Everett Historical Commission

Everett Historical Commission Meeting Summary March 28, 2023 Commissioners Staff Guest Arnold Morrison, Chair Alex Byrd Patrick Hall, Vice Chair Becky McCrary Ashli Bush Yorik Stevens-Wajda Theresa Gemmer Christine Svihus Jean Satti-Hewat Robert Barren Attendance The meeting convened at 6:30 pm with a roll call of Commissioners. Acceptance of Agenda Chair Morrison made a motion to accept the March 28, 2023, agenda, it was seconded by Vice Chair Hall, and approved unanimously. Citizen comments (for items not on tonight’s agenda) There were no citizen comments for items not on the agenda. Approval of February Meeting Summary Chair Morrison made a motion to approve the February 28, 2023, meeting summary. Commissioner Bush seconded and it was approved unanimously. 2023 Work Plan Prior to the meeting, Commissioner Bush transferred the Work Plan document from Microsoft Word to an Excel spreadsheet. At the March 28, 2023, meeting, staff and the Commission went through the 2023 Work Plan Draft and finalized it. Commissioner Satti-Hewat agreed to put together a presentation with images of signage toppers and neighborhood signs throughout the city so we can have a better understanding of where these are located. Regarding the Everett Register plaques, the Commission discussed what the process will look like for a homeowner to get a plaque. Vice Chair Hall is going to research what the plaques currently look like and then the Commission will decide if the template needs to be updated. Commissioner Satti-Hewat and Commissioner Barren will meet separately to discuss updating the Historical Commission website and then work with staff to make any changes. Lastly, staff will work on putting together a design review submittal checklist. Next Meeting (date and subject) The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Staff and Commissioner Comments Vice Chair Hall reminded the Commission about the URM pilot program that will be taking place in Everett on Saturday, April 15th at 9:00am. 1 Vice Chair Hall made a comment that in the past there has been a set end time for the meetings. However, staff and the Commission confirmed the Rules of Procedure do not include an end time, only a start time of 6:30pm. Moving forward, staff will only include a start time on the agenda. Staff and the Commission decided that meeting packets will be emailed (instead of mailed) moving forward, unless there is a design review. If a design review is on the agenda, physical meeting packets will be mailed out. Staff is working with Michelle Thompson, CLG Coordinator and Main Street Design Specialist with DAHP, to schedule a design review training. This will take place during an upcoming meeting. Staff and the Commission discussed ADU’s in historic overlays and how the Guidelines are applied. Staff noticed in the past, it does not appear the Guidelines were strictly applied when the ADU is not visible from the street, but staff could not find anything in the guideline that would exempt an ADU from meeting certain standards. Staff brought this issue to the Commission to get their feedback regarding if there is a distinction between when certain guidelines apply to an ADU and when they do not apply. After a discussion with the Commission, the consensus was that the Guidelines do apply to ADU’s even if the structure is not visible from the street. A deviation would need to be requested to deviate from certain development standards contained in the Neighborhood Conservation Guidelines and Historic Overlay Zone Standards. Staff asked the Commission if they prefer in-person or virtual meetings. The Commission decided the April 25, 2023, meeting will be virtual, but will plan on an in-person meeting on May 23, 2023. Staff will see where the in-person meetings can be held and update the Commission at the next meeting. A recording of the full meeting is available upon request. 2