree. On pick-up days, the intersection's southwest corner has several trash cans out from the neighboring apartments. Commissioner Marratt stated that with the AAC activities and existing traffic on Commerce, it may be necessary to install traffic control on 9th Street. It was mentioned that the city traffic engineer reviews the plans during the city permitting process. While traffic on 9th has diminished over the years, the 9th and Commerce intersection is not a safe one for cars or buses. As a neighbor, Mark Zoeller was asked his opinion of area traffic. He presented his observations about buses and general area traffic patterns; he also stated that there is a high number of on-street parking in the 900 block of Commerce due to the apartments. Little Rock Historic District Commission 7 May 1998 Minutes, Page 4 Gordon raised the issue of whether new concepts in lighting were considered as part of the project. Wellborn stated that new lighting will be installed on the west by the circular drive along with ground-mounted lights installed along the expansion's exterior. As there will be existing light poles relocated into the parking lot, there will be no increase in lighting in the new parking areas. Don Campbell, a condominium owner at 916 Commerce, expressed his concerns about the expansion. He had several issues to address: the difficult intersection at 9th and Commerce; the elimination of the northwest connecting loop, which is used as a shortcut; the removal of 26 trees, their replacement and maintenance of new ones; also the view from his condo will be eliminated. Parking is another concern with the increase of 63 new parking spaces. For AAC events, on-street parking on Commerce and 10th streets causes both to be more crowded; and as his condo complex doesn't have sufficient parking for tenants who have more than one car, they park on 10th or Commerce. The increase in parking compounds an existing problem. He is skeptical about not having sufficient landscaping to shield the parking and traffic from the neighborhood. Also, he was concerned that sufficient notification wasn't given. Chair Bush stated that consideration of traffic and parking, while effecting an application, are not within LRHDC's responsibilities. Wiedower stated that as landscaping is within their purview, the dilemma is how to integrate and coordinate the landscape plan and the building design to minimize its impact on the neighborhood. Marratt stated that the expansion will increase traffic in the neighborhood, which is why landscaping and traffic need to be considered. The discussion focused on the options for considering the application and the need for more information, especially regarding the landscape plan. (Note: a landscape plan was submitted as part of the application, but the packets contained no landscape plan.) Several commissioners expressed their concern about the proposal: lighting as an integral part of the design; the implementation and maintenance of a landscaping plan; and the need for more information. Commissioner Greer stated that architectural plans change a lot in the planning process and even the city permitting process changes plans. He asked whether they should wait for all city permitting approvals before approving its final design. Levy stated that the expansion's plans go out for approval in a week and that the ground breaking is scheduled for June; the plans cannot go forward until the COA is approved. He was asked why they had waited so long before coming before the LRHDC, especially if the renderings, which were in the packets, are two years old. Little Rock Historic District Commission 7 May 1998 Minutes, Page 5 Richard Butler stated his concerns about : the park's historic sites and structures, such as the wooden Indian marking the Quapaw lands; the temple's relocation; and the expansion's effect upon the arsenal, which is an historic structure. Wolfe answered by stating that: the wooden Indian would be relocated by Parks and Recreation; the temple's relocation is part of the firm's contract, and it will be relocated probably east of the AAC; and the expansion will not impose upon the arsenal. After subsequent discussion regarding the approval process, construction dates and the landscape plan, Wolfe stated that the AAC, regardless of the city, will find a way to present a landscape plan that is within reason and meets stated concerns. In the past, the AAC has taken upon the responsibility of grounds maintenance. After discussion of a motion and a subsequent amendment, Greer moved that the COA be approved contingent on approval of the final landscape plan by a committee consisting of Greer, Wiedower and staff. Gordon asked whether a concern could be part of a motion, which is to evaluate the existing lighting and see if new lighting should be put in; the request may be considered only as a concern. A vote was taken and the COA request was unanimously approved. Gordon stated that for the record he was frustrated by the time that it took the LRHDC to review the request. This is a large project and there are other partners involved in the request, who did not attend and present plans. It is not incumbent upon the city to see that all the involved parties (Parks and Recreation, landscape consultant, etc.) attend the meeting and present their plans. As a consequence, there was inadequate time to consider the request. Also, he felt that the LRHDC was abused by being given too little time to consider the project's scale, scope and magnitude with construction due to begin in June. It is staff s responsibility to assess whether all materials are available for consideration. His concern that neighbors were not given sufficient notice was addressed by staff reviewing public hearing requirements (i.e., at least ten days notice by certified mail to property owners within a project's sphere of influence). As the meeting was long, the remainder of the agenda was addressed briefly; more detailed information will be available at the June meeting: two new commissioners were appointed to replace Bush and Wiedower. Judy Gardner and Mark Zoeller are the new members whose term will take effect at the July meeting; election of officers will be upcoming. The update of Curran Hall's stabilization will be given at the next meeting; there was brief discussion regarding Curran's sidewalk and crepe myrtles. As there was no other business, the LRHDC adjourned at 7:30 p.m.