HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Minutes 09-15-2020
HASTINGS HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 15, 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: Toppin, Sovik-Siemens, Simacek, Youngren, Borchardt, and Ragan-Scully
Absent: Smith
Staff Present: Justin Fortney, City Planner
Vice Chair Toppin called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
II. Minutes: August 18, 2020
Motion by Sovik-Siemens for approval, seconded by Simacek - motion approved 7-0 by
rollcall.
III. Certificate of Approval Review
A. 314 5th St E – New Fence
Fortney presented the staff report.
Commissioner Simacek questioned the height of the fence in relation to the front of the building.
Fortney explained the ordinances allows fences up to the front property line, but they must be
under 42-inches in height. He added that the applicant is proposing a six-foot tall fence in the rear
and dropping it down to 4-feet near the mid-point of the home and stopping it even with the front
of the porch.
Commissioner Borchardt commented that the Design Guidelines do not allow the front yards to
have opaque fencing. Fortney said the Design Guidelines state that front yards should not be
enclosed by opaque fencing. He added that the fence only runs along the side of the property and
is along a neighboring vegetation and home.
Commissioner Sovik-Siemens said the HPC has not approved vinyl fencing in the district and the
appropriate material for fencing should be wood or metal. Terri Whipple said she needs a privacy
fence because she can no longer bear the issues with the neighbor and the condition of his
property. Whipple further explained that she cannot maintain a wood fence due to their nature to
deteriorate rapidly. She added that because of the issues with the neighbor, she cannot maintain
the other side of the fence, which would lead to the fence rotting.
Commissioner Ragan-Scully said she understands there are some extenuating circumstances,
which would not allow traditional materials such as wood to be used, as the required maintenance
would not be allowed on the opposite side of the fence.
Motion by Ragan-Scully for approval, seconded by Simacek; motion approved 5-1
(Borchardt) by rollcall.
Business
A. Commissioner Toppin presentation on initiative ideas from the recent NAPC FORUM
Conference
Commissioner Toppin discussed some ideas for HPC to consider. She asked staff if they
offer any assistance to historic home owners related to research or planning their projects
and if this is expressed to the homeowners. Fortney said this is stated on the city website
and included in yearly postcard mailings. He added that he receives the most inquiries
from prospective homebuyers and he explains the Design Guidelines, HPC review, and
assistance that staff and the Pioneer Room can provide.
Toppin discussed publishing a regular article in the newspaper on topics of preservation.
She suggested staff contact the paper and inquire about submitting a regular article.
Fortney said he could contact the paper about inclusion of articles. He suggested that the
next step may be to determine what commitment the HPC could make to providing
articles, if on a regular basis. Toppin said she asked staff in the past how much time they
spend on HPC work compared to planning work, but wanted to ask him on the record.
Fortney said originally his time was to be split 25/75 respectfully. He added that the
department has since lost a third of its staff. He said there are certain times in the year
where he spends more and less than 25 percent on preservation. Toppin said well than
maybe a quarterly article for the newspaper.
Commissioner Youngren said he was recently in Lanesboro, Minn. and noticed small
posters in the windows with historic information and photos. He thought it would be a
great thing to do downtown that would show people some historic photos and stories. He
wondered what the business owners would think of allowing the posters. Ragan-Scully
said as a business owner she likes the idea and commented that the locations should be as
uniform as possible to make them easy to find and read. Other commissioners commented
that they liked the idea and the HPC should proceed with some posters.
B. State Historic Preservation Review Board request for comment – 200 2nd Street West,
Former Hudson Manufacturing Company Factory National Register listing
consideration
Fortney provided the staff report and the commissioners commented that they agree with
staff that the HPC should review the request for listing on the National Register
Nomination and consider making a recommendation as an entity without a professional
historian.
IV. Adjourn
Motion by Simacek second by Youngren to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 pm; motion
approved 6-0 by rollcall.
Respectfully Submitted - Justin Fortney