SALT LAKE CITY HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION Minutes of the Meeting
Held at 451 South State Street, Room 126
The field trip was cancelled.
Present from the Historic Landmark Commission were Dina Blaes, Susan Deal, Billie Ann Devine, Magda Jakovcev-Ulrich, Maren Jeppsen, William Littig, Rob McFarland, Sarah Miller, Orlan Owen, Oktai Parvaz, Robert Payne, Amy Rowland, and Robert Young. Wayne Gordon and Elizabeth Mitchell were excused.
Present from the Planning Staff were Joel Paterson, Preservation Planning Supervisor, Elizabeth Giraud, and Nelson Knight, Preservation Planners.
The meeting was called to order at 4:00 P.M. by Chairperson, Dina Blaes. Ms. Blaes announced that each item would be reviewed in the same order as listed on the agenda. So that there would be no disruption during the meeting, Ms. Blaes asked members of the audience to turn their cellular telephones off.
A roll is being kept with the minutes of all who attended the Historic Landmark Commission meeting. The minutes are presented in agenda order, not necessarily as items were presented at the Historic Landmark Commission meeting. Tapes of the meeting will be retained in the commission office for a period of one year, after which they will be erased.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Young moved to approve the minutes from the January 6, 1999 meeting. The motion was seconded by Ms. Deal. Ms. Deal, Ms. Devine, Ms. Jakovcev-Ulrich, Ms. Jeppsen, Mr. Littig, Mr. McFarland, Ms. Miller, Mr. Owen, Mr. Parvaz, Mr. Payne, Ms. Rowland, and Mr. Young unanimously voted "Aye". Ms. Blaes, as Chairperson, did not vote. Mr. Gordon and Ms. Mitchell were not present for the vote. The motion passed.
NEW BUSINESS
Case No. 001-99. at 515 East 400 South, by Jim Terry of CLC Associates. Inc., Englewood. CO. requesting approval of a new Rite-Aid Store.
Mr. Knight presented the staff report by outlining the major issues of the case and the staff’s recommendation, a copy of which was filed with the minutes of this meeting. He said that staff made no findings for the project at this time, since this was the first time that the Historic Landmark Commission had reviewed the application. Mr. Knight explained the demolition process of non-contributory buildings, which was included in the staff report. He said that both the restaurant and the office buildings would be demolished, unless there was an objection raised by the neighborhood.
Mr. Parvaz inquired about signage. Mr. Knight said there would be proposed signage on 400 South, as well as 500 East Streets.
Mr. Jim Terry and Mr. Steve Wilson from CLC Associates, Inc., representing the applicants, were present. They used a briefing board to further demonstrate the
project. He also displayed a sample board of the exterior materials. Mr. Terry said that he believed the building designs and materials were harmonious with the district. He said that they had made a few subtle changes to the prototype designs and the color of the block they intend to use. Mr. Terry referred to the Block Buster Video Store, with its' EIFS (synthetic stucco) Dryvit system on the exterior wall sections and the back-lit awnings. Mr. Terry also talked about the design and materials of the Hollywood Video and the Barnes and Noble Stores and said that he believed the materials were representative of what they were planning with the Rite-Aid Store.
The following questions, concerns, and comments were made by the Historic Landmark Commission:
• Mr. Parvaz led the discussion by referring to the site plan and inquired if there would be vehicular access to the Rite-Aid Store on the east side of the property. Mr. Terry said that there would. Mr. Parvaz inquired where the service access would be and Mr. Wilson responded by saying that it would be on the north side. Mr. Parvaz questioned that there would be enough room for trucks to access that area. Mr. Wilson pointed out that Rite-Aid receives merchandise from small trucks, unloaded by forklifts onto pallets, then transported through the overhead door. Ms. Deal said that the drawings indicated that the service access area would be on the east side of the building. Mr. Wilson said that drawing was a prototype and said that the service access could go on either side.
• Mr. Littig talked about the windows and asked if the applicant had considered other schemes than the diamond-shaped windows. Mr. Wilson said that the location of the windows related to the store planning and the layout of the interior of the store. He said that the diamond-shape windows were a corporate image of Rite-Aid. Mr. Littig inquired about street trees between the street and the sidewalk. Mr. Wilson said that there would be limited space and not certain that the trees could be planted. Mr. Littig said that street trees are recommended by the RUDAT study. He said that he was a pedestrian and really appreciates seeing trees between the sidewalk and the street.
• Ms. Jakovcev-Ulrich inquired if the applicants had considered some other feature than back-lit awnings. She said that the awnings were not in proportion with the building. Ms. Jakovcev-Ulrich also said that Block Buster is not facing 400 South, like the proposed Rite-Aid building would be.
• Ms. Miller also inquired about re-siting the building so it would be located on the street edge. Mr. Wilson said that the building could be "wedged into the space" but the problem would be the traffic circulation around the building.
• Ms. Deal stated that the scale of the proposed building could not be compared to Block Buster, it would be on the same scale and materials as Fred Meyer. Mr. Terry said that he was interested in hearing what the Commission members had to say. Ms. Deal said that the proposed siting of the building would be totally inappropriate for the district because the Dee's Restaurant currently has street frontage. Ms. Deal said that with the proposal, the applicants would be "taking something away that defined the corner and replacing it with a parking lot, which would be unacceptable." Ms. Deal pointed out that the Fred Meyer building replaced other buildings and Barnes and Noble replaced the Utah Technical College, which was set back from the street. Ms. Deal proposed an "L" shaped building for the "L" shaped site. Mr. Wilson said they could not work with those parameters. Ms. Deal commented that both Rite-Aid Stores were in the Central City Historic District, so the applicants were impacting the district in two ways. She said that Rite-Aid would be vacating a large building and constructing another larger building. Mr. Terry said that there were people "standing in line" to occupy the building on 200 South and 700 East. Ms. Deal asked about the hours of operation. Mr. Wilson said that the hours would be 9:00A.M. to 10:00 P.M.
• Mr. Young inquired if the applicants had a series of prototype buildings that could be adapted to various building sites. Mr. Wilson indicated that there were three prototypes in varying sizes, but the shapes of the buildings were all rectangular. Mr. Young stated that in order to use the proposed drive-through location, a car would have to follow a looping route through the site. He said that it seemed more practical to invert the building and locate the drive through on the west side and have the ingress and egress off of 500 East. He said that the building could have street frontage and the other front door could be reoriented towards the parking lot. Mr. Wilson said that many alternatives had been discussed. He said that the drive through would not have an intense use; it would be more for convenience. Mr. Wilson indicated that the proposed location would be easily accessible for most vehicles. He further said that the comments they usually hear are that the drive through should be screened.
• Ms. Deal also suggested that if the building were on the corner, there could be a pedestrian entrance on the sidewalk off 500 East and an entrance off the parking lot on the east side. Mr. Wilson said that the customer would only gain access to the building from one door, and that would be the front door proposed on a 45 degree angle. The discussion continued regarding the different building site configurations. Ms. Deal said that, as a rule, back-lit awnings were not allowed in an historic district. She also mentioned that a large pylon sign would be acceptable on 400 South, but not on 500 East. She said that the City's ordinance states that the CC Zoning District is to "provide an environment for efficient and attractive automobile-oriented, commercial, development along arterial and major collector streets." Ms. Deal said that 500 East is not an arterial or a major collector street and it should not be considered automobile-oriented. She said that there needed to be pedestrian access and pedestrian improvements that work with the entire streetscape on the block. Ms. Deal added that the project would be facing an inner block and not the street and she believed would be "entirely inappropriate".
• Mr. Owen said that the City's Urban Forester would like to see more evergreen plants and deciduous, and suggested that the applicants contact him for plant suggestions.
• Mr. Knight inquired about sub-leasing pads or parts of buildings which he noticed on Rite-Aid's web site. Mr. Wilson said that there were instances where Rite-Aid had purchased stores that were larger than was needed so part of the store was sublet to another retail entity. He said that Rite-Aid does not make a practice of being in the "landlord" business.
• Ms. Blaes also said that the scale of the proposed structure would not be compatible with the scale of the other commercial structures in the area and recommended that the applicants consider some of the suggestions made during this meeting. Mr. Wilson that the proposed building would not be any larger than the KFC building next door. Ms. Blaes said that the proposal would be a big rectangular box covered with EIFS. She said there were designs in the Fred Meyer building that broke up the enormous elevations and the roof was not totally flat. Ms. Blaes pointed out that the east elevation would be imposing and very visible as one travel west on 400 South. Ms. Blaes stated that she believed the rhythm of solids and voids in the facades were very monolithic. She added that some elevations were far more so than others. Ms. Blaes referred to the directional expression of principle elevations and said that they were not compatible with the traditional development patterns within the historic district. She said that this new development would impact the longevity of the historic district and the Commission would not want to set a precedent. Ms. Blaes talked about the current restaurant on the site being scaled to pedestrians. She said that the Commission realized that the base zone is to accommodate vehicular traffic, but pointed out that the proposed construction would be in an overlay zone. Ms. Blaes referred to the Salt Lake City's Zoning Ordinance and said that if there was a conflict between the base zoning and the overlay district, the overlay district would prevail. She added that the applicants needed to be aware of how that would impact the development decision-making process. Ms. Blaes said that there were Design Guidelines available for the Central City Historic district and suggested that the applicants obtain a copy and added that it might be helpful.
Ms. Blaes stated that the staff report addressed many of the issues, which were raised by the members of the Commission. She reported that the Historic Landmark Commission was bound by the ordinance, which requires any new construction in an historic district to be reviewed by the Historic Landmark Commission. Ms. Blaes said that since the staff did not make findings of fact on the project, the Commission would not make a final decision at this meeting. She added that most likely the proposal would be refined in the Architectural Subcommittee meeting and then returned to the full Commission.
Ms. Blaes opened the hearing to the public and asked if anyone wished to address the Commission. The following questions, concerns, and comments were made by the public:
Mr. Kirk Huffaker, who resides at 440 E. Broadway, stated that the character of the neighborhood was pedestrian-friendly, but was rapidly changing. He indicated that he was grateful that the Historic Landmark Commission reviewed new buildings in an historic district so they would be compatible to the district, as far as materials, color, architectural details, siting, and signage. Mr. Huffaker encouraged the applicants to put the proposed building on the corner and have street frontage on both 400 South and 500 East. He said that he knew that Rite-Aid had done other designs that were compatible to other districts around the country, and believed that Salt Lake City should not settle for less. Mr. Huffaker suggested that the applicants explore the ideas that the members of the Architectural Subcommittee formulate at the meeting. Mr. Huffaker added that if a new building would be required at the old Rite-Aid site on 700 East and 200 South, that the building be constructed so the streetscape would return to 200 South.
Upon hearing no further requests, Ms. Blaes closed the hearing to the public, and the Historic Landmark Commission proceeded into the executive portion of the meeting.
Executive Session
After a short discussion, it was the consensus of the Commission members to reopen the meeting to the public for further questions. Ms. Deal asked the applicants if it were possible to provide a rendering of the Rite-Aid Store in Charleston, South Carolina, to the Historic Landmark Commission. Mr. Terry believed that was possible.
Ms. Blaes reclosed the meeting to further comments by the public.
Ms. Rowland suggested that a strong impression needed to be given to the applicants that the design of the proposed building would not be acceptable for the site. Ms. Devine said that she agreed with the comments made at this meeting. Mr. Littig commented that the lot was a difficult site on which to construct a building of this size. A further comment was made by Ms. Devine that the siting for the building was not the responsibility of the Historic Landmark Commission. Ms. Jakovcev-Ulrich said that the design of the building should be acceptable to the people in the community who would frequent the store. Other members also expressed agreement with the suggestions made during this meeting.
Ms. Deal moved to table the application for Case No. 001-99, based on the applicants meeting with the Architectural Subcommittee to review the suggestions made during this meeting, and return to the full Commission for final approval. The motion was seconded by Ms. Miller. Ms. Deal, Ms. Devine, Ms. Jakovcev-Ulrich, Ms. Jeppsen, Mr. Littig, Mr. McFarland, Ms. Miller, Mr. Owen, Mr. Parvaz, Mr. Payne, Ms. Rowland, and Mr. Young unanimously voted "Aye". Ms. Blaes, as Chairperson, did not vote. Mr. Gordon and Ms. Mitchell were not present for the vote. The motion passed.
OTHER BUSINESS
Discussion of projects for a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant for the year 1999.
Ms. Giraud said that the deadline of February 13, 1999 was fast approaching to apply for the CLG funds, which was stated in a memorandum delivered to the Commission members, a copy of which was filed with the minutes of this meeting. She indicated that she believed Salt Lake City would receive approximately $10,000. Ms. Giraud said that the grant money was only available every other year. She said that in the past, staff had used the money for surveys, travel, feasibility studies of the Isaac Chase House in Liberty Park, and other projects. Ms. Giraud pointed out that smaller communities used the grant money for things such as the purchase of books, walking tour brochures, and for promotional calendars. She said that the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO} was considering having general meetings that would "pool" resources for all the CLG communities throughout the state.
Ms. Giraud discussed the reconnaissance-level surveys which had been funded with CLG money. She said that a reconnaissance-level survey involved more than just a map, and displayed a map that was done for the Bryant neighborhood.
Ms. Giraud said that she and Mr. Knight attended the East Central Community Council meeting and the people who were present were enthusiastic about the possibility of including the Bryant area on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ms. Giraud said that the preservation office was behind in the survey work. She added that twenty years previously, there had been many surveys done because of the abundance of historians and interns doing the research. She added that the National Park Service had eliminated much of the funding for work such as this.
Ms. Deal commented that many "east side" neighborhoods were less in danger of preservation as some of the well-deserved "west side" neighborhoods. Ms. Giraud suggested that formulating more districts, to be included on the Salt Lake City Register of Cultural Resources, would be diluting what staff could do. Ms. Deal said that tax credits would be available for properties in National Register districts.
A discussion took place and the Commission members made the following suggestions: Surveying the Guadeloupe area for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places; sponsoring an event to further educate the public on the benefits of preservation; surveying the Harvard Yale neighborhood; updating the survey of housing and accessory buildings in the Avenues Historic District; registration fees and/or travel to the workshops by the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions; and surveying properties to have more individual landmark sites included on the National Register.
Ms. Blaes stated the importance of local community councils to continue to be informed and educated to the advantages of neighborhoods being included on the National Register. She pointed out that the community councils have the resources to help fund the research and survey work. She believed it was important to have some "grass roots" advocacy for preservation programs.
Ms. Giraud said that Alan Barnett, a resident of the Fairpark area, had applied for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to be used for a National Register district inclusion and invited members of the Commission to contact the City Council members to support that funding. She added that it would be a "big chunk" of money that would enable the Fairpark Area Community Council to hire a consultant to do the necessary research to ensure that the Fairpark neighborhood would be included in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Chair invited Mr. Kirk Huffaker to be included in this discussion. Ms. Blaes said that Mr. Huffaker was from the Utah Heritage Foundation. Mr. Huffaker made the suggestion that the Historic Landmark Commission investigate surveys being done in the West Capitol Hill and Gateway areas to "dovetail" with the work that the Utah Heritage Foundation has been doing in their public outreach and the revolving fund programs. He said that he liked the idea of updating the apartments thematic survey, and also believed it would be worthwhile to earmark some of the funds for advanced training for the Historic Landmark Commission.
Mr. Huffaker also stated that he thought it was good that the City was taking the initiative to do the initial surveys for the interested areas, but believed that the community councils needed to help finance the costs
Ms. Giraud said that she tries to inform the public that properties can be historic, even though they are not located in the Avenues; that a small worker's house on 800 East is just as important to a community and should be preserved. The discussion continued regarding the many areas the grant money could be used.
Ms. Deal moved that if the Certified Local Government (CLG) funds become available, that the preservation staff spend $7,500 on surveys and use the remaining amount of money to hire a consultant and for travel purposes. Mr. Young seconded the motion. Ms. Deal, Ms. Devine, Ms. Jakovcev-Ulrich, Ms. Jeppsen, Mr. Littig, Mr. McFarland, Ms. Miller, Mr. Owen, Mr. Parvaz, Mr. Payne, Ms. Rowland, and Mr. Young unanimously voted "Aye". Ms. Blaes, as Chairperson, did not vote. Mr. Gordon and Ms. Mitchell were not present for the vote. The motion passed.
Bills before the Utah State Legislature having to do with preservation issues.
Mr. Huffaker said that Senate Bill No. 166 is before the Utah State Legislature which would provide state tax credits for the rehabilitation of small commercial properties. Mr. Huffaker said that if the bill passes, it would make it easier for small building owners.
Ms. Giraud stated that House Bill No. 256 is asking for funding to match the City's funds to renovate the "Isaac Chase-Brigham Young Home" in Liberty Park. She encouraged the Commission members to contact each member's own legislator to support these bills.
Election of officers for the year 1999-2000.
By secret ballot, Mr. Robert Young was elected Chairperson and Ms. Susan Deal was elected by acclamation to serve another term as Vice Chairperson for the year 1999-2000.
Adjournment of the meeting.
As there was no other business, Ms. Blaes asked for a motion to adjourn.
Mr. Young so moved to adjourn the meeting. It was a unanimous vote of approval by the Commission members and the meeting adjourned at 5:45P.M.