Minutes - Landmarks - 3/7/2001
City of Boulder
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Minutes
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
MUNICIPAL BUILDING
1777 Broadway
Wednesday, March 7, 2001
7:00 p.m.
Board Members Present
Leslie Durgin, Lisa Egger, Sharon Rosall- Chair, Rory Salance- Vice Chair
Staff Members Present
Glenn McGee- City Facilities and Assets Manager architect, Sarah Myers- Landmarks Board Secretary, Deon
Wolfenbarger- Preservation Planner
The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m.
1. Citizen Participation for items not on the agenda.
No one from the public spoke.
2. Report on Landmark Alteration Certificates/ Demolition Permits Issued and Pending.
There were no comments.
3. Review and approval of the minutes of the February 7, 2001 meeting.
The minutes were approved with minor corrections.
4. Public Hearing and consideration of a recommendation to City Council concerning a request to
designate a portion of the Hillside neighborhood as a historic district under the City of Boulder Historic
Preservation Code. Applicant: Historic Boulder, Inc.
Mr. Boles gave an overview of the procedures for a quasi-judicial public hearing. He then asked that the board
members reveal any ex-parte contact they may have had regarding this item.
Ms. Durgin had none.
Mr.Salance said he talked with one resident in the proposed district, the Westfeld family at 1810 Hillside, to get
more information on this house.
Ms. Rosall said she talked to the applicant about past residents in the neighborhood, but this information is
presented in the staff memorandum.
Ms. Egger said she has none.
Ms. Myers swore in those people wishing to speak to this item.
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Staff Presentation
Ms. Wolfenbarger showed slides of the proposed district and reviewed her staff memorandum.
Applicant Presentation
Margaret Hanson 646 Pearl St, representing Historic Boulder, said she is pleased to have had the residents of
the district initially approach Historic Boulder about landmarking the area. She said these homeowners have a
great respect for their neighborhood. She is pleased to be representing their request.
Ms. Rosall opened the public hearing.
Public Hearing
Paul Levitt, 1610 Hillside owner, said the construction of the homes makes them conform to the actual hill side.
There is no shelving of the landscape. He complimented a former resident, Mr. Parce, for doing such as astute
design. He said he would be happy to see the area landmarked.
Carl Manthei, 1205 17th St, showed old photos and a magazine article about his house. He said he favors the
proposed historic district.
Nan Thorn-Fogel, 1707 Hillside owner, said she appreciates the old trees in the neighborhood. She gave a short
history on the former owners of her home. She believes this is a very special neighborhood and hopes the board
will landmark it.
Betty Chronic, President of Historic Boulder, 646 Pearl, talked about Fred and Kate Watts, prior residents of the
proposed district, who owned two old dairies in Boulder. She then mentioned the Tucson family who were avid
supporters of sports. She said this is a neighborhood of solid ownership and community participation. She
urged the board to designate the area as an historic district.
Dr. John Young, 1709 and 1709 Hillside owner, said he thinks the Landmarks board wants to prevent the
University of Colorado-Boulder from moving into the area by designating the east side of the Hillside district.
He does not believe this is a valid reason for designation, and thus he is not in favor of it.
Somerset McCarty, 1605 Hillside resident, said he has always liked the strong community involvement in the
neighborhood. He likes the idea of a district, as it compliments the people who have lived there for so long and
have so much pride in the neighborhood.
Ms. Rosall closed the public hearing.
Board Motion
Ms. Durgin made a motion to recommend to City Council that it designate a portion of the Hillside
neighborhood as a historic district under the City of Boulder Historic Preservation Code.
Mr. Salance seconded the motion.
Board Discussion
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Ms. Durgin said there is good evidence that the proposed district is worthy of designation. She said that her
desire to designate the area does not come as an attempt to prevent the University of Colorado-Boulder from
any future action.
Mr. Salance agrees with Ms. Durgin. He pointed out that the purpose of designating a district is not to "freeze
it in time." The owners can play a large role in setting guidelines for future alterations to the neighborhood. He
said the great people who live there were an impetus for starting the process, but it is now clear that it is a very
unique Boulder area that deserves recognition.
Ms. Rosall said that all the research done shows that the area has significance for Boulder. It is intact and
integrates the native stone into the design of many of the buildings. It appears to be one of the first planned
neighborhoods that integrates site design and landscape. For all these reasons, she believes the area is worthy
of designation.
Vote
The board voted unanimously (4-0) to recommend to City Council that it designate a portion of the Hillside
neighborhood as a historic district under the City of Boulder Historic Preservation Code.
5. Public Hearing and consideration of a recommendation to City Council concerning a request for
demolition of an existing public restroom and construction of a new public restroom at the northeast
corner of 13th & Pearl Streets in the Pearl Street Mall, located in the Downtown Boulder Historic
District. Applicant: Downtown Management Commission.
Mr Boles asked board members to reveal any ex-parte contacts they had regarding this item.
Ms. Durgin had none
Mr. Salance saw the item at design review.
Ms. Rosall had none.
Ms. Egger saw the item at design review.
Staff Presentation
Ms. Wolfenbarger reviewed the memorandum and showed slides.
Applicant Presentation
Kathy Morgan, 3970 Colorado Ave- told the board that the county commissioners gave the project an okay.
She went over some of the changes since the last time the board heard about the proposal in December, 2000.
Glenn McGee, architect for City Facilities and Assets Management Department, explained that stucco will help
prevent graffiti and can be easily repaired. It is more difficult to clean brick. Furthermore, he thinks stucco
blends in with the 1300 block. He said they want it to meld in with the other changes that will happen on the
mall.
Public Hearing
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Alan Boles, gave some background history on the construction of the present restroom facility, and said he
supported the new proposal.
Board Discussion
Ms. Egger said she understands the reasons for proposing stucco. She said she agrees with the staff
recommendation, except not with condition #5, "explore using traditionally-sized building materials in
place of the stucco."
Ms. Rosall said she thinks brick is most appropriate. She doesn't want to start a precedent of stucco on the
mall. She explained that after some historical fires in the area, brick was called out as a good material. She
thinks this structure will be a sizable building so she wants the material to be one that is called out in the
guidelines.
Motion
Ms. Rosall made a motion to conditionally approve the application for a Landmark Alteration
Certificate for demolition of an existing public restroom and construction of a new public restroom at
the northeast corner of 13th & Pearl Streets in the Pearl Street Mall, adopting the staff memorandum
with findings as listed below.
The conditions of approval being that the following items be reviewed and approved by the
Landmarks design review committee prior to the issuance of a Landmark Alteration Certificate:
- final colors and materials;
- submittal of final plans showing all elevations;
- signage;
- lighting;
- explore using traditionally-sized building materials such as brick in place of the stucco
Ms. Durgin seconded the motion.
Vote
The Landmarks Board voted (4-0) to conditionally approve the application for a Landmark Alteration
Certificate for demolition of an existing public restroom and construction of a new public restroom at the
northeast corner of 13th and Pearl Streets, adopting the staff memorandum as findings of the Board. The
conditions of approval being that the following items be reviewed and approved by the Landmarks Design
Review Committee prior to the issuance of a Landmark Alteration Certificate:
1. final colors and materials;
2. submittal of final plans showing all elevations;
3. signage;
4. lighting;
5. explore using traditionally-sized building materials, such as brick, in place of the stucco
Ms. Rosall re-opened the citizen participation period of the meeting.
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Citizen Participation Re-Opened
Betty Chronic, Historic Boulder 646 Pearl St- spoke about the importance of the Municipal Building in the
history of Boulder. She sees it as a symbolic entrance to the town of Boulder from the south. She asked that
the City initiate designation of the building as landmark so that it can be preserved.
Ms. Wolfenbarger handed out a memorandum about the Municipal Building.
6. Public Hearing and consideration of a recommendation to City Council concerning a request to grant a
Landmark Alteration Certificate for demolition of an existing garage and new construction of a two-car
garage on the property located at 1011 Spruce Street, within the Mapleton Hill Historic District.
Applicant: Stephen Kahn
Staff Presentation
Ms. Wolfenbarger reviewed the staff memorandum and showed slides.
Board Discussion
The board discussed the proposed conditions from the staff memorandum.
Ms. Egger made a motion that the Landmarks Board moved to conditionally approve the application for a
Landmark Alteration Certificate for demolition of an existing garage and shed, and construction of a two-car
garage on the property located at 1011 Spruce Street, adopting the staff memorandum as findings of the Board
with conditions of approval being that the following items be reviewed and approved by the Landmarks Design
Review Committee prior to the issuance of a Landmark Alteration Certificate:
1. lower the ridgeline of the east and west dormers below the main roof ridge;
2. reduce the depth of the east and west dormers and continue the eave under the north, south and east
dormers so that they are more secondary to the main roof form;
3. eliminate the cantilevered deck on the south elevation, and change the doors to windows;
4. reduce the depth of the deck on the west elevation.
5. retain the historic driveway through the porte-cochere of the house, and reduce the size of the new
driveway
6. reduce the footprint of the garage two feet in depth from the south elevation, reducing its impact on
the Squires-Tourtelott House; and,
7. submit final details, colors, materials, and final plans
Durgin seconded the motion.
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board voted unanimously (4-0) to approve the above motion.
The board directed staff to check about the final proposed height of the garage.
The board took a short break.
7. Public Hearing and consideration of a recommendation to City Council concerning a
request to grant a Landmark Alteration Certificate for demolition of an existing garage and
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new construction of a two-car garage on the property located at 943 Spruce Street, within the
Mapleton Hill Historic District. Applicant: Carlo Persichetti, CpWest Design &
Construction.
Mr. Boles asked the board to reveal ex-parte contact on this item.
Ms. Durgin had none.
Mr. Salance saw the item at design review.
Ms. Egger saw the item at design review.
Ms. Rosall had none.
Staff Presentation
Ms. Wolfenbarger reviewed the staff memorandum and showed slides. She also showed historic plans of the
house.
Applicant Presentation
Carlo Persichetti architect for the owner, CP West Design, 1647 71h Street- passed out a chart which listed
Landmarks approved garage footprints from 1995-1997. He said he is proposing a garage that takes up a
similar percentage of the lot as these.
Ms. Rosall opened the public hearing and, seeing no one who wished to speak, closed it.
Board Motion
Ms. Durgin made a motion to recommend approving the application for demolition of an existing garage and
new construction of a two-car garage on the property located at 943 Spruce Street, with the additional condition
that final plans be submitted.
Ms. Egger seconded the motion.
Board Discussion
Ms. Rosall said this proposal is clear cut. It meets the design guidelines and she likes the design a lot. She will
support it.
Mr. Salance said the proposal is a little big but the reasons are acceptable. Since there is no alley, he does not
think the board is allowing an "urban canyon" to develop.
Ms. Rosall agrees that the board must be careful about the size of garages. She commented that she is afraid
walk-out decks might be common in future proposals and she wants to discourage this.
Vote
The Landmarks Board moved to conditionally approve the application for a Landmark Alteration Certificate for
demolition of an existing garage, and construction of a two-car garage on the property located at 943 Spruce
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Street, adopting the staff memorandum as findings of the Board. The conditions of approval are that the final
details, colors, materials (stucco, brick, stone, trim, roof), driveway plans, and final plans be reviewed and
approved by the Landmarks Design Review Committee prior to the issuance of a Landmark Alteration
Certificate.
Matters from the City Attorney's Office.
Mr. Boles explained to the board that the Native American Rights Fund is the only entity remaining that is
trying to overturn the Grandview Historic district. The judge decided that next fall is when things will be
determined.
Matters from the Planning Department.
A. Consideration of a resolution to initiate landmark designation application for the Municipal
Building
The board discussed the proposed boundaries for the designated site, and whether or not it should include
sidewalks on the creek path.
Motion
Mr. Salance made a motion to initiate designation of the Municipal Building with the following resolution:
A RESOLUTION OF THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD INITIATING
DESIGNATION AS AN HISTORIC LANDMARK THE BUILDING AND A PORTION OF ITS SITE AT
1777 BROADWAY, ALSO KNOWN AS THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING, CITY OF BOULDER, COUNTY
OF BOULDER, STATE OF COLORADO, AND SETTING FORTH DETAILS IN RELATION THERETO.
WHEREAS, the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board ("the Board") held a meeting on March 7, 2001
pursuant to public notice;
WHEREAS, the Board found that the building and a portion of its site at 1777 Broadway, City of Boulder,
County of Boulder, State of Colorado, ("the Area"), may have historic significance worthy of designation as a
landmark;
WHEREAS, pursuant to its authority under Subsections 2-3-7(b) and 10-13-4(a), B.R.C. 1981, the Board
resolved to initiate designation of the building and a portion of its site as a landmark.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD
OF THE CITY OF BOULDER THAT:
The Board initiates designation fo the building and a portion of its site as a landmark.
The Board hereby directs the historic preservation staff to prepare an application for designation of the Area for
the Board and schedule the matter for the next available meeting.
Ms. Egger seconded this resolution.
Vote
The board voted unanimously (4-0) to approve this resolution.
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The board discussed whether a special meeting would be necessary if the City wanted the application to come
before the board before the May 2, 2001 meeting.
b. Update Memo
Ms. Rosall wondered if the board would like to have another breakfast meeting to talk about the definition of
demolition.
The board asked staff to check on what other Planning Department staff Gary Kretschmer recommended to
comment on the definition revision.
board directed staff to write a letter to the Boulder Valley School District announcing that Preservation Week 2001
will focus on schools.
C. Other
er possible breakfast meeting topics were Preservation Week, and a discussion of how best to approach City officials
about internal issues between City board members and staff members.
Matters from the Board
Salance told the board that the Mapleton Hill neighborhood association wants to landmark the Mapleton Hill School.
Rosall wondered if the Landmarks Board would be interested in presenting a lecture about traditional store fronts on
Saturday during Preservation Week, followed by a walk.
Durgin announced that the Getty Foundation would be starting a grant program to support town/gown relationships in
communities concerned about historic preservation.
Rosall cited portions of the County Land Use department minutes, to commend the county for some of its important
work. The specific portions of these minutes are underlined in Attachment A of these minutes. In particular,
please note pages 3 and 4 of the January 4, 2001 minutes and page 4 of the February 1, 2001 minutes.
board asked Ms. Myers to highlight these things for the county and send it to them.
Rosall mentioned that in the Forum News journal included in the update memo, there was an article that said the City
of Denver grants tax rebates for 20 years for certain types of historic preservation. She wondered if the Boulder
Landmarks Board might consider something like this.
Adjournment
meeting was adjourned at 11:02 pm.
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