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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail To Page Wilson From LRHDC 05-13-2009r- 'i LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC '} DISTRICT ;I !�COMMISSION G,P May 13, 2009 Page Wilson Paul Page Dwellings LLC 1516 Rock Street Little Rock, AR 72202 Dear Mr. Wilson, DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 723 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax: (501) 399-3435 Attached are the letters from the two commissioners that voted against your item on May 11, 2009. In those letters, they state their opposition to your item. If there are any questions, please contact our office at 371-4790. Sincerely, Y 06K Brian Minyard Historic District Staff cc: Debra Weldon enclosures Brian Minyard, City of Little Rock, 1 am appointed to the Little Rock Historic District Commission by the authority of Little Rock City Code; Section 23-96, 97 which was authorized by Arkansas Code Annotated 14-172-206, to be a steward of real estate history. The Little Rock Historic District Commission was established by Little Rock Ordinance Number 13,154 pursuant to Arkansas State Act 882 of 1975 as amended. The City paid considerable tax -payer dollars for MacArthur Park Guidelines for Rehabilitation and New Construction financed in part with Federal Funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, administered through the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Many persons put in many hours to place these guidelines into effect through our City Mayor and Board of Directors. These guidelines are based on the United States Secretary of the Interior's guidelines. Even though I may have liked what was presented, liked the people involved and liked what they are trying to accomplish for the area, I could not in good judgment vote yes on the amendment to the approved COA in The MacArthur Park Historic District proposed by applicant Page Wilson, Paul Page Dwellings. The MacArthur Park historic district is the district. Whether it is at the comer of Eighth and Commerce or the comer of Fifteenth and Rock, it is within the district and should be treated the same. The applicant stated to Staff that he would not split the two buildings and I understood from staff that this was as -is, period. I simply could not go accept the architecture on the two-story building on the corner of Fifteenth and Rock. I agreed with Staffs recommendation. 1. The proposed building is not compatible with the mass and scale of the area. 2. The proposed building's bulk does not blend and is not compatible with width and height of the area. 3. The roof of the proposed building does not blend and is not compatible with the area. 4. The exterior finishes, details and textures do not blend and are not compatible with the area. In being a commissioner, I rely upon: 1. Firstly, I would place each of the references to the Guidelines in the May 11, 2009, Staff Report Item No. One, but rather than being redundant, suffice it to my being in agreement to Staffs recommendation based on each of these references. 2. MacArthur Park is a Local Ordinance District of a National Register of Historic Places designation and the only ordinance district in the City of Little Rock. Section 23-76 of Ordinance 19,755 of the City of Little Rock states, "It is found and determined that certain areas, improvements, and districts within the city have a special character or special historic or aesthetic interest or value and represent architectural products of distinct periods in the history of the city, and that the areas, improvements and districts are in danger of being uprooted or having their distinctiveness destroyed without adequate consideration of the irreplaceable loss of the aesthetic, cultural, and historic values represented by such areas, improvements and districts, and therefore the preservation thereof ifs both feasible and desirable to the people of this city. It is declared as a matter of public policy that the protection, enhancement, perpetuation, and used of such areas, improvements and districts of special character of special historic or aesthetic interest or value is a public necessity and is required in the interest of the health, prosperity, safety and welfare of the people of this city. 4. Section 23-100 (d) of Ordinance 19,755 of the City of Little Rock states," Upon receipt of an application for a certificate of appropriateness, required pursuant to the provisions of this Article, the historic district commission shall study the proposal and hold a public hearing to determine the appropriateness of the proposed change in relation to the significant architectural and historic character of the local ordinance district". 5. Number nine of the Secretary of the Interior's guidelines reads, "... The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massigg, size scale and architectural features to protect the historic intgarity of the pronerty and its environment". 6. The City of Little Rock, through CLG funds, paid Heiple Wiedower Architects -Planers for HISTORIC DISTRICT INFILL DEVELOPMENTPLAN for suggested infill for the MacArthur Park Ordinance District. We should refer to the professionals chosen. Sipf erely, 1 Marshall Peters Little Rock Historic District Commission Minyard, Brian From: sibell@aristotle.net Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 1:54 PM To: Minyard, Brian Subject: HDC Vote Dear Brian, My reason for voting against the application for COA at 15th and Rock on May 11, 2009 was the large mass of glass on the facade of the two-story structure. The large mass of glass does not approximate a four -square residence as it was called by the applicant, Page Wilson. The large mass of glass is not appropriate for the district. I stated during the meeting that it was the fenestration that troubled me with the structures. This should assist in clarifying this point. Thank you. Susan Bell, HDC Comissioner r4^r mail2web.com- What canOn Demand Business Solutions do for you? http://link.mail2web.com/Business/SharePoint 1