Historic District Commission

MANISTEE CITY HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting of Wednesday, December 7th, 2022, at 4:00 PM This meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers. AGENDA I Call to Order II Roll Call III Approval of Agenda At this time, the Historic District Commission can take action to approve the December 7, 2022 Agenda. IV Conflicts of Interest At this time, the Chair will ask if there are any members with a conflict of interest on the approved Agenda. V Approval of Minutes At this time Historic District Commission can take action to approve the October 5, 2022 Meeting Minutes. VI Public Comment on Agenda Related items At this time, the Chair will ask if there are any public comments. VII New Business • Approval of 2023 Meeting Schedule • Amendment to Zoning Ordinance – Signs VIII Old Business • 435 River Street – Joesph Mathewson • Permit Review IX Public Comments and Communications concerning items not on the agenda. At this time, the Chair will ask if there are any public comments. X Correspondence XI Reports DDA Executive & Economic Development Director Museum Curator Planning & Zoning Administrator XII Members Discussion At this time, the Chair will ask members of the Historic District Commission if they have any items they want to discuss. XIII Adjournment 1  HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION 70 Maple Street Manistee, MI 49660 MEETING MINUTES October 5, 2022 A meeting of the Historic District Commission was held on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, at 4:00 pm, Manistee, Michigan. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 by Chair Trucks. Members Present: Thad Taylor, Ron Helmboldt, Lee Trucks, Kathryn Kenny, Dennis Otto, Angie Quinn Members Absent: William Connor Others: Katie Mehl (City Zoning /Planner 1) APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Commissioner Quinn, seconded by Commissioner Taylor to approve the agenda as printed. Motion passed with a voice vote. CONFLICT OF INTEREST None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Commissioner Kenny, seconded by Commissioner Otto to approve the September 7, 2022, minutes as printed. Motion passed with a voice vote. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA RELATED ITEMS None NEW BUSINESS None OLD BUSINESS 435 River Street—Joseph Mathewson Mr. Truck: Mr. Mathewson has requested to restore the property back to the original condition before the installation of the windows. Ms. Kenny: reviewed Section 1280.14 Work Without a Permit. City of Manstee 2020 Historic District Commision October 5, 2022 Page 1 MOTION by Commissioner Taylor, seconded by Commissioner Quinn to allow Mr. Mathewson to take out the offending windows and replace them with plywood like it was before, this must be done by January 1, 2023 or HDC will direct the city attorney to initiate Circuit Court action. Roll call vote Yes: Helmboldt, Quinn, Taylor, Otto, Trucks No: Kenny Motion passed. Permit Review Ms. Mehl reviewed the permit list. Permit actions: completed project for 343 River, Goody’s Juice & Java will be removed, and any new permits will be added. Discussion ensued on window replacements and the procedure between HDC and the museum. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS CONCERNING ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA None CORRESPONDENCE None REPORTS DDA Executive & Economic Development None Museum Curator None Planning & Zoning Administrator Ms. Mehl: mural guidelines-- all non-contributing buildings, as all buildings, within the perimeter of the historic district must adhere to the mural guidelines, apply for a COA, and come before the HDC but are not held to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. They must still be aesthetically compatible with the historic district. MEMBERS DISCUSSION None ADJOURNMENT Meeting was adjourned by call of the Chair at 4:36 pm. Ms. Kenny stated a grant is available through SHPO for nonprofit and government buildings within the county, but the HDC would only be involved with those within the historic district. Nancy Baker Nancy Baker, Recording Secretary City of Manstee 2020 Historic District Commision October 5, 2022 Page 2 Historic District Commission Katie Mehl November 30, 2022 Manistee County Planner 395 3rd St. Manistee, MI 49660 Historic District Commission 231.723.6041 planning@manisteecountymi.gov 70 Maple Street www.manisteemi.gov Manistee, MI 49660 Dear Commission Members, I have received several complaints regarding illegal signs posted in the Historic District, specifically within window displays. The Zoning Ordinance dictates that any sign which is not an exempt sign must receive Historic District Commission approval, even when located inside the building but displayed in the window. To address this, it was requested by the City that a letter was sent to all property owners in the Historic District, reminding them of the current regulations. The memo sent is included in the following pages of your agenda packet. Staff recognizes that there are instances where a business may need to put up a temporary sign, display hours of operation, or advertise a product. To limit the number and size of this type of signage, staff recommends amending the Zoning Ordinance to include an additional section under “Exempt Signs”. This could be addressed by exempting window sings up to a certain area, for example, a cumulative area of 24”X24”. Please see below for the section of the Zoning Ordinance which dictates exempt signs, with the subsections relevant to this discussion highlighted: SECTION 2103 EXEMPT SIGNS The following signs shall be exempt from regulations in this Article. A. Any public notice, traffic control or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance. B. Any sign wholly located within a building including window signs. Except signs in the Historic District that require Historic District Commission approval C. Flags up to twenty-four (24) square feet in area. City of Manistee Zoning Ordinance D. Signs posted by a governmental agency or on their behalf by an authorized contractor. E. Portable signs shall be permitted in the R-2, R-3 for properties with a minimum of 10,000 sq. ft. of area that front on a Key Street Segment, G-C, W-F, and C-1 districts subject to a determination  by the Zoning Administrator that its placement will not impact safety or visibility for motorists and pedestrians and further limited as follows: 1. 8 square feet per side; 2. One per storefront; and 3. Permitted only during hours of operation of business. F. Temporary Signs on the property during construction, maintenance or improvements and relating to construction, maintenance or improvements on the property during the period of time of work. Staff is requesting a motion from the HDC, to recommend the City Planning Commission pursues an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance that provides an exemption for window signs, up to a specified area. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Katie Mehl City of Manistee Zoning Administrator Manistee County Planner Historic District Commission Katie Mehl November 30, 2022 Manistee County Planner [Name] 395 3rd St. [Address] Manistee, MI 49660 231.398.3525 kmehl@manisteecountymi.gov www.manisteemi.gov To Whom it May Concern, I am writing you today as the Zoning Administrator to address the sign regulations contained in the City of Manistee Zoning Ordinance, specifically within the Historic District. It has been brought to my attention that several businesses are in violation of Article: 21 Signs, of the City of Manistee Zoning Ordinance, which can be found at the following link: http://www.manisteemi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/345/Article-21-Signs---as-amended-thru-7-14- 15?bidId= I would like to ensure all property owners and tenants are aware of the requirements, and that any new sign requires Historic District Commission approval. This includes but is not limited to, signs and displays mounted on any window that fronts a public Right-of-Way, window paintings, temporary signs and product advertisement. Within the Historic District, this includes signs posted on the interior and exterior of the windows. If your business contains a sign that does not meet the requirements of SECTION 2103 EXEMPT SIGNS or SECTION 2104 PROHIBITED SIGNS subsection F., please remove any signs that have not received a Land Use Permit from the Zoning Administrator and a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission. Please recognize this letter is only being sent to property owners and the information should be provided to each tenant, if any, within your establishment. It is the responsibility of the property owner to provide this information to your tenant(s), as any zoning violation will be cited to the property owner. The December Downtown Business Connection meeting is to take place on Tuesday, December 20th at 8:30 AM, and I will be in attendance to answer questions and address any concerns you may have. If you would like to speak to me directly prior to the meeting, please do not hesitate to call or email me. Sincerely, Katie Mehl City of Manistee Zoning Administrator Manistee County Planner Historic District Commission Katie Mehl October 17, 2022 Manistee County Planner 395 3rd St. Manistee, MI 49660 Joesph Mathewson 231.723.6041 435 River St. planning@manisteecountymi.gov www.manisteemi.gov Manistee, MI 49660 Dear Mr. Mathewson, At the October 5, 2022, Historic District Commission meeting, a determination was made by the Commission as it relates to the work conducted without a permit at 435 River Street. The following motion passed: “MOTION by Commissioner Taylor, seconded by Commissioner Quinn to allow Mr. Mathewson to take out the offending windows and replace them with plywood like it was before this must be done by January 1, 2023 or HDC will direct the City Attorney to initiate Circuit Court action.” Failure to restore the building within the prescribed amount of time, will result in the Commission seeking an Order from the Circuit Court per section 1280.14 – Work Without a Permit of the City of Manistee Codified Ordinance. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Katie Mehl Zoning Administrator City of Manistee  Katie Mehl Planning/Zoning Administrator 395 Third St. Manistee, MI 49660 231.398.3587 kmehl@manisteecountymi.gov www.manisteemi.gov Date Approved Permit # Date Expires Address Name Details Status 8/05/2021 Historic District Commission Permits as of 11/30/2022 8/05/2021 PHDC21-010 8/05/2022 411 River St Jeff Gordon Cornice, Windows, Doors, Columns In Progress 5/10/2022 PHDC21-011 8/05/2022 347 River St Paula Rozmarek Cornice & Windows In Progress 5/12/2022 PHDC22-006 5/10/2023 369 River St Brandon Ball Painting Building In Progress 7/08/2022 PHDC22-007 5/12/2023 95 Maple St Library Maintenance & Repair In Progress 7/12/2022 PHD22-010 7/08/2023 321 River St Paulette Junker Doors/Windows Front & Rear In Progress 10/20/2022 PHDC22-011 7/12/2023 432 River St BPO Elks No 250 Digital Sign In Progress 8/3/2022 PHDC22-013 10/21/2023 345 River St Manistee Inn & Marina Painting Building In Progress 1/05/2022 PHDC22-014 4/03/2024 100 Washington St CDI Construction Design Façade In Progress PHDC22-015 1/05/2024 141 Washington St 141 Washington St Façade In Progress