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HDC_04 07 2005City of Lithe Rock Historic Department of Planning and Development District 723 West Markham Street Commission Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax: (501) 399-3435 LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES Thursday, April 7, 2005, 5:00 p.m. Sister Cities' Conference Room, City Hall I. Roll Call and Finding of a Quorum A Quorum was present being four (4) in number Members Present: Marshall Peters Carolyn Newbern Wesley Walls Job Serebrov Members Absent: Wyatt Weems City Attorney: Deborah Weldon Staff Present: Tony Bozynski Charles Bloom Brian Minyard II. Approval of Minutes a. August 5, 2004 It was acknowledged that the August Minutes were completed by the Housing Department and had been past due. Commissioner Walls made a motion to approve, Commissioner Newbern seconded. The Minutes were approved 4 yes, 0 noes, and 1 absent. b. September 2, 2004 It was acknowledged that the September Minutes were completed by the Housing Department and had been past due. Commissioner Walls made a motion to approve, Commissioner Newbern seconded. The Minutes were approved 4 yes, 0 noes, and 1 absent. c. February 3, 2005 Commissioner Walls made a motion to approve, Commissioner Newbern seconded. The Minutes were approved 4 yes, 0 noes, and 1 absent. III. Finding of Compliance with Notice Requirements of all Subjects a. 402 East Ninth Street City Attorney Debra Weldon reviewed the Certified Mail receipts. It was found that the applicant had fulfilled the notice requirements. b. 1200 South Scott Street City Attorney Debra Weldon reviewed the Certified Mail receipts. It was found that the applicant had fulfilled the notice requirements. IV. New Certificates of Appropriateness a. 402 East Ninth Street Tom Gray and Steve Mcateer were present to present this application. (Staff had received written statements from the building owner authorizing Tom Gray and Steve Mcateer to speak on their behalf). Mr. Gray described the specifics of the door including that the doors would look like the ones pictured in Example 2 (another commercial building at 316 East I1`" Street). Mr. Gray noted that the doors would have wood jambs. Walls commented on the occupancy status of the building. Mr. Gray commented that there are currently three commercial tenants and an upstairs apartment in the building. Commissioner Newbern asked if they were doing any other work. Mr. Gray replied, "No." Commissioner Peters asked if the applicant was aware of the specific composition of the brick since it is soft mortar. Mr. Gray and Mr. Mcateer said they were not aware of it. Commissioner Walls noted that use of conventional new Portland Cement would cause expansion and cracking of existing mortar joints. Mr. Gray noted that they would be willing to comply with any special mortar needs. Commissioner Newbern asked if they would be saving the bricks they were taking out. Mr. Gray said they would replace the brick around the doors with existing brick. The applicant had tried to match the brick before and found this route to be best. Commissioner Walls asked which direction the doors would be swinging. Mr. Gray said they would swing outward. Commissioner Peters asked as to what mechanism would prevent them from swinging inward. Mr. Gray said that they would have a "stop hit" at the bottom and that no door hardware would be on the outside. Commissioner Newbern made a motion to approve the application as filed noting that the applicant plans to be careful with the brick removal process, reuse existing brick around the door edges, and will be careful with the composition of new mortar to ensure compatibility with existing mortar. Commissioner Walls seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously with 4 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent. b. 1200 South Scott Street Steve Dannaway and Mark Burnett were present to present the application to the Commission. They commented that this was their first time in front of the Historic District Commission (It was clarified that they were not involved in the COA application for the initial construction of this building in 2003). Mr. Dannaway described the boat, its location, and purpose. Mr. Dannaway also mentioned that the alley behind his property has been previously closed by Ordinance and was jointly owned by the property to the west of him. Commissioner Newburn asked Mr. Dannaway if it would be possible for a semi trailer or fire truck to hit it. He replied "No," and commented that it is set back 15 feet from the alley. Commissioner Walls asked Mr. Dannaway for clarity on the signs purpose. He replied, that it "is an icon for a new show" that will start airing on ESPN in July. Commissioner Serebrov asked Mr. Dannaway who could cancel the show. He replied that ESPN can cancel the show and if the show is cancelled the boat would come down. Mr. Dannaway also commented that ESPN had worked with the applicant's company for twenty five years and cancellation would be unlikely. Commissioner Newbern asked Mr. Dannaway indicated that the boat should and BassTech sign should not be lighted ant night. He replied that they wouldn't light the sign or boat. Commissioner Newbern asked Mr. Dannaway if the BassTech sign and boat would come down if the show was ceased or cancelled. He replied that they would. Commissioner Newbern asked Mr. Dannaway if they would apply for a COA in the event that they apply for additional signage. He replied, "Yes." Commissioner Newbern asked Boyd Maher of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program what his opinion on the signage was. He responded, "If their was a place for a boat in a historic district this would be it," because it is on new construction, at the edge of the district, and does not have a detrimental effect on the neighborhood. He added that this development was one of the first new developments in the historic district and was good overall. A brief discussion between the Commissioners began regarding the staff recommendations. It was agreed that staff recommendation on (1) regarding the time frame for review be reduced from 24 months to twelve (12) months, and a sixth condition regarding the possibility of the shows cancellation. Commissioner Walls made a motion to approve the application with the following conditions: 1. That the Certificate of Appropriateness for the "flying boat" and sign be reviewed by staff in twelve (12) months in order to ensure that they are still relevant and have been properly maintained. 2. The "flying boat" and sign is not directly illuminated at night. 3. That the "flying boat" and sign be removed if the business vacates the premises. 4. That no signage or lettering be displayed on the "flying boat" except for the existing "Triton Boats" lettering. 5. That trees surrounding the southern half of the lot not be removed while the "flying boat" is in place. 6. If the contract for the television show is cancelled the boat and sign will be removed. Commissioner Serebrov seconded. The motion carried unanimously with a vote of 4 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent. V. Deferred Certificates of Appropriateness a. None VI. Other Matters a. Revised Design Guidelines Book (Progress Report) Staff member Bloom noted that the guidelines book was still a work in progress and nearly complete. Commissioner Walls and Newbern expressed their intent to schedule an upcoming meeting to finish the guidelines book. b. CLG Discussion A brief discussion was made regarding the status of the upcoming CLG grant applications and noted that they would be due on April 15, 2005. It was decided that a resurvey of the Central High Neighborhood would be appropriate, as well as the printing of brochures to educate homeowners within existing and potential Local Ordinance Districts. c. Bylaws Discussion Issues with the bylaws were discussed amongst Commissioners and Staff. Commissioner Serebrov felt the need for additional restrictions on the length of time the Commission can grant deferrals. The Commission decided that a separate meeting would be held on Wednesday April 27, 2005 at 2:00pm to discuss the Bylaws in detail. VII. Adjournment. A motion was made to adjourn at 6:30. ATTEST: Chairman Secretary Date: