10.05.16 LB Minutes CITY OF BOULDER
LANDMARKS BOARD
October 5, 2016
1777 Broadway, Council Chambers Room
6:00 p.m.
The following are the action minutes of the October 5, 2016 City of Boulder Landmarks
Board meeting. A digital recording and a permanent set of these minutes (maintained
for a period of seven years) are retained in Central Records (telephone: 303-441-3043).
You may also listen to the recording on-line at: www.boulderplandevelop.net.
BOARD MEMBERS:
Deborah Yin
Briana Butler
Ronnie Pelusio
Fran Sheets
*John Putnam, *Planning Board representative without a vote
Eric Budd, out-of-town and unavailable to attend this meeting
STAFF MEMBERS:
Debra Kalish, Senior Assistant City Attorney
James Hewat, Senior Historic Preservation Planner
Marcy Cameron, Historic Preservation Planner
Holly Opansky, Landmarks Board Secretary
William Barnum, Historic Preservation Intern
1. CALL TO ORDER
The roll having been called, Chair D. Yin declared a quorum at 6:03 p.m. and the
following business was conducted.
D. Yin opened the public comment for the Landmark Alteration Certificate
application for 541 Marine St.
Scott Raderstorf, 517 Marine St., a neighbor, spoke in support of the Landmark
Alteration Certificate application for the demolition of an accessory building and
construction of a new garage at 541 Marine St.
The public comment period was closed.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
On a motion by D. Yin, seconded by F. Sheets, the Landmarks Board approved (4-0,
E. Budd absent) the minutes as amended of the September 7, 2016 board meeting.
3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
No one from the public spoke for items not on the agenda.
4. DISCUSSION OF LANDMARK ALTERATION AND DEMOLITION
APPLICATIONS ISSUED AND PENDING
• Statistical Report
• 2220 Bluff St. —Stay expires December 3, 2016
• 172315th St. —Stay expires January 9, 2016
6. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Public hearing and consideration of a Landmark Alter;tion Certificate
application to demolish a non-contributing accessory building (barn built c. 1952)
and construct a 728 sq. ft., two-car garage at 541 Marine St. in the Highland Lawn
Historic District, pursuant Section 9-11-18 of the Boulder Revised Code 1981
(HIS2016-00213). Owner/Applicant: Chris and Sarah Cottingham/Rachel Lee,
Mosaic Architects & Interiors
Ex-parte contacts
B. Butler, R. Pelusio and D. Yin assessed the application for the rehabilitation of
the house and construction of an addition Landmarks design review committee.
D. Yin made a site visit.
F. Sheets recused herself from the review of this application due to the proximity
of her primary residence to the subject property.
J. Putnam had no ex-parte contacts.
Staff Presentation
J. Hewat, presented the case to the board, with the staff recommendation that the
Landmarks Board approve with conditions.
Applicant's Presentation
Rachel Lee, 405 S. 43rd St., applicant and architect from Mosaic Architects &
Interiors, spoke in support of the application and answered question from the
board. Ms. Lee noted that she was amendable to conditions of approval #1 and
#3, but not#2 the size constraint of 493 sq. ft., and would like the structure to be
approved for 609 sq. ft.
Chris Cottingham, 631 University Ave., the property owner, spoke in support of
the application and agreement to reduce the size of the garage to 609 sq. ft.
Public Comment
Jane Snyder, 1701 15th St., architect from Mosaic also working on the project,
spoke in support of demolition and approval of the proposed garage, especially
because the alley is non-contributing and handed out a map showing the
building footprints in the Highland Lawn Historic District.
Board Discussion
With regard to determining if this structure is contributing, B. Butler, R. Pelusio
and D. Yin agreed that although this is an attractive building, the date of
construction, c. 1952, is outside the district period of significance and the
structure is non-contributing.
With regard to demolishing the barn and constructing a new structure, B. Butler,
R. Pelusio, and D. Yin agreed with staff recommendation. They encouraged the
applicant and owner to consider a few things: 1) revisiting the idea of not
demolishing the barn and refurbishing it (and showed some examples); 2)
incorporating some of the existing barn characteristics in the new design, for
example, a) by adjusting the pitch of the roof to reflect the house roof pitch more
closely without going over 20' height limit, b)by adjusting details like using 1"
by 6" roof trim instead of the 1" by 10" trim shown; and 3) reducing the width of
alley facing wall, possibly by moving the shed to the back of the garage.
Motion
On a motion by B. Butler, and seconded by D. Yin voted and approved (3-0; E.
Budd absent, F. Sheets recused) this landmark alteration certificate application
to demolition of the barn and to construct a new, two-car garage with at the
contributing property at 541 Marine Street in the Highland Lawn Historic
District in that the proposed construction meets the requirements set forth in
Chapter 9-11-18, B.R.C. 1981, subject to the conditions below, and adopts this
memorandum as findings of the board.
CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL
1. The applicant shall be responsible for ensuring that the development shall be
constructed in compliance with all approved plans on file in the City of Boulder
Planning Department,except as modified by these conditions of approval.
2. Prior to a building permit application,the applicant shall submit,subject to the
final review and approval of the Landmarks design review committee,
architectural plans for a two-car garage that is smaller than the proposed 728 sq.
ft.,with a vertical mass and roof pitch/configuration complimentary to the historic
house,and is narrower in width;and in addition,include the racking and type of
solar panels for the photovoltaic system.
3. Architectural plans indicating exterior materials for the garage more in keeping
with the design guidelines including one-over one windows,simplified garage
doors,and details on roofing,siding,and paving materials.The applicant shall
demonstrate that the design details are in compliance with the intent of this
approval and the General Design Guidelines.
This recommendation is based upon staff's opinion that with the
conditions listed above, the proposed construction of a two-car garage
will be generally consistent with the conditions as specified in Section 9-
11-18(a)&(b)(1-4) B.R.C., the Highland Lawn Historic District Design
Guidelines and the General Design Guidelines.
B. Public hearing and consideration of a demolition permit for the building located
at 233414th St., non-landmarked buildings over 50 years old, pursuant to Section
9-11-23 of the Boulder Revised Code, 1981 (HIS2016-00191). Owner/Applicant:
Alexander Brittin/Bob Von Eschen
Ex-parte contacts
R. Pelusio made a site visit.
B. Butler, D. Yin and J. Putnam have no ex-parte contacts.
Staff Presentation
J. Hewat, presented the case to the board, with the staff recommendation that the
Landmarks Board issue a stay of demolition.
Avplicant's Presentation
Alexander Brittin, 9136 Vendome Dr., Bethesda, MD, spoke in support of the
demolition. To demonstrate the integrity of the application, Mr. Brittin started by
highlighting the history of the previous owners, his now 91-year old mother and
late father who came to Boulder in 1941 from Europe after WWII. He continued
that when his father died, his mother used the insurance money to buy this
property so that her sons, Alexander and Bobby, could have a place to live. Mr.
Brittin described his intention to move back to the town he grew up, Boulder, to
build a home on this property that his family could live in, as well as build an
auxiliary unit in the back that his brother could live in rent free.
To make a case for demolition, he pointed to the 9-11-18 B.R.C. concerning the
rights of property owner interests and that the code's intent is to not landmark
every old building. Mr. Brittin shared his findings that the structure is in
unrepairable condition and has had major alterations. He noted that the cost to
rehabilitate would be close to $1.5, higher than estimated.
Public Comment
Bob Von Eschen, 3445 Penrose Pl., #230, contractor, spoke in support of a
demolition. He met with city staff 7 times to look at options to rehabilitate this
building. The engineers report shows significant damage.
Kenneth Jacques, 128 Katie Ln., architect for the applicant, spoke in support of
demolition. He mentioned significant lateral shifting that has occurred.
Abby Daniels, 1200 Pearl St., Executive Director of Historic Boulder, spoke in
support of a stay of demolition.
Rebuttal
Alexander Brittin, reinforced that the building's integrity will be lost if the
required structural improvements are made, and stated that he is happy to look
at alternatives to demolition, such as keeping the facade of the building.
Board Discussion
B. Butler agreed with staff and appreciates the applicant's point of view. R.
Pelusio acknowledged the amount of the time and energy that Alex, Bob, and
Ken has put into the project adding that the thorough investigation has helped
advance the conversation, and especially since Mr. Brittin offered facade
preservation.
Motion
On a motion by F. Sheets, and seconded by B. Butler, voted and approved (4-0;
E. Budd absent) to issue a stay of demolition for the building located at 233414th
St., for a period not to exceed 180 days from the day the permit application was
accepted by the city manager, adopting the staff memorandum with the findings
listed below, in order to further analyze information on the condition of the
buildings.
180-day stay period would expire on January 29, 2017.
Should the board choose to issue the demolition permit, or if the permit is
allowed to expire, staff recommends that prior to demolition the following be
submitted to Planning, Housing and Sustainability (PH&S) staff for review,
approval and recording with Carnegie Library:
1. A site plan showing the location of all existing improvements on the subject
property;and
2. Color medium format archival quality photographs of the interior and exterior of
the house.
C. Public hearing and consideration of a demolition permit for the house located at
1723 Marine St., a non-landmarked building over 50 years old, pursuant to
Section 9-11-23 of the Boulder Revised Code, 1981 (HIS2016-00192). Owner/
Applicant: Stewart Cohune/Ellsworth Builders, Inc.
Ex-parte contacts
D. Yin made a site visit.
B. Butler, R. Pelusio, and J. Putnam had no ex-parte contacts.
Staff Presentation
M. Cameron, presented the case to the board, with the staff recommendation
that the Landmarks Board issue a stay of demolition.
Applicant's Presentation
Kenneth Jacques, 128 Katie Ln., architect for the applicant, spoke in support of
demolition.
Public Comment
Abby Daniels, 1200 Pearl St., Executive Director of Historic Boulder,spoke in support of
a stay of demolition.
Discussion
D.Yin, B. Butler, R. Pelusio, F. Sheets, and J. Putnam agreed with staff
recommendation.
Motion
On a motion by F. Sheets, and seconded by D. Yin, voted and approved (40, E.
Budd absent) that the Landmarks Board issue a stay of demolition for the
building located at 1723 Marine St., for a period not to exceed 180 days from the
day the permit application was accepted by the city manager, adopting the staff
memorandum with the findings listed below, in order to explore alternatives to
demolition for the building.
A 180-day stay period would expire on January 16, 2017.
Should the board choose to issue the demolition permit, or if the permit is
allowed to expire, staff recommends that prior to demolition the following be
submitted to Planning, Housing and Sustainability (PH&S) staff for review,
approval and recording with Carnegie Library:
1. A site plan showing the location of all existing improvements on the subject
property;and
2. Color medium format archival quality photographs of the interior and exterior of
the house.
D. Public hearing and consideration of a demolition permit for two buildings
located at 3900 Orange Ct., non-landmarked buildings over 50 years old,
pursuant to Section 9-11-23 of the Boulder Revised Code, 1981 (HIS2016-00229).
Owner/Applicant:Jarrow Montessori School/Faurot Construction, Inc.
Ex-carte contacts
B. Butler and R. Pelusio assessed the application at the Landmarks design
review committee.
F. Sheets, D. Yin and J. Putnam had no ex-parte contacts.
Staff Presentation
M. Cameron, presented the case to the board, with the staff recommendation
that the Landmarks Board issue a stay of demolition.
Applicant's Presentation
Michael Girodo, 1094 Fairway Ct., Head of Jarrow Montessori School, spoke in
support of demolition.
Matthew Schexnyder, 3840 Telluride Pl., architect for the owner, spoke in
support of demolition highlighting the hazmat compliance issues with regarding
to early learning facilities.
Discussion
R. Pelusio brought forth the idea that the story behind the property and the
amenity is compelling even though it is not specifically noted in the code,
meaning that if the specific structures are gone that the amenity (of the school)
will not be lost.
D. Yin, B. Butler, F. Sheets and J. Putnam agreed with staff recommendation.
Motion
On a motion by F. Sheets, and seconded by D. Yin, voted and approved (4-0, E.
Budd absent) that the Landmarks Board issue a stay of demolition for the
building located at 1723 Marine St., for a period not to exceed 180 days from the
day the permit application was accepted by the city manager, adopting the staff
memorandum with the findings listed below, in order to explore alternatives to
demolition for the building.
A 180-day stay period would expire on January 16, 2017.
Should the board choose to issue the demolition permit, or if the permit is
allowed to expire, staff recommends that prior to demolition the following be
submitted to Planning, Housing and Sustainability (PH&S) staff for review,
approval and recording with Carnegie Library:
3. A site plan showing the location of all existing improvements on the subject
property;and
4. Color medium format archival quality photographs of the interior and exterior of
the house.
8. MATTERS FROM THE LANDMARKS BOARD, PLANNING DEPARTMENT,
AND CITY ATTORNEY
A. Update and Review of Proposed Revisions to the Energy Code by Dave Thacker,
Building Services/Manger/Chief Building Official, Kendra Tupper, Energy
Services Manager, Elizabeth Vasatka, Business Sustainability Coordinator
B. Update Memo
C. Subcommittee Update
1) Design Guidelines and Code Revisions
2) Outreach and Engagement
3) Potential Resources
10. DEBRIEF MEETING/CALENDAR CHECK
11. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9:58 p.m.
Approved on ($/a 2016
Respectfizlly submitted,
Chairperson