Historic Preservation Commission

MINUTES HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION TOWN OF BUENA VISTA, COLORADO July 1, 2021, 3:00 PM I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL Jo Reese, Nancy Locke, Mary Therese Anstey, John O’Brien, Suzy Kelly, Vic Kuklin, Dan Courtright, and Katy Welter present in person. Melanie Roth in attendance via Zoom. III. AGENDA ADOPTION Suzy moved, Mary Therese second. The motion carried unanimously. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – June 3, 2021 Suzy moved, Katy second. The motion carried unanimously. V. PUBLIC COMMENT None. VI. BUSINESS ITEMS A. 420 E. Main Street demolition permit application Katy Welter left the meeting. John O’Brien asked the developers of 420 E. Main to present their goals and vision; John gave Mark the floor to present the staff report on the alteration plan; Mark summarized the criteria that qualify the structure for local landmarking; John questioned what potential impacts the maximum stay of demo might have on the project; both parties acknowledged that a 180-day stay would likely expire before any work was begun. Mary Therese asked if owners would be open to local landmarking, and Jo asked if they were aware of grants and credits. The owners acknowledged that they were aware of the available tax credits, and due to restrictions on use of the property they were not interested in local landmarking. John asked that comments on design be limited to the alterations that impact the determination of staying the demo permit. Tim Sabo of Allen-Guerra Architects (project architect) presented design proposals specific to the west side of the structure in question. Of note, Tim pointed out that the west side windows and door that would be altered were modern and did not have any inherent historical value. John asked for a motion to accept or table staff recommendation; Mark recommended discussion on length and use of stay. John made a motion to accept staff recommendation and stay 90 days to obtain elevation photos and measurements of the impacted elevation for potential future restoration, Mary Therese Second, discussion regarding John’s motion resulted in amendment of the motion to 60 days. John moved that the motion be amended as discussed, second by Suzy Kelly all commissioners voted yes except Vic who abstained. B. 420 E. Main Street informal design review Tim Sabo of Allen-Guerra Architects presented preliminary design for new construction to the west and east of the historic structure. Each structure, as proposed, will be mixed use, three stories. The west structure will be stepped back at the second floor and even further on the third. The east structure will be stepped back at the third floor. John commented that at 36’ the proposed buildings were too tall, and the proposed structures are three stories high, which is strongly discouraged in the architectural guidelines. Both these facts are mitigated by the stair-stepped approach. For a pedestrian, the west structure will feel like a one-story building, while the east structure will feel like a two-story building. The ADG’s prefer single double hung windows over the pair of double hung windows shown. Jo asked whether the developers would reconsider the modern style windows on the first and third floors. John suggested a kickplate on the ground floor to conform with the ADG’s. Tim asked for HPC’s input on the location and style of the doors: as proposed they do not face the street. Suzy pointed out that at least two buildings on Main Street have corner doors similar to the west building, so that approach would not be inconsistent. Dan noted that the ADG’s favor modern interpretations of historic designs, and that this design seemed to represent that. John thanked the developers for bringing the design before the HPC early on, and complimented their efforts to retain the existing historic structure and courtyard feel. C. Lot 6 Block 21, E. Main Street design review Katy Welter joined the meeting. Tim Sabo presented the proposed design, which involves a three-story, mixed-use building with 7 residential units and a commercial first floor space. Mary Therese asked if stepping the building back (similar to the 420 E Main Street plan) was a possibility, and Tim said that it was something they could consider, but that the building is consistent with the mass and scale of others in that part of Main Street. Dan Courtright noted that the kick plates were a nice feature that is consistent with the ADG’s and ties the Main Street together. John O’Brien noted that the quoins give a nod to the courthouse. He went on to share the following feedback based upon the architectural design guidelines: would prefer a single inset door rather than a pair of flush doors; on the upper floor, single windows  instead of pairs; lower height – proposed height was shown to be 36’-6”; two stories instead of three. Jo Reese recommended a more prominent parapet. D. Lot 8 Block 21, E. Main Street design review Tim Sabo also presented the proposed design, which is a mixed-use building with similar mass and scale as Lot 6, including: commercial first floor space, and four residences. Nancy asked if they could lower the gabled roof. John asked if the building could be revised to be 2 stories high; if the primary unit could be moved to the back so that it wasn’t visible from the street allowing the north gable roof to be revised to a flat roof with parapet and the patio and sliding glass doors eliminated. The proposed height of the building is 38’-8-1/2”. Dan asked if a false front could be utilized to disguise the gabled roof. Mark noted that all other roofs on Main Street are flat except for the Orpheum, and that there are serious snow issues due to that roof. Suzy suggested a recessed front door on the commercial space. John thanked Tim for coming to present in person and for taking the ADG’s and HPC’s comments into consideration. Tim thanked the HPC for their input on all the projects his firm is working on. E. Residential Survey public presentation - meeting date and location Scheduled a meeting for July 29th for the residential survey presentation at 5:30 in the community room. F. Next meeting date and location: August 5, 2021, 3:00 pm at the Community Center – Pinon Room. VII. STAFF UPDATES VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 5:14 pm. Respectfully Submitted John O’Brien Chair