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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes CITY OF OSHKOSH LANDMARKS COMMISSION Minutes October 91h,2019 PRESENT: Shirley Brabender Mattox, Paul Arnold, Nikki Stoll Olthoff, Steve Cummings EXCUSED: Matt Mugerauer,Jeremy Galica ABSENT: Elizabeth Hintz STAFF AND OTHERS: Steven Wiley 1. Call to Order Chair Brabender Mattox called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m. and a quorum was declared present. 2. Approval of August 141h,2019 Meeting Minutes Ms. Brabender Mattox asked the Commission if there were any revisions for the August meeting minutes. She mentioned Item 6 of the minutes,where the minutes stated, "Mr. Arnold stated that in Oshkosh there was no shortage of skilled carpenters and masons." She and Mr. Arnold stated that this line should state, "Mr. Arnold stated that in Oshkosh there was a shortage of skilled carpenters and masons." Ms. Brabender Mattox and Mr. Arnold asked Mr. Wiley to revise this sentence in the minutes. Mr. Wiley agreed to do so. The Commission voted 4-0 to approve the minutes with the revision(Cummings/Arnold). 3. Building Permit Review For the September historic permits, Ms. Brabender Mattox mentioned the property at 1027 Washington Avenue and asked about the replacement of windows. Mr. Wiley stated that Terry Laib was the contractor that obtained the permit and that Mr. Wiley issued the zoning approval for the permit. For the August building permits, Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that she had contacted the owner of 502 Union Avenue about historic tax credits. She explained that they were one of the few owners remaining from Jackson Street to campus. Many of the homes had been taken over by rentals. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she never received a response back from the owners. Mr. Cummings explained that Bonnie Marousek's home at 1304 Algoma Boulevard was for sale. He emphasized that having two sets of zoning regulations (one for older and one for newer homes) was necessary. For 422 N. Main Street, Mr. Arnold asked what "B" and "M" occupancies meant. Mr. Wiley explained that they were occupancies under the building codes and "B"was Business and "M" was Mercantile. For 1165 Algoma Boulevard,Ms.Brabender Mattox explained that it was the Stephen Hunt II House,the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oshkosh. She had seen in the list of August building permits that a raze permit was issued for the detached garage and contacted the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). SHPO staff informed her that the municipality should inform the state of the proposed demolition. Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that she then followed up with Mr.Wiley and asked him to explain to the Commission the rest of the process. Mr. Wiley explained that he too had communicated with SHPO staff and that he reached out to the new owners of the house. He had informed the owners that the City would have to submit the required form, map, and images to SHPO and that SHPO staff would review and could require a 30 day waiting period before demolition could occur. Staff was able to photograph the property and submit the required documentation to the SHPO compliance reviewer who waived the 30 day waiting period due to the fact that the garage was not specifically listed in the National Register nomination. Mr. Wiley explained that though the garage was not specifically listed, it was on a contributing property and there was a precedent of municipalities submitting the required documentation to SHPO. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that if the garage was in a historic district and it was not listed as non-contributing, then it was contributing. She asked Mr. Wiley to send this through to the state compliance reviewer. Mr.Wiley stated that he did not catch the raze permit because for some reason the particular property was not flagged in the system as in a historic district. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked staff to follow up on flagging the property. 4. Chief Oshkosh—Steve Cummings -Update Mr. Cummings provided an update on the Chief Oshkosh signage. He explained that the group working on the project had increased the project budget to a range of$20,000-$25,000. So far Mr. Cummings had raised $10,000. He explained that Professor Pascale Manning had the draft for the signage and that the Menominee Nation had reviewed the draft. Mr. Cummings emphasized that Landmarks should not touch the draft. He stated that he would work on raising funding but that the tribe should provide the input on the historical markers. Mr. Cummings stated that he would approach additional potential donors for funding. 5. Landmarking of Properties—Potential Incentive-Discussion Mr.Wiley explained that Allen Davis and Mark Lyons had asked him to examine other communities and create a potential incentive for historic preservation and landmarking of properties. Mr. Wiley had created a draft incentive and shared it with his superiors who then took the draft and revised it to the version shared with Landmarks at this meeting. He explained that the proposed incentive was sent to the Common Council members in their packets the preceding Friday and that the Community Development Director was looking for Landmarks to provide input on the proposal. Mr. Wiley explained that the incentive had changed to a 0% interest deferred payment loan that would be paid when the property was sold. It would allow for rehab projects in historic districts. Mr.Cummings stated that in many cases $5,000 or $10,000 would not go far and that $20,000 to $25,000 was modest. Ms. Brabender Mattox and Mr. Arnold mentioned a new home at 1522 Jackson Street and stated that the house should have been set back six feet and it was an example of a new house that did not fit architecturally with the existing houses. Mr. Cummings explained that staff and the Commission would have to determine how to convince property owners to pursue preservation projects. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that projects in historic districts should have input from the Landmarks Commission. She argued that the historic preservation program should consist of a grant, not a loan and that it would allow for exterior restoration projects that meet national and local design standards. She stated that the program should only be for owner-occupied properties, not rentals. Owners would have to live at the property for at least five years. Ms. Stoll Olthoff asked if Landmarks wanted to exclude rentals or encourage people to do projects properly regardless. After discussion the Commission decided to distinguish between owner-occupied and rental properties. For businesses, Ms. Stoll Olthoff and Ms. Brabender Mattox proposed a loan rather than a grant and that staff could add a fourth item (business preservation loans) to the Proposed 2020 Housing Stock improvement programs. The commercial loan could apply to rentals. The Commission discussed the proposed grant program for the construction of new single family houses and stated that this program should consist of a loan rather than a grant. Ms. Brabender Mattox believed that the grants should be reserved for historic projects at owner-occupied residential properties. The Commission asked Mr. Wiley to share their input with Mr. Davis. 6. Historic Preservation Plan— Steven Wiley—Update Mr. Wiley provided an update on the Preservation Plan. He explained that he, Ms. Brabender Mattox, Mr. Arnold, Mr. Cummings, and Ms. Stoll Olthoff had met on September 20t" to hold another planning workshop. The group did some visioning and identified assets and opportunities for improvement with preservation in Oshkosh. Mr.Wiley reminded the Commission that he had sent out the list of assets and opportunities that Ms. Stoll Olthoff had created from the September 20tI~workshop. Ms.Brabender Mattox showed Green Bay's plan to the Commission. She also mentioned the Racine plan and explained that Lakota was hired as the consulting firm and that Racine's plan included an action plan. Mr. Cummings asked if Green Bay had a historical society. Mr.Arnold stated that Brown County might have a historical society but he was not sure about Green Bay. Mr. Cummings explained that the Landmarks Commission would want the active participation of the Winnebago County Historical Society during the planning process. Mr. Wiley stated that he would send out another email asking the commissioners about their availability to meet for another workshop. 7. Lakeshore Historic Site -Discussion Mr. Cummings stated that there was interest in placing signage along the riverfront and ending at Rainbow Memorial Park. The signage could discuss the lumber industry of Oshkosh and the 1898 Mill Workers' strike as an important event in the City's history. He stated that he continued to have discussions with Oshkosh Corporation and that Oshkosh Corp. would like to do some signage on their property. Mr. Cummings stated that funding was important. Ms. Brabender Mattox expressed that she was interested in pre-Chief Oshkosh history of the site. She asked if Mr. Wiley had heard back from SHPO on archeological and compliance aspects of the site. Mr. Wiley answered that he had not. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she could also check back with SHPO. Mr. Cummings explained that funding, research and writing were involved and recommended involving UW-Oshkosh's History Department. Mr. Cummings stated that the process should involve collaboration between Landmarks, UW-Oshkosh, the Winnebago County Historical and Archeological Society, and Oshkosh Corporation. 9. Social Media—Discussion/Action The Commission discussed social media and Ms. Brabender Mattox proposed putting past Acanthus Award properties up each week. She stated that the Facebook page could include a Preservation Spotlight. She asked Mr. Wiley to post on Bonnie Marousek's house at 1304 Algoma Boulevard as soon as possible. She emphasized the importance of posting continually on the Facebook page to keep people informed and engaged. She stated that ideally staff could increase the activity on the page. 10. Winnebago County Historical and Archeological Society(WCHAS) 100 Years-Update-Steve Cummings Mr. Cummings stated that the WCHAS planned an annual meeting at the Masonic Temple for Sunday at 2 pm. Different committees would be present and it would be a celebration of 100 years of the WCHAS. 14. Commissioner Statements a. 404 W. New York Avenue: Local Landmarking-Shirley Brabender Mattox/Rich Green Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that this item was still on the list of tasks to accomplish. b. Wisconsin Historical Society Local History-Historic Preservation Annual Conference- October 251"and 261"in Lake Geneva Ms. Brabender Mattox asked if anyone had received the flyer for this conference. Mr. Arnold answered that he had and that he usually went every few years. He stated that he would go again this year and was working to ensure he was registered. c. Feedback on Landmarks Website Stats-Steven Wiley Mr. Wiley shared the Landmarks website stats from the past month. He explained that the number of page views had decreased from 106 to 76 since August, the number of unique pageviews had decreased from 83 to 66 and that the average time on the page had increased from 0:35 to 1:05. Mr. Wiley explained that on historic dates such as September 1111,or June 6tn traffic seemed to spike on the page. d. 303 Washington Avenue (Corbett House) -Discussion-Steve Cummings Mr. Cummings stated that he did not have anything new and that he wanted to contact Randy Schmiedel, owner of the property. e. 456 Mount Vernon Street Open House-August 31st-Update Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that the open house was a success and that 425 people signed the guest book. She estimated that about 500 people went through the house. She stated that people stood for an hour down the street and around the corner. She hoped that the restoration work and open house would serve as a catalyst and stated that landmarking the property was a potential option. 13. Agenda Items for Next Meeting (November 131h,2019: 3 PM in City Hall Room 203) Ongoing items such as the Building Permit Review, Historic Preservation Plan, Lakeshore site and Chief Oshkosh signage would remain on the agenda. Any other items that Commissioners brought forward or came up would go on the agenda. Mr.Wiley explained that the 2019 annual report would also be on the November agenda since the report would be due in the coming months. 14. Adjournment Mr. Cummings made a motion to adjourn and Ms. Stoll Olthoff seconded. Meeting adjourned at 5:30 pm (4-0). Recorded by: Steven Wiley,Assistant Planner