Historic Preservation Commission

Tybee Island HISTORIC PESERVATION COMMISSON Meeting Minutes Date & Time: October 9, 2023, 6:00 pm Present: Holly Grell-Lawe, Mike Goldberg, Marty Harrell (via phone), Mary Anne Butler (via phone), Sarah Jones, Cassidi Kendrick, Bob Ciucevich (Guest Presenter) Absent: Cara Cole, Spec Hosti Observers: Dawn Shay, Forever Tybee Location: Burke Day Public Safety Building, Conference Building, 78 Van Horne Ave Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm. Pursuant to Section 11 of the Procedures for the Conduct of HPC Business, a roll call confirmed that a quorum was present. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the September 11, 2022 meeting were unanimously approved by a roll call vote upon motion by Mary Anne Butler and seconded by Mike Goldberg. Announcements Tybee/MLK In the absence of Pat Leiby, the update for Tybee/MLK was reported by Cassidi Kendrick. On Friday, November 10th, at 7:00 pm at the Post Theater, Tybee MLK will present the documentary, "The Warrior Tradition," in honor of Veterans and Native American Month. The movie is free/donation, but a ticket is needed. Tickets are available through the Post Theater website. This documentary tells the story of Native Americans who served in the military. Lazaretto Coalition No update was available. Ongoing Business Mid-Island Historic District Update Bob Ciucevich of Quatrefoil Historic Preservation Consulting presented an update on preparation of the Strand Summer Cottage/Central Tybee Island Residential & Historic District (formerly, Mid-Island National Historic District) application package. A series of old Tybee maps and aerial photographs were shown to explain the proposed boundaries of the district. He noted that the National Park Service (NPS) wants boundaries to be clear and non-arbitrary. Mr. Ciucevich reviewed the three phases of development on Tybee, all of which are represented within the proposed district. The three phases are: (1) 1890-1920, the first major period of development that involved the railroad, the opening of hotels like Ocean House and Hotel Tybee, and the building of summer cottages; (2) 1922-1940, the second phase of development that saw completion and opening of the Tybee Road and the building of Raised Tybee Cottages; 1 and, (3) WWII and the Post-WWII period (1940-1973) when residential, year-round development took off and Tybee transitioned from a seasonal beach resort to a year-round seaside community. An important part of the application package will be the explanation of “why this District” and “why these boundaries.” Some key points made by Mr. Ciucevich in his detailed presentation included: The proposed District is located between 6th Street and 12th Street and represents the three phases of development on Tybee. There are only 5 buildings in the proposed district from the 1890-1920 period. St. Michael’s Church, built in 1891, is the oldest structure in the proposed district. The Fresh Aire Home (formerly Zoraida Archery Club) is a very important historic resource in the proposed district (1898). The proposed district has the largest concentration of remaining Raised Tybee Cottages (an architectural type only found on Tybee). It’s thought that A.P. Solomon was the originator of the Raised Tybee Cottage. The proposed district has the largest concentration of historic resources remaining from the 1922-1940 and WWII/Post-WWII periods of Tybee’s development. There are 250 contributing and 70 non-contributing structures within the district. Among the 70 non-contributing structures, there are a lot of structures with Tybee characteristics—raised main living quarters with car storage underneath. The primary difference is that they do not have servants’ quarters, which defines the Raised Tybee Cottages—specifically designed to segregate the races. This narrative is not currently in the application documents, but will be added. The reason that Memorial Park is not included in the proposed district (as requested by HPC), is that when NPS reviewed the draft application in 2018, they said that there were too many intrusions in Memorial Park to consider it historic. Research is ongoing to confirm that the Atlantic Club Station was actually a train station. Sarah Jones stated that she was told that it was a place where the train conductors stayed. Mr. Ciucevich requested help obtaining any and all information that might confirm/disconfirm the Atlantic Club train station. Holly Grell-Lawe commented that after hearing Mr. Ciucevich’s presentation, she fully understood the historical significance of the proposed district in a way that she did not get from reading portions of the draft application. Mr. Ciucevich explained that the “Summary of Significance” and “Statement of Significance” are the sections that “sell” the proposed district and those are the sections he will be working on next. He is also working on a more formal map. Also to be developed for the Statement of Significance, is further discussion of the Raised Tybee Cottage, a design which was an “architecture of segregation.” Mr. Ciucevich stated that the index that accompanied his July update to the HPC does include the addresses for the 320 structures in the proposed district and identifies if they are contributing or non-contributing. Holly Grell-Lawe indicated that the index will be important to HPC outreach efforts related to the proposed district. 2 When asked for his ideas on community outreach related to the proposed district, Mr. Ciucevich suggested an informational meeting, newspaper article, social media posting. If HPC wants to host an informational meeting, he can prepare something more formal than today’s presentation and people attending can find out if their house is in the proposed district and what that means. Sarah Jones recommended an update be provided to City Council, noting that many residents watch the City Council meetings. Mr Ciucevich recommended outreach kick-off during the 60-day review period once the application has been submitted. He further stated that permission from over half of the property owners is only needed for a proposed district containing 50 buildings or less. Since this proposed district is well over 50 buildings, property owner permission is not required. A National Historic District provides only recognition; there are no requirements imposed on property owners. Holly Grell-Lawe commented that this was an opportunity for HPC to gain visibility and public support for historic preservation. In response to a question from Marty Harrell, Mr. Ciucevich responded yes, if anyone feels there is a structure which should or should not be included, that information can be sent to him. He further indicated that he welcomes information on buildings that anyone thinks is important to know about (e.g. a past Mayor’s house). North Campbell Conservation District Holly Grell-Lawe stated that she has a technical query about the CD that she wants to discuss off-line with Sarah Jones. Four of the six documents needed are pretty much completed (the draft CD Ordinance, the map of the North Campbell neighborhood, the list of properties identifying contributing and non-contributing, property owner support form). The other two documents (CD fact sheet and letter to property owners) are in-process. Holly Grell-Lawe proposed moving the neighborhood community meeting from November 1 to December 7 to have more time to prepare for the meeting, anticipate questions from property owners and ensure that HPC is fully ready. The HPC members agreed with changing the date for the meeting. Cassidi Kendrick will reserve the Guardhouse. Holly Grell-Lawe reminded the group that what HPC is proposing with the CD is very narrow—a process related to preventing demolition of historic structures. It does not include design controls of any kind. Mike Goldberg suggested that April and James Moore (who grew up on Tybee and live in the North Campbell neighborhood) could perhaps help with talking to the property owners to outreach the CD proposal. Holly Grell-Lawe will talk to April Moore about it. New Business HPC Vacant Position Posting Marty Harrell’s second term is ending and HPC has an open position starting January 1 2024. Holly Grell-Lawe would like the position posted now and the application deadline set for November 30 so the chosen applicant can be submitted to City Council for approval in December. It was noted that there is an applicant from the last vacancy who was interested in future openings. Sarah Jones recommended to reach out and confirm that the applicant for the 3 prior vacancy is still interested and available. Cassidi Kendrick informed the group that HPC’s recommendation to City Council to fill the vacancy must be accompanied by all the applications that are received. Cassidi Kendrick suggested that the Nominating Committee that includes the HPC Chair and two other members be appointed at the November HPC meeting. Holly Grell-Lawe reminded the group that HPC members and staff are expected to share their top take-aways from the CAMP training at the November meeting. Also, Cassidi Kendrick and Cara Cole will provide an overview of what they learned about the sunsetting of historic preservation tax incentives at the HP Conference in Augusta in September. Permit Reviews No permits were reviewed. A new permit application was sent to HPC members today. Sarah Jones and Mary Anne Butler have responded. The Chair is waiting to hear from the remaining HPC members. A summary of the permit and the HPC recommendation will appear on next month’s HPC meeting agenda. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:23pm with unanimous approval via roll call vote upon motion by Marty Harrell and seconded by Mike Goldberg. 4