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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Packet 03-21-2023HASTINGS HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION Agenda for Meeting of March 21, 2023 Regular business at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall in the Volunteer Room I. Call to Order and Quorum II. Oath of Office A. Patricia Bremer III. Minutes: A. January 17, 2023 IV. Certificate of Approval Review A. 214 7th St E – Rebuild garage (Committee Approved) B. 205 2nd St E – New sign V. Business and Information A. Preservation Awards Committee VI. Adjourn The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on April 18, 2023 at Hastings City Hall HASTINGS HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION Minutes of the Meeting of January 17, 2023 Held at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall, Volunteer Room I. Quorum: Commissioners: Youngren, Peterson, Simacek, Smith, Alitz Edel, McCoy, and Toppin. Absent: Borchardt and Bremer Staff: City Planner Fortney II. Election of Chair and Vice Chair Motion by Smith to reelect Commissioner Toppin as Chair of the HPC, seconded by Simacek; motion approved 7-0 Motion by Simacek to reelect Commissioner Smith as Vice Chair of the HPC, seconded by McCoy; motion approved 7-0 III. Minutes: December 20, 2022 Chair Toppin approved the minutes without any corrections. IV. Certificate of Approval Review A. 108 2nd St E – New Sign Fortney presented the staff report. Randy Stenger, Applicant, thanked the Commission for placing the request on the agenda so quickly because they hope to open during the first part of February. Commissioner Alitz Edel asked how the Commission approved similar signs that don’t appear to meet the Design Guidelines. Fortney said the signs generally do meet the intent of the Design Guidelines and historic district sign regulations in the Zoning Ordinance. the typical signs used downtown are made of a composite sign boards with a thick rigid material including marine plywood or synthetics resembling wood when painted. They are bonded to a metal face of aluminum, which is also painted. Both wood and metal are listed as accepted materials. Synthetics with the appearance of a listed material are also acceptable. The graphics are die cut adhesive vinyl lettering and graphics, which the Commission has accepted as being similar to painted lettering and graphics. Slowly the sign industry largely lost the ability to paint signs. The last few painted wood board and wood block lettering signs experienced failure in a short amount of time. Commissioner Simacek added that the signs are not historic, not permanent, and generally are replaced often. Fortney added that some HPC’s have very strict sign control and require uniform signs with adopted design, color scheme, and font. He added that it may look nice, but it doesn’t relate to preservation and historically signage was as varied as it is today. Fortney said it could be an overreach for a preservation commission to regulate something not related to preservation. Motion by Commissioner Smith to approve the request with the following condition, seconded by Youngren; motion approved 7-0 - The sign must be anchored to wood or mortar joints rather than brick. IV. Business A. Commissioner Youngren updated the Commission on the progress at 523 Ramsey Street. The house is being rehabilitated due to fire. He added that the apartment conversion at 321 6th Street East has been on hold for some time, due to material costs. V. Adjourn Motion by Smith to adjourn the meeting at 7:40 pm, seconded by Alitz Edel; motion approved 8-0. Respectfully Submitted - Justin Fortney CERTIFICATE APPLICATION 7-2021 205 2nd Street E – Carrie Helgerson New sign Ca. 1880, East 2nd Street Historic District- Contributing Request: The applicant is seeking approval of a new sign for the storefront. The proposed sign is made of an Aluminum Composite Material (ACM), which is a rigid metal sheet fabricated from two sheets of pre-finished aluminum and bonded to a rigid core. This material has been used on many other signs downtown. For this sign, the graphics will be directly printed on the aluminum face and covered by a UV protective laminate. Proposed sign size: 12’ by 3’ = 36 SF (44 Sf allowed) (2 Sf per foot of building frontage (22’)) Ordinance, Guidelines 1. Sign Design Guidelines (Page 39) 5: Historic Commercial Buildings: General Guidelines 8. Signs, Awnings, and Lighting • a. Signs and awnings should follow regulations subject to provisions of the city’s zoning ordinance. • Wherever possible, signs should be placed in traditional sign locations… • Signs should be appropriately sized… traditional materials such as wood and metal. • Signs should not conceal architectural details or features and materials should be compatible with the materials of the building to which they are attached. • No part of the historic facade should be irreversibly damaged or altered in the installation of signs and awnings. Limit drilling new holes into masonry. Sign hardware should be attached to the building with holes drilled into mortar joints, if possible. Zoning code 155.08 1. Wall signs not to exceed 2 square feet per linear foot of building frontage. The size of a sign should be appropriate to the building. 2. Signs should not cover up the traditional design elements of a building. When feasible, signage shall be at traditional locations, including: painted inside the windows, door pane or transom pane; flush on the storefront cornice or lintel; letters painted or attached directly on the cornice or lintel; mounted flush between the lintel and second floor windows. 3. The style, colors, lettering, and materials of the sign should reflect the age of the building. Examples may be found in old photographs and surviving signs. 4. Contrast between a dark background and light lettering, or vice versa, is more important than size. The lettering style should be chosen for its legibility. Staff findings: The proposed sign is appropriately sized and located on the building. It is about the same size and location as the sign to be replaced. The Zoning ordinance allows 2 Sf of signage per linier foot of street frontage, which allows for 44 Sf. The proposed sign includes graphics (generic downtown backdrop) beyond typical scrawl found on typical signs in the district. The Design Guidelines and Zoning Ordinance don’t reference graphics specifically other than an expectation for an appropriate design, contrast, and legibility.