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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-05-11 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BANGOR Meeting May 11, 2017 *DRAFT* MINUTES Commission Members Present: George Burgoyne, Vice Chair Matthew Carter Reese Perkins Alfred Banfield, Associate Member Michael Pullen, Consultant to the Commission City Staff Present: David Gould Paul Nicklas Vice Chair Burgoyne called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. REVIEW OF FINDINGS OF FACT 1. 22 Hayward St – Robert & Barbara Alexander Alterations, window replacement, new roof shingles Chapter 148 Historic Preservation – Whitney Park District – Cert. of Appropriateness Assistant City Solicitor Paul Nicklas presented the draft Facts & Findings to the Commission. Commissioner Burgoyne asked if the Commission was generally going to deny vinyl windows going forward, and if so, if City Staff should advise applicants of this. Commissioner Carter noted that many vinyl window manufacturers are making windows with simulated divided lights that are of a higher quality than were previously available, and that the Commission might consider these as viable options in the future. Mr. Pullen explained that each window should really be considered independently, as some may be more significant in terms of defining the character of a building. Because of this, he felt that there should be no “carte blanche” approval or disapproval of vinyl as a window material. He also stated that it is important that the Commission be able to review samples. Mr. Gould noted that it’s the Commission’s responsibility to fully describe what the Commission is looking for because the applicants are not always familiar with the proper terminology. The Commission reviewed the Draft Findings of Fact for 22 Hayward Street. Commissioner Carter moved approval of the Findings of Fact as presented. Commissioner Banfield seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. ANNUAL CLG REPORT 2. CLG Annual Report Oct1, 2015 to Sept 30, 2016 Mr. Gould presented the annual CLG report submitted to the State. The Commission discussed some trends with applications over the year and how the application and review process might be improved. No concrete actions were proposed. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS 3. MDOT Consulting Party Request Highway Improvements along Broadway near I-95 Overpass and Ohio St near I-95. The Commission discussed the projects that Maine DOT identified and determined that there would be no impacts to historic districts, sites, or landmarks in Bangor related to these projects. 4. Historic District / Bangor Center Revitalization Area Overlap Mr. Gould and Mr. Nicklas presented the issue to the Commission - that Design Review under the BCRA was often duplicitous for projects since so many properties in the Historic Districts were also in the BCRA. He also pointed out that many applicants are confused about which regulations apply where and which they need to follow for their projects. It was noted that the Design Review process was not originally envisioned to be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission, as the BCRA predated Bangor’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. There was some discussion about abandoning the Design Review process or delegating it to another body. Commissioner Carter noted that there was reason to have design review over the non-historic properties in the downtown, and Commissioner Banfield noted that it was probably better for everyone that there only be one body that reviews proposed alterations, lest one board give approval and the other deny. Mr. Gould noted that the Commission could attempt to merge the two by adding additional properties to the Historic Districts, however the Council might not agree to do so, especially if the property owner objects. There was significant discussion of a number of historic buildings downtown which are not currently included in Historic Districts. Staff will return to the Commission with some options related to this discussion. 5. Review and Approval of Meeting Minutes Minutes from the April 13, 2017 meeting were unanimously approved with a minor corrections. Meeting Adjourned at 7:45pm.