HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Minutes 03-31-2020HASTINGS HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION Minutes of the Special Meeting of March 31, 2020
Held at 7:00 p.m. and conducted solely by telephone or other electronic means as provided in Minnesota Statutes § 13D.021 and no in-person meeting was conducted at City Hall. I. Quorum: Smith, Simacek, Toppin, Ragan-Scully, Johnson, and Borchardt. Chair Smith called the meeting to order at 7:02.
Absent: Youngren, Douglas, and Sovik-Siemens
Staff Present: Dan Wietecha, City Administrator, John Hinzman, Community Development Director, and Justin Fortney, City Planner;
II. Minutes: February 18, 2020 Motion by Ragan-Scully for approval, seconded by Simacek; motion approved 6-0. III. Original Hastings Design Standards Review
A. 415 5th Street West – New House
Fortney Presented the staff report. Commissioner Toppin commented that it was her understanding that the OHDS guidelines were amended as they had recommended. Fortney said the OHDS Ordinance was amended to reflect
the HPC as the advisory commission to the City Council. He added that changes to the specific guidelines should come after that change was made. He added that it would be an ideal ordinance amendment to bring forward when in-person public meetings are again possible. Chair Smith asked the applicant what the intended siding material is and said the siding material
has been required to have a smooth finish in the past. Mari Ojeda, applicant with TC Habitat for
Humanity said it would be LP Smart Side with a cedar grain texture. Fortney said the requirement for a smooth product is to replicate the texture of painted wood siding, which is smooth. He added that in the OHDS district, there are no guidelines to replicate the appearance of materials. He added that the guidelines explicitly allow vinyl siding, which almost always has a heavy wood
grain texture. Commissioner Borchardt commented that the architectural style appears to fit with the neighborhood. Ojeda said they designed it based on some of the architectural features of homes in the area.
Motion by Borchardt to approve the new home, second by Simacek; motion approved 6-0. IV. Certificate of Approval Review A. 320 7th Street W –Rehab and Addition Plan Changes
Fortney presented the staff report. Commissioner Simacek said the proposal for the side windows looks much better. Commissioner Toppin commented that the changes improve the proposal and the window replacements have already begun. Fortney said he was not aware of that, but he said he may be
partially to blame. He said he signed off on the permit for the rehab with a note to the inspector
that these items would need approval from the HPC who will meet in a few days. He added that the meeting was canceled and postponed for some time and he should have followed up with the inspector to let them know the approval was delayed. Fortney added that this change was handled through the inspector as opposed to Fortney working directly with the applicant, as normal.
Motion by Toppin to approve the rear door and side window alignment, second by Ragan-Scully; motion approved 5-1 (Johnson opposed) B. 207 2nd Street E – New Windows
Fortney presented the staff report.
Commissioner Simacek asked about other replacement windows downtown. Fortney said, there haven’t been many, with the most recent being the Hastings Beauty School. Fortney said the Guidelines first require rehabilitation of the original windows, which don’t exist, secondly,
replacement windows should replicate the original or historic windows, which don’t exist and are not clear in photos other than that they are arched top double hung units. Fortney added that historical information regarding the windows suggest they may have been fake windows for a time, particularly on the third floor, as it was used as storage for a hardware store for most of its life. Fortney added that with replacement of features including windows, replicating the
appropriate appearance is more important than the materials used.
Fortney said the interior has been refinished for residential use and closed off the arch tops except for where the air-conditioning unit is located. Fortney added that the HPC cannot compel work to be done, but may deny an inappropriate application. Commissioner Borchardt said the windows
really should only be replaced with full arch toped windows. Motion by Ragan-Scully to approve the new windows as proposed, second by Toppin; motion approved 5-1 (Borchardt opposed)
C. 115 2nd Street E – New Window Signs Fortney presented the staff report. Commissioner Simacek commented that the signs look nice and are similar in size and to the existing window signs to be replaced.
Motion by Borchardt to approve the window signs, second by Toppin; motion approved 5-1 (Ragan-Scully Abstained) V. Business A. Preservation Awards Postponement Commissioners discussed holding off on the awards for the time being. They said depending how everything works out with the Corona virus they may wish to hold them later in the year or possibly not at all.
VI. Adjourn. Motion by Ragan-Scully, second by Toppin to adjourn the meeting at 8:02 pm; motion approved 6-0.
Respectfully Submitted Justin Fortney