Historic Preservation Commission

PLANNING SERVICES NEIGHBORHOOD & COMMUNITY SERVICES TH 911 NORTH 7 AVENUE I P.O Box 4169 POCATELLO, IDAH0 83205-4169 208.234.6184 WEB https://www.pocatello.us HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION (HPC) AGENDA Wednesday, September 1, 2021, 6:00 p.m. 911 N. Seventh Avenue, City Council Chambers Limited in-person attendance is allowed, but due to COVID-19 guidelines, strict social distancing measures are in place. MASKS/FACE COVERINGS ARE REQUIRED. City Hall is accessible to persons with disabilities. Program access accommodations may be provided with three (3) days’ advance notice by contacting Skyler Beebe at sbeebe@pocatello.us; 208.234.6248 or 5815 South 5th Avenue, Pocatello, ID. The Historic Preservation Commission is a citizen advisory group to the City Council. They are authorized to conduct a survey of local historic properties, recommend methods and procedures to preserve, restore, maintain, and operate historic properties under the ownership or control of the City; recommend the lease, sale other transfer or disposition of historic properties; participate in the conduct of land use, urban renewal and other planning processes undertaken by governmental agencies; recommend ordinances and provide information for the purposes of historic preservation; promote and conduct an educational program on historic preservation; and review and act upon applications for permits for building alteration, new construction, or demolition within designated historic districts. The Commission also plays a vital role in the City’s downtown revitalization efforts. All meetings of the HPC are recorded for record retention and transcription. The following is the official agenda of the Historic Preservation Commission. Discussion and Commission action will be limited to those items on the agenda. AGENDA ITEM 1: ROLL CALL AND DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND EX-PARTE CONTACT Disclose who was talked to, the basic substance of the conversation, and whether the conversation had any influence. Disclose if there is anything personally or professionally that would not allow an impartial or unbiased decision. Disclose if a site visit was done, location(s) of the visit, and what was seen. AGENDA ITEM 2: APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Commission may wish to approve the regular meeting minutes from August 18, 2021. (ACTION ITEM) AGENDA ITEM 3: CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Aaron Lee of Pocatello Flooring represented by SignPro, has submitted an application for a certificate of appropriateness for a projecting sign at 123 N. Main Street, the Sonnenkalb building. (ACTION ITEM) *** WORK SESSION *** DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT SUMMER WALK The Commission will participate in a Downtown Historic District walk to conduct an audit of the District and the associated buildings. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER I VETERAN'S PREFERENCE  HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AGENDA 2 Minutes for August 18, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. City Council Chambers, Municipal Building 911 N. 7th Avenue, Pocatello, ID The meeting began at 6:00 PM AGENDA ITEM #1: ROLL CALL AND DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND EX- PARTE CONTACT Disclose who was talked to, the basic substance of the conversation, and whether the conversation had any influence. Disclose if there is anything personally or professionally that would not allow an impartial or unbiased decision. Disclose if a site visit was done, location(s) of the visit, and what was seen. PRESENT: Jacquee Alvord, Ruta Casabianca, Donald Elston, Elizabeth Fore, Josh Pohlman, and Marty Vizcarra. UNEXCUSED: Joshua Kiggins. STAFF: Jim Anglesey and Aceline McCulla. None of the Commission members had anything to report. AGENDA ITEM #2: APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Commission may wish to approve the meeting minutes from August 4, 2021. It was moved by J. Alvord and seconded by R. Casabianca to approve the meeting minutes, as written, from August 4, 2021. Those in favor: Alvord, Casabianca, Elston, Fore, Pohlman, and Vizcarra. Unanimous. Motion carried. AGENDA ITEM #3: DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT STANDARDS OUTREACH The Commission may wish to discuss and set a plan of action on how to effectively notify and educate tenants, businesses and property owners on the established standards of the Downtown Historic District. Vizcarra stated attendance was low. Vizcarra asked for ideas on how to approach reaching out to people. Alvord recommended talking with Stephanie Palagi. Casabianca noted to reach out to MiaCate Kennedy of Bannock Development Corporation, who may help with economic development ideas to reach out to businesses. Pohlman offered to reach out to Palagi at the next downtown meeting he attends. Pohlman recommended sending guidelines out through the Chambers or the Old Town Pocatello monthly newsletter include links to the documents and websites that identify the sections people should read to help inform people about the Historic Guidelines and National Historic Guidelines and tax advantages for owners who want to improve their historic buildings. With no other regular meeting business, Chair Vizcarra adjourned the regular meeting and moved the Commission into the work session at 6:49 PM. *** WORK SESSION *** Chair Vizcarra opened the work session at THE BRADY CHAPEL CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN PLAN The Commission may wish to discuss and coordinate plans for funding & events. • Discussion on grants and funding • Alvord stated Page 1 of 2  • • Event Planning for the summer gala 2 Anglesey mentioned two people that emailed their rsvp for 2 people 2 Jean and guest 1 Sam 2 MiaCate and guest 2 Jim & Karen Johnston With no other business, it was moved by J. Alvord and seconded by M. Vizcarra to adjourn the meeting at 7:29 P.M. Those in favor: Alvord, Casabianca, Elston, Fore, Herzog, Pohlman, and Vizcarra. Unanimous. Motion carried. Submitted by: ___________________________________ Approved on: _________________________ Aceline McCulla, Secretary Page 2 of 2  PLANNING SERVICES NEIGHBORHOOD & COMMUNITY SERVICES 911 NORTH 7 TH AVENUE I P.O Box 4169 POCATELLO, IDAH0 83205-4169 208.234.6184 WEB https://www.pocatello.us AGENDA ITEM NO. __________ 3 POCATELLO HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION STAFF REPORT CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS APPLICANT/REPRESENTATIVE: Aaron Lee – Pocatello Flooring / Kenyon Crouch - SignPro LOCATION: 123 N. Main Street – Sonnenkalb Building CITY STAFF ASSIGNED: Jim Anglesey, Long-Range Senior Planner MEETING DATE: September 1, 2021 RECOMMENDATION & CONDITIONS: Staff concludes that the application for a certificate of appropriateness is not compliant with Pocatello Municipal Code Section 17.04.210. Should the Historic Preservation Commission approve the request, staff recommends the following conditions: 1. Reduce the amount of signage for the business by either reducing the size of the proposed sign or remove some existing window signage or the neon sign OR reduce the degree of nonconforming signage on the subject property by removing the 56 square foot wall sign for HUDDLLE North pending approval of the property owner OR reduce the level of nonconformity of the property as a whole by utilizing Pocatello Sign Code section 15.20.290.C which would require the removal of all nonconforming signage on the subject property. 2. All applicable standards of the City of Pocatello Municipal Code Title 15.20, The Sign Code, not herein listed and applicable shall apply. 3. The proposed exterior building alterations shall conform to the standards and guidelines as outlined in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and the Design Guidelines for Pocatello’s Downtown Historic District. 4. Prior to the issuance of a sign permit, the applicant shall contact the City of Pocatello Engineering Department to obtain a Right-of-Way Use License for the proposed sign that is to be suspended over a public sidewalk. 5. A sign permit application for all proposed signage shall be submitted per Municipal Code section 15.20.100. REQUEST: Aaron Lee of Pocatello Flooring, represented by Kenyon Crouch of Sign Pro, has submitted an application for a certificate of appropriateness for a new projecting sign at 123 N. Main Street, the Sonnenkalb Building. BACKGROUND: This building was built in 1914-15. The Inventory-Nomination Form for the Pocatello Historic District listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 states, “Designed by Pocatello architect Marcus Grundfer, the two-story cream-colored brick Sonnenkalb Building retains its bracketed tin cornice as well as a stamped-tin ceiling…. The first floor of this building originally housed the People’s Store, a retail dry goods and clothing establishment founded by George F. Gasser and Walter H. Cleare. The second floor was occupied by professional offices, including those of the building’s owner, Oscar Sonnenkalb. Sonnenkalb was a German-born civil engineer who was very prominent in the early development of southwestern Idaho.” DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR POCATELLO’S DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT: Staff finds the following standards identified in the design guidelines for the downtown historic district to be applicable to this application: AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER I VETERAN'S PREFERENCE 1. Exterior alterations and changes should be kept to a minimum. 2. The building should conform to surrounding buildings and other street features. 3. Every effort should be made to maintain and preserve the building’s original materials and colors. 4. Original and distinctive architectural details should be retained or restored. 5. Signs should be architecturally compatible with the design of the original or proposed building. THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR’S STANDARDS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES: Staff finds the following standards identified in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties to be applicable to this application: “Rehabilitation is defined as the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.” Standards for Rehabilitation: 1. A property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces and spatial relationships. 2. The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces and spatial relationships that characterize a property will be avoided. 3. Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or elements from other historic properties, will not be undertaken. 4. Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved. 5. Distinctive materials, features, finishes and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize the restoration period will be preserved. 6. Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will match the old in design, color, texture and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features will be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence. 7. Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, will be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. Treatments that cause damage to historic materials will not be used. 8. Archeological resources will be protected and preserved in place. If such resources must be distributed, mitigation measures will be undertaken. 9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment. 10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. OPTIONAL MOTIONS: 1. Approval of the Application: “Move to approve the request from Aaron Lee for a new projecting sign as presented, finding the application meets the criteria for review under Chapter 17.04.210.I of Pocatello City Code as well as the Design Guidelines for Pocatello’s Downtown Historic District and the National Standards, with the condition that: [insert any additional conditions of approval] and authorize the Chair to sign the Certificate of Appropriateness” 2. Denial of the Application: “Move to deny the request from Aaron Lee for a new projecting sign as presented, finding the application does not meet the criteria for review under Chapter 17.04.210.I of Pocatello City Code nor the Design Certificate of Appropriateness – 123 N. Main Street – The Sonnenkalb Building City of Pocatello Planning & Development Services Page 2 of 4 Guidelines for Pocatello’s Downtown Historic District and the National Standards, finding that: [cite findings for denial].” ATTACHMENTS: A. Application & Supporting Materials REVIEW CRITERIA (17.04.210.I) Compliant City Code and Staff Review Yes No N/A Code Section Analysis 17.04.210.I.1 Adverse impacts to the historical integrity of the property or structure shall be minimized. ☒ ☐ ☐ Staff Review No adverse impacts to the historic integrity of the building will occur. The work includes the installation of a new projecting sign where the building has been previously altered. 17.04.210.I.1.a Changes to the defining characteristics of the building or site shall be minimized. ☒ ☐ ☐ Staff Review No changes to the defining characteristics of the building will occur. 17.04.210.I.1.b Removal of historic materials and features of the building or site shall be avoided. ☒ ☐ ☐ Staff Review There are no historic materials or features of the building that will be removed. 17.04.210.I.1.c Historic materials shall be retained where possible. Where not feasible, compatible ☒ ☐ ☐ materials shall be encouraged. Staff Review Historic material will be retained. 17.04.210.I.2 The proposed work shall be compatible with the property or structure itself, as well as the surrounding neighborhood or district. Consideration shall be given to exterior design, site layout, proportion, detail, scale, color, texture, and materials. ☒ ☐ ☐ Staff Review The proposed projecting sign will not obscure any architectural details and is proposed to be placed in a location that would traditionally have been used for signage. See item 17.04.210.I.4 for additional discussion on signage. 17.04.210.I.3 Landscaping shall be compatible with the historic character of the property itself, ☒ ☐ ☐ as well as with the surrounding neighborhood or district. Staff Review No landscaping is included in this project. 17.04.210.I.4 The style, materials, size and location of signs shall be compatible with the historic character and scale of the property or structure as well as the surrounding neighborhood or district. Staff Review Per Municipal Code 15.20.230.B, One and one-half (1 ½) square feet of sign area shall be permitted for each of the first twenty-five feet (25') of business frontage. An additional one-half (½) square foot of sign area shall be permitted for each linear foot of business frontage over twenty-five feet (25'). Business Frontage: 18 feet Sign Area Allowed: 27 square feet Sign Area Approved: 14.3 square feet ☐ ☒ ☐ Sign Area Proposed: 15.7 square feet Sign Area Total: 30 square feet Per Municipal Code 15.20.230.B.2, one projecting sign no more than sixteen (16) square feet per sign face is permitted. The sign face shall require a ten foot (10’) clearance from the sidewalk and may not exceed an overall height from the sidewalk of fifteen feet (15’). Projecting signs may overhang a public sidewalk up to five feet (5’). The proposed signage exceeds the total allowance of permitted signage and would not be eligible for a sign permit. Staff recommends two possible options: 1) reduce the amount of signage for the business by either reducing the size of the proposed Certificate of Appropriateness – 123 N. Main Street – The Sonnenkalb Building City of Pocatello Planning & Development Services Page 3 of 4  sign or remove some existing window signage or the neon sign. 2) the proposed signage may be permissible if the property owner would agree to reduce the degree of nonconforming signage by removing the 56 square foot wall sign for HUDDLLE North. This would reduce the level of nonconformity of the property as a whole as permitted by the Sign Code section 15.20.290. If neither of the two options as stated above are desired, staff recommends utilizing Code section 15.20.290.C which states, “Legal nonconforming signs and sign structures shall be allowed to remain in place except under the following circumstances, any one of which will require the removal of the sign and compliance with this chapter for any other sign: 1. If a sign cabinet, face, or structure is removed, refurbished, replaced, or relocated without prior approval by the Planning and Development Services staff, or if the approved change(s) to the cabinet, face or structure has not been completed within ninety (90) days of permit issuance. 2. If the sign copy has not correctly identified a site or business for over one hundred eighty (180) days. Any person contesting this determination by City staff must provide proof that the one hundred eighty (180) day maximum has not elapsed. 3. If a new business or use has moved to the site and refurbishing the signage exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the replacement cost. Any person contesting this determination by City staff must provide proof of replacement cost in the form of a written estimate from a licensed sign contractor. 4. If a sign has been improperly maintained or has become structurally unsound as determined by the City Building Department. 5. If additional signage, of any type, is proposed for the site in question. 6. If any change is made to window or painted wall signs. 17.04.210.I.5 The Historic Preservation Commission must consider the property’s suitability for preservation or restoration; educational value; cost for preservation or restoration; cost of acquisition, restoration, maintenance, operation, or repairs; possibilities for adaptive or alternative use of the property; appraised value and administrative and ☒ ☐ ☐ financial responsibility of any person or organization willing to underwrite all or a portion of such costs. Staff Review The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the Historic District. Certificate of Appropriateness – 123 N. Main Street – The Sonnenkalb Building City of Pocatello Planning & Development Services Page 4 of 4  ATTACHMENT A HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION, SEPTEMBER 1, 2021  D own townH is toricD is tric t Agenda # Work Session 8 /25 /20 21,1 1:0 2:5 5AM 1 :4,5 14 0 0 .04 0 .08 0 .16m i H is toricP res e rv a tio nOv e rla y(H PO) 0 0 .05 0 .1 0 .2k m S ou rc e :E s ri, M axar, GeoEye,E arth starGeo g ra phics,CNE S/A irb us DS,U SDA,U SGS,Ae ro G R ,IG ID N,andth eG ISU s e rCo m mu nity C ityo fPo cate llo C ityo fPo cate llo