Joliet Historic Preservation Commission

150 West Jefferson Street City of Joliet Joliet, IL 60432 Joliet Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Commission Members Quinn Adamowski Mary Beth Gannon Bill Habiger Kevin Heinemann Candace Johnson Kailee Lowry Sharon Merwin Greg Peerbolte Christine Policandriotes Sara Stovall Wednesday, October 28, 2020 7:00 PM City Hall, Council Chambers The Governor’s Office and the Illinois Department of Public Health activated a mitigation plan for Region 7 (Will and Kankakee Counties) and Region 8 (DuPage and Kane Counties), effective Friday, October 23, 2020. The new mitigation plan limits in-person meetings to 25 people or 25% of overall room capacity (whichever is less). Council Chambers allows for 13 members of the public while adhering to social distancing guidelines. During meetings, any member of the public physically present in the Council Chambers in excess of the limit will be asked to wait in another room with live feed to the meeting until the Citizens To Be Heard on Agenda Items section or Public Comments section of the meeting has commenced. Speakers will be rotated into Council Chambers to allow everyone an opportunity to speak. Pursuant to the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity’s Guidelines, it is recommended that any individual appearing in-person wear a face-covering to cover their nose and mouth. Citizens who are unable to attend the meeting can email comments in advance of the meeting to publiccomment@joliet.gov. CALL TO ORDER Present Quinn Adamowski, Bill Habiger, Candace Johnson, Sharon Merwin, Christine Policandriotes and Sara Stovall Absent Mary Beth Gannon, Kevin Heinemann, Kailee Lowry and Greg Peerbolte DECLARATION OF QUORUM APPROVAL OF MINUTES September 23, 2020 Meeting Minutes TMP-0559 Page 1 of 4 Joliet Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes October 28, 2020 Attachments: Regular Meeting 092320 Minutes Draft A motion was made by Candace Johnson, seconded by Sara Stovall, to approve the September 23, 2020 Meeting Minutes. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Adamowski, Habiger, Johnson, Merwin and Stovall CITIZENS TO BE HEARD ON AGENDA ITEMS NOTE: There is a new temporary procedure for public speaking. Details can be found on the Joliet.gov “Public Comments” web page. A. This section is for anyone wanting to speak regarding items listed on the agenda . Anyone speaking on an agenda item is entitled to speak for a maximum of 4 minutes. It is not a question and answer period and staff and the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission do not generally respond to public comments. Please note speakers who engage in conduct injurious to the harmony of the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission shall be called to order by the Presiding Officer and may forfeit the opportunity to speak. STAFF REPORTS a. Staff Report b. Committee of the Whole (COW) OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS a. COA-4-2020: Certificate of Appropriateness for solar TMP-0561 panels at 206 N. Broadway Street Attachments: COA-4-2020_Staff Report Packet_ 206 N. Broadway Vivant Solar, on behalf of the property owner, Mr. George Krol, seeks a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for solar panels at 206 N. Broadway Street, which is a local historic landmark as well as individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. City Ordinance requires a COA for all exterior work on homes that are designated as local historic landmarks. The application for a COA is attached. The Joliet City Council adopted an ordinance in 1997 establishing the Hiram B. Scutt Mansion as a local historic landmark. In 2003, the property was also individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hiram B. Scutt Mansion is a west-facing, three-story, red brick Second Empire style structure built circa 1882 on a Joliet limestone foundation. Indicative of the Second Empire style, the house is capped by a mansard roof with flared eaves and features a 3 1/2 story central cupola with matching roof. Additional character defining features of this house include: a bracketed cornice Page 2 of 4 Joliet Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes October 28, 2020 line, hooded windows, paired windows, central, front entry portico, one-story solarium extension (wood construction) on the south elevation and one-story brick extension on the north elevation.The Mansion was designed by architect James Weese for Hiram Scutt, a prominent Joliet businessman who was President of Citizens Electric Company and held numerous early patents on barbed wire. The mansion thus became known as "Barb Villa." The property is approximately 23,500 square feet in size and is zoned R-2 (Single Family Residential). The house sits prominently on the bluff looking over downtown Joliet and the Des Plaines River. The property has mature trees. The house has 4,960 square feet of living space. 206 N. Broadway Street is located in the Bicentennial Bluffs neighborhood and is a local historic landmark. City Ordinance requires a COA for all modifications and alterations to a local historic landmark.The applicant seeks to install 46 solar panels on the flat roof portion of the main block of the house as shown in the attached site plan. The proposed panels are black-gray.The proposed panels sit almost flush to the brown asphalt shingle roof. The solar panels are 1 1/2 inches thick and will be mounted no higher than 10 inches above the existing surface of the roof. The proposed solar panel installation company, Vivint, noted that the proposed solar panel system requires minimal penetrations through the roof . The system is not a permanent alteration of the structural roof framework and will have no lasting effects when it is removed. The property owner is working with Vivint Solar on this project proposal, which entails the property owner entering into a long-term lease agreement with Vivint during which the applicant leases Vivint roof space for solar panels in exchange for lower utility bills. Vivint owns and maintains the solar panel systems. In addition to the criteria outlined in Section 8-615. - Criteria for certificate of appropriateness- of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, staff also recommends the National Park Service’s bulletin “Solar Panels on Historic Properties” on how to evaluate solar panels on historic properties. The web link can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/tps/sustainability/new-technology/solar-on-historic.htm The JHPC shall review the application and attachments and shall consider, where applicable, the criteria outlined in Section 8-615. - Criteria for certificate of appropriateness- of the Historic Preservation Ordinance in determining whether or not proposed construction, alteration, or demolition is compatible and appropriate. The Commission shall also refer to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards to review whether the proposed work is appropriate. The JHPC shall review the application and shall take of the three following actions at its meeting: 1. Make a decision on the COA petition by either: - Granting the COA - Granting the COA subject to condition. - Denying the COA. - The granting or denial of a COA shall be the final administrative decision. Page 3 of 4 Joliet Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes October 28, 2020 2. Table the COA petition in order for staff and/ or the applicant to reasonably produce more information for the Commission's decision. 3. Recommend that the COA petition be scheduled for a public hearing at the next regular meeting of the Commission. This option shall only occur if the Commission does not find the proposed work so clearly appropriate and in accordance with this article. A motion was made by Candace Johnson, seconded by Sara Stovall, to approve with conditions COA-4-2020: Certificate of Appropriateness for solar panels at 206 N. Broadway Street. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Adamowski, Habiger, Johnson, Merwin and Stovall COMMISSIONER COMMENTS PUBLIC COMMENT NOTE: There is a new temporary procedure for public speaking. Details can be found on the Joliet.gov “Public Comments” web page. A. This section is for anyone wanting to speak regarding non-agenda items and are allowed a maximum of 4 minutes. It is not a question and answer period and staff and the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission do not generally respond to public comments. Please note, speakers who engage in conduct injurious to the harmony of the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission shall be called to order by the Presiding Officer and may forfeit the opportunity to speak. ADJOURNMENT This meeting will be held in an accessible location. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Community Development Office, 150 West Jefferson Street, Joliet, Illinois 60432 at (815) 724-4040. This was approve. Page 4 of 4