City of St. Charles Historic Preservation Commission met May 2.
Here is the minutes provided by the Commission:
Members Present: Pretz, Malay, Krahenbuhl, Kessler, Smunt
Members Absent: Chairman Norris
Also Present: Russell Colby, Community Development Division Manager
1. Call to order
Dr. Smunt called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
2. Roll call
Mr. Colby called roll with five members present. There was a quorum.
3. Approval of Agenda
The following items were added:
11b. Status of the Municipal Plaza History in Plain View plaque.
4. Presentation of minutes of the April 18, 2018 meeting
A motion was made by Ms. Malay and seconded by Mr. Kessler with a unanimous voice vote to approve the minutes of the April 18, 2018 meeting. Mr. Pretz and Mr. Krahenbuhl abstained.
5. COA: 215 E. Main St. (windows)
The City of St. Charles Public Works department requested the item be tabled. They are still gathering information.
A motion was made by Ms. Malay and seconded by Mr. Pretz with a unanimous voice vote to table the COA.
6. COA: 21 S. 4th St. (new house)
The Commission previously approved a COA for the demolition of an existing house at this address along with plans for construction of a new dwelling in its place. Minor changes have been made to those plans as follows:
• Front porch: Changed from concrete to a raised deck structure, railings added, roof pitch changed. This is due to a grading issue.
• South elevation: entry door changed to double door
• East elevation: basement windows added; different garage door style; taller dormer windows
• North elevation: entry door to garage removed; taller windows
• West elevation: additional window on second floor
Mr. Pretz expressed concern over the mass of the house and what it will do to the surrounding homes. He felt the house will be too big for the lot. Mr. Colby said the project complies with the zoning code and the square footage has not changed from the original approved plans. Dr. Smunt noted it is consistent in height with other structures on that corner.
The Commissioners discussed stipulating the use of certain materials.
A motion was made by Mr. Kessler and seconded by Mr. Pretz with a unanimous voice vote to approve the COA revisions using porch and lattice materials made of a synthetic or a wood product suitable for this use.
7. COA: 210 Cedar Ave. (fence)
Karen Ramella, the property and business owner, was present.
The proposal is for the installation of a fence to meet the requirements for obtaining a liquor license. Ms. Ramella noted the drawing shows the fence with two gates, but she was informed she will only need one. She is seeking to create a controlled environment.
Mr. Kessler and Dr. Smunt were in favor of the fence design that was presented. However, he said an open design might be more neighborhood-friendly. Mr. Pretz noted the design will depend on how confined they want to space to be. Mr. Krahenbuhl preferred to see the final product before granting approval, including information on the material.
A motion was made by Ms. Malay and seconded by Mr. Krahenbuhl with a unanimous voice vote to table the COA until the next meeting.
8. COA: 1 Illinois St. (exhaust fan)
Alex Teipel, architect, was present. The proposal is for the installation of an exhaust vent fan for a new café with a small kitchen. The fan will be painted to match the color of the building brick. The Commissioners discussed the future maintenance of different paint options.
A motion was made by Mr. Krahenbuhl and seconded by Mr. Kessler with a unanimous voice vote to approve the COA with the condition that the fan be placed as close to the spot designated on the plans or higher if possible; adding powder coating to keep the paint from peeling; and using a color to match the brick.
9. Façade Improvement Grant: 423 S. 2nd St.
Ryan Samuelson and Ryan Corcoran were present.
The Commission previously reviewed this on a preliminary basis. The windows have already been installed. The plan is to do some stucco repair and painting, adding cedar trim and siding, a cedar pergola and gooseneck lighting.
The applicant is eligible for a maximum of $20,000. Mr. Pretz said he would prefer to pull the labor costs out of the total amount and grant 50% of the material costs. Dr. Smunt said this project is almost a complete remodel job. He would support consideration for the grant to be approved for the entire cost at 50%. He stated they need to consider whether or not this is an architecturally significant or contributing improvement. Ms. Malay said they always considered labor as important because they wanted to have good quality work done.
Mr. Krahenbuhl said the stucco repairs could be considered a maintenance project and might be more appropriate to consider that portion at the 25% reimbursement level. Mr. Colby noted the grant program does not contemplate splitting out labor vs. materials for the same improvement. He said if they do consider making a split, it would be more appropriate to do it based on the scope of work.
A motion was made by Ms. Malay and seconded by Mr. Pretz with a unanimous voice vote to recommend to City Council approval of a Façade Improvement Grant for 423 S. 2nd Street, as a “Building Improvement” eligible for 50% reimbursement.
10. Façade Improvement Grant: 113 N. 2nd Ave.
The project includes repainting the building and repairing some damaged wood trim. This work will fall under the maintenance category. Dr. Smunt asked how they would prevent the new wood from rotting again and recommended that all the wood be backed by sealant prior to installation. He also suggested putting shims behind the wood to allow airflow to help keep the wood dry. Mr. Pretz said the key is to have the board completely primed all the way around.
Historic Preservation Commission Minutes – May 2, 2018 Page 4
Mr. Colby said the program now allows the sides of building that are visible from the street to be included in the grant. He said the Commission needs to determine if the back of the building is sufficiently visible from the street. Ms. Malay said it is more visible in the winter months. Mr. Kessler said it is also more public because it is in a business area.
A motion was made by Ms. Malay and seconded by Mr. Pretz with a unanimous voice vote to recommend to City Council approval of a Façade Improvement Grant for 113 N. 2nd Avenue, as “Routine Maintenance” eligible for 25% reimbursement, contingent upon using shims for airflow in the area where the trim is going to be replaced, with wood back- primed on all sides, and no power washing.
11. Additional Business and Observation from Commissioners or Staff
a. Discussion regarding potential changes to COA and meeting procedure
Mr. Colby shared the current administrative approval list and an outline of the proposed changes to the COA process. The Commission previously discussed having a more formalized process. This would involve having a more elaborate application form and more detail submittal requirements. It would also include simplifying the process for some of the less complex application types that are typically approved by the Commission with little discussion. The Commission would receive better, more complete information and would have more time to review the materials submitted.
The less complex items mentioned were fences behind buildings and signs/awnings. Ms. Malay suggested looking over the items that have come before the Commission in the past few years to determine if the concerns they had were addressed in the design guidelines. Mr. Pretz recommended periodically reviewing the guidelines to ensure new concerns are continuously reviewed and updated.
Mr. Colby stated they may be able to reduce the amount of meetings to one per month. Mr. Pretz felt this may not address the demand and may take some time. Mr. Krahenbuhl noted once the more routine items currently discussed become part of the administrative approval process, there will be less demand. Also, by having more complete information up front, meetings could be more efficient. Ms. Malay said the reason for the two meetings a month was so they were not inconveniencing the residents. Mr. Colby said this would be a shift in policy and would need direction from City Council. Dr. Smunt suggested having a fast track approval process for very routine items and using the meetings to focus on more major projects. Dr. Smunt said he would still like the Commission to have the opportunity to guide the petitioners in the correct direction. The Commission provided further feedback on the outline. Mr. Colby will provide updated information at the next meeting.
b. Status of Municipal Plaza History in Plain View plaque
Mr. Colby will check with the public works department.
12. Meeting Announcements: Historic Preservation Commission meeting Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Committee Room.
14. Public Comment
15. Adjournment
With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m.
https://www.stcharlesil.gov/sites/default/files/event/minutes/5-2-18.pdf
Alerts Sign-up