ANNUAL REPORT FOR FY May 31, 2017

Transcription

1 CITY OF GENEVA HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION 22 S. FIRST STREET GENEVA, ILLINOIS ANNUAL REPORT FOR FY May 31, 2017 The Historic Preservation Commission, whose seven members are appointed by the Mayor and City Council, was established in 1982 by City ordinance. The Commission is responsible for the preservation of historic buildings, sites, objects and districts in the City of Geneva. The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) recommends historic properties for landmark designation to City Council and reviews and approves building permits for exterior improvements on designated historic properties. This annual report has been prepared in accordance with the City of Geneva s annual reporting requirement under the National Park Service s Certified Local Government Program established by the National Historic Preservation Act. The City of Geneva has been a Certified Local Government since The Commission is staffed by a part-time Preservation Planner within the Planning Division of the Community Development Department. This Annual Report is prepared for the HPC activities completed during the City of Geneva s fiscal year, May 1, 2016 April 30, The reporting period coincides with the City of Geneva fiscal year (May 1 thru April 30) as required for submission to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) within thirty (30) days of the close of the municipal fiscal year. I. LANDMARK DESIGNATIONS The landmark designation process is initiated with a nomination application and a public hearing before the Historic Preservation Commission. Following the close of the public hearing, the Commission votes to recommend the nomination for review and designation by the City Council and the Mayor in accordance with the provisions of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, revised and adopted during the previous reporting year. In 2016, the first Historic Landmark nomination 810 Dow Avenue to be processed under the guidelines of the revised Historic Preservation ordinance, was accepted by the City of Geneva. The Dow Avenue site is located outside of the Geneva Historic District and within the South Geneva area of the community. The property was nominated for associations with patterns of local and regional community development as well as significant individuals, relevant to the early, pioneer settlement of northeastern Illinois and the Town of Geneva. Built circa 1856, the home was associated with those settlers who played significant roles in the platting of Geneva s first additions to the original town; who served among early and prominent professionals in northeastern Illinois (Attorney Giles Spring; Dentist Edwin Judson; and Illinois &

2 Michigan Canal Real Estate Agent James A. Marshall); and who were among the early mayors of the City of Chicago (James H. Woodworth). The research resulted, unintentionally, in the debunking of an earlier history of a local home that was reportedly constructed in The complex nomination required significant assistance from staff. The nomination was supported unanimously by both the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission and the Geneva City Council. II. BUILDING PERMIT & PROJECT REVIEWS BY THE COMMISSION In 1994, an amendment to the historic preservation section of the City of Geneva Municipal Code gave the Historic Preservation Commission binding review authority; that authority was retained in the revision of the Geneva Historic Preservation Ordinance. The Commission reviews permit applications for exterior improvements to designated historic properties. Approval by the Commission must be secured as part of the processing and issuance of permits. The Historic Preservation Commission reviews permit applications for new infill construction, additions, demolitions, window replacements, new signs, etc. The Commission also reviews nominations for landmark and historic district designation as well as City of Geneva/Staff projects. The Historic Preservation Planner reviews minor changes to projects that have been approved by the Commission as well as some permit applications for minor work on behalf of the Commission (such as signs, awnings, or rear yard fences). Between 2012 and 2016, construction and rehabilitation activity within the local Historic District grew exponentially. In 2016, a record number of building permit applications were reviewed by or on behalf of the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission. Historic District Building Permit Applications: FY Historic District Building Permit Applications: FY Since FY a FY a ( Past 13 Years) FY ( Past 5 Years) FY ( Past 2 Years) Approved by Staff b ( Since FY ) Approved by HPC c ( Since FY ) Denied by HPC c ( Since FY ) Total Permits Reviewed FY Approved by Staff 2016 (0f 157 Permits Reviewed) Denied by Staff b (0f 157 Permits Reviewed) Approved by HPC 2016 (0f 157 Permits Reviewed) Denied by HPC 1,494 1, Notes: a. Data valid through April 30, 2017 based on available records; verifiable records maintained since Total number includes withdrawn applications. b. Staff Review began in c. Data available for period between May 1, 2008 and April 30, 2017 ONLY. Building permit activity within the Geneva Historic District has been rapidly increasing from yearto-year since In 2015, building permit activity rose by 12.71% over the prior year s recordbreaking review of permit applications. With 157 permit reviews in FY , building permit activity rose by 18.05% over the prior year s permit reviews. Since 2013, permit review within the Geneva Historic District has increased by 30.13%. In FY , reviewed permit applications Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 2 of 11

3 equal the number of permits reviewed between 2011 and 2012, combined, when a total of 157 permits were reviewed over a two year period. The analysis suggests that the existing designated Historic District continues to be under increasing pressure for both property improvement and new development. Although the Geneva Historic Preservation Ordinance has been adopted for 35 years, nearly 20% of the reviewed permit work activity has occurred within the last 2 years (in other words, within just 5.71% of the period of time that the Historic Preservation Ordinance has been in place). This trend has been steady over the past four years. Demolitions within the Historic District have dramatically increased since 2008 with 18 Demolition Permits issued in the past 8 years. One demolition request (627 Campbell Street) was denied. Two demolitions were approved within the Geneva Historic District in 2016; both cases were determined to have severely compromised integrity issues (11 North Fifth Street and 427 Peyton Street). The Geneva Historic Preservation Commission raised the concern that each of the properties approved for demolition resulted from long periods of deferred maintenance by the property owners. Numerous inquiries about potential demolitions throughout the local Historic District are received annually. Immediately beyond the boundaries of the Geneva Historic District, demolitions continue to occur. As fewer residential lots have been platted for development across the City of Geneva during the strengthening construction sector, the Historic District, with existing, improved lots and smaller, older housing stock, continues to face increased redevelopment pressure. New Construction within the Historic District has continually increased over the last several years. In 2008, 1 new housing unit was built. In March 2016, 5 additional housing units were approved (Campbell Row Townhomes) but have not yet been constructed. Additional large lots have been listed for sale raising two concerns: the future of several historic buildings within the designated districts and the loss of expansive lawns and open space as new and denser development is requested. HISTORIC DISTRICT PERMIT REVIEW Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 3 of 11

4 During the peak building permit season of 2016, historic district building permit review and approval required as many as 32 calendar days due to the part-time work schedule of the Preservation Planner. During peak periods on 2016, the review time for permit applications within the Historic District dropped by approximately 20% from the previous year, owing to the Preservation Planner s improved review efficiency and time management efforts. Total number of projects reviewed (several project reviews included multiple components such as a simultaneous request for demolition and new construction or new fencing along with exterior rehabilitation) during FY 2016 (May 2015and April 2016): 157 Projects/permits reviewed by the HPC: 42 (26.92%) Projects/permits reviewed by Staff: 115 (73.72%) Permits were reviewed for 145 individual properties. The types of properties that have been reviewed may be summarized as follows: Residential Properties: 83 (57.24%) Commercial Properties: 62 (42.76%) Of the 42 project reviews conducted by the HPC, following is a breakdown of the types of reviews: Commission/City of Geneva projects: 0 Landmark nominations: 1 Concept plans (typically also reviewed for permit): 14 Permit applications: 27 Of the 42 projects (plus 2 cases withdrawn) reviewed by the HPC, following is a breakdown of the review results: Permits Approved 29 Permits Approved with Conditions 13 Permits Denied 0 Permits Withdrawn 0 Permit Applications Returned 0 Permit Applications No Show 0 Of the 157 projects reviews applied for through the HPC (reviewed by either administrative staff or the HPC), following is a breakdown of the types of permit applications received: Signs/Awnings 39 Exterior Rehabilitation 60 Fence/Site Improvements 30 Building Additions 6 Window/Door Repair or Replacements 13 Demolition 3 New Construction 0 Other 1 PREVIOUS YEARS The Historic Preservation Commission reviewed the following number of projects during the same reporting period in the past five (5) years: FY projects/permits were reviewed FY projects/permits were reviewed FY projects/permits were reviewed FY projects/permits were reviewed FY projects/permits were reviewed Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 4 of 11

5 DEMOLITIONS Following demolition procedures that require a public hearing under the recently-amended and adopted Geneva Historic Preservation Ordinance, two demolitions were approved in 2016: 427 Peyton Street and 11 North Fifth Street. The first project at 427 Peyton Street had been approved in 2007; however, no demolition work had occurred in the interim. Therefore, the approval was deemed to have expired, and a new application for demolition was required. The home at 427 Peyton Street was an early home, dating perhaps to the late 1830s or early 1840s. It is believed to have been moved to the Peyton Street site in the 1890s. Between that date and the early 1970s, the small home had been enlarged and remodeled numerous times. Aside from structural integrity issues and high rehabilitation costs, the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) determined that the early building and its late 20 th century, detached garage retained little to no architectural integrity and only a minimal number of identifiable, architectural features pre-dating No public spoke in favor of preserving the buildings on the property. The Geneva HPC reluctantly, but unanimously, granted a demolition permit for the locally-rare resource, noting that the property suffered significantly as a result of excessive, deferred maintenance. As of the date of this report, the property has not been demolished. The second demolition granted within the Geneva Historic District was for the property located at 11 North Fifth Street. The post-civil War house was constructed circa To make way for a new service station, the house had been relocated from State and Fifth streets around After World War II, the home was converted into a restaurant and an apartment. The first floor interior of the gable-front home was completely gutted over time to expand kitchen and serving areas. In 1949, a one story brick addition was added to the south side of the house, eliminating a prominent porch. Later, a north addition of concrete block was constructed. The second floor was remodeled; the fenestration was altered at every side visible from the public right-of-way; and a non-historic front porch was added after Aside from some original, exterior siding and trim, the notable, historic architectural feature was the repetitive use of bracketed window lintels that survived at some second floor windows. The Geneva Historic Preservation Commission struggled Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 5 of 11

6 with the preservation of the property as a whole, noting that the architecture of the brick addition was incongruent with the frame residence. The Commission acknowledged that the later additions were within the period of significance identified in the updated architectural survey for the historic district, pending approval by the National Park Service. However, Commissioners could not agree whether or not any of the restaurants that occupied the property were significant in their own right in relation to the history of Geneva. Commissioners disagreed whether or not protection should be granted for the building in its present configuration or whether sufficient integrity warranted preservation of the oldest section of the building, namely the remnant Front Gable, frame residence. With a split vote (5:2), the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission approved the demolition request for 11 North Fifth Street. As of the date of this report, the property has been fenced in preparation of demolition. III. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FAÇADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM / SIGN GRANT PROGRAM The City of Geneva s Façade Improvement and Sign Grant Programs continued to be unfunded for ILLINOIS HISTORIC PRESERVATION AGENCY PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT FREEZE Staff worked with several property owners to prepare projects and complete applications to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency for the Property Tax Assessment Freeze program. During the reporting year, one property successfully met the qualifications for the tax assessment freeze program. Currently, four projects are pursuing qualification for the tax assessment freeze program. Since the establishment of the Tax Assessment Freeze program, 31 Geneva properties have applied to the program and 17 of those properties qualified. The Geneva success rate is approximately 60% for those property owners participating in the tax assessment freeze program. City of Geneva Staff continues to work closely with the staff of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency - Preservation Services Division to encourage use of the Property Tax Assessment Freeze program by eligible homeowners in Geneva. The access to the Project Reviewers along with their prompt and clear guidance has proven extremely helpful and profitable for successful projects. When differences of interpretation arise, the Preservation Services Division staff has proven to be open, insightful, and forthright in discussions leading to resolution. FEDERAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION TAX CREDITS Staff has recommended that several property owners consider applications to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency / National Park Service for the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit. Despite extensive efforts to educate and assist property developers/owners, few take advantage of the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit. Since the establishment of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit (a/k/a Investment Tax Credit or Rehabilitation Tax Credit) program, 11 Geneva properties have applied to the program and 3 of those properties qualified for the tax credits. The success rate is approximately 27% for Genevan s participation in the tax credit program. IV. MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT Staff continued to work with the City s Code Enforcement Officer and the City s Building Division on building code application; property maintenance issues; and review of and inspection of final work permitted by the City. Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 6 of 11

7 Periodically, as time permits, the Preservation Planner walks the historic district to review permitted work and to identify work being undertaken without permits and/or HPC review. Additionally, the residents of Geneva monitor their neighborhoods and report construction activity that is thought to being undertaken without permits and/or HPC review. Staff continues to work to improve internal communication and permit processing efficiency for the benefit of property owners within the Geneva Historic District. V. OUTREACH AND OTHER ACTIVITIES UPDATE OF NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT SURVEY AND NOMINATIONS Concurrent with the approval of the demolition of the Sixth Street School, Kane County and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), resulting in a consultant contract for the update of the Central Geneva Historic District and North Geneva Historic District surveys and nominations to the national Register of Historic Places. The updated survey information and boundary amendments will be incorporated into a survey update being completed by City Staff. The survey and nominations were completed and submitted for review by the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council (IHSAC) in The IHSAC recommendation was forwarded to the National Park Service; the National Park Service requested additional amendments and modifications to the submitted nominations. The City of Geneva understands that the consultant, McGuire Igleski & Associates has completed the requested modifications and have returned those documents to the National Register Coordinator at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. At the writing of this report, the City of Geneva is unclear about the status of approvals for the submitted amendments to the National Register of Historic Places updates. The goal of the City of Geneva Community Development Department is to incorporate those National Park Service-approved recommendations and survey results into a comprehensive update of the local, architectural survey which was completed in Community Development Staff have been completing field work and administrative work for an updated architectural survey. Revised survey forms have been designed and 95% of field photography has been completed. Approximately 40% of the survey information has been entered into the new survey documents. At the request of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Preservation Services Division, additional field work will be conducted during the summer of 2017 to gather solid documentation regarding Geneva s accessory structures and built landscape features. The anticipated completion date for the survey project is September PRESERVATION MONTH AND PRESERVATION 50 The City of Geneva Historic Preservation Commission did not undertake any presentation of the biennial Mayor s Preservation Awards during May Instead, preservation efforts were recognized as part of a multiple month celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the National Preservation Act, beginning in May 2016 and culminating in October In May 2016, a web-based tour included local sites (within and beyond the boundaries of the local historic districts) that were built in 1866, 1916, and The selected properties included those built 100 years before the adoption of the National Preservation Act as well as those properties that had just achieved 50 year status at the time the Act was signed into law. Finally, we selected sites that were built in the year the Act was instituted and were, in 2016, 50 years old. Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 7 of 11

8 Our virtual tour concept was developed using the nationallyadopted Preservation50 theme of Our Legacy. Our Future. The virtual tour was conceived by Preservation Planner Michael Lambert and executed through the efforts of Commissioner Alan Hiller. Commissioner Carolyn Zinke and Preservation Planner Michael Lambert provided substantial research assistance. The virtual tour was promoted through several communication methods, including artistic posters that depicted places that mattered and that, also, were built or remodeled in one of the target years of the presentation: 1866, 1916 or Eight different posters were produced by Commissioner Al Hiller and distributed to key locations in the historic shopping district. The posters proved very popular and, at the request of the owners of the featured historic properties, were reproduced several times. Also, the virtual tour was promoted extensively through the City of Geneva website. The webbased tour is found at: Historypin and was accessed more than 1400 times between May and October. The tour remains live as an educational tool. The Commission anticipated that website visitors would add comments or history about the newer historic sites, but that did not materialize as hoped. In conjunction with the 50 th anniversary of the signing of the National Preservation Act into law in October 2016, the City of Geneva presented the biennial Mayor s Awards for Preservation. The 2016 honorees were: 402 Franklin Street - David and Angel Warner, Owners, for the renovation of an early 20th century Dutch Colonial residence which included restoration of architectural features as well as a substantial addition on a very small, existing lot; 213 South Fifth Street - Gary and Megan Reno, Owners, and Maurice McNally / Avondale Custom Homes, Inc., Developer, for the exterior restoration of a Queen Anne / Stick Style home; Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 8 of 11

9 527 Campbell Street - Ronald & Linda Steele, Owners, and Thomas Kraakevik / Aaron Thomas Enterprises, Contractor, for the sensitive rehabilitation of a modest, Tudor Cottage of the 1930s that respected the original architecture and provided a usable side porch; 123 West State Street (Yates Building) -Benjamin Ward, Owner, and Mike Howell / Carpentry With Integrity, Contactor, and Dan Marshall / Marshall Architects, Architect, for the exterior and interior renovation of an 1848, locally-quarried limestone, Two-Part Commercial building; 213 South Fifth Street - Joseph and Janet Norris, Owners, and Tom Ritchie / Tom Ritchie Construction, Inc., Contractor, and Sean Gallagher / Gallagher Associates Architects, Architect, for a sensitive addition to an 1893 Queen Anne home; and 25 North Third Street (Ashland Center) - Paul E. Kawalek, Owner / Developer, and Dan Marshall / Marshall Architects, Architect, for the Mid-century Moderninspired renovation and adaptive use of a 1954 grocery store turned bank for use as state-of-the-art, modern office space that utilizes green technologies extensively. The awards were presented at a regular meeting of the Geneva City Council during the month of October. Preservation Planner Michael Lambert provided a brief synopsis of each project. Following the project descriptions, Mayor Kevin Burns noted the significant contributions of historic preservation throughout the Geneva community and offered the City s appreciation for the work of the honorees prior to presenting each of the project principals with a certificate to honor their efforts. VI. COMMISSION MEMBERS AND MEETINGS Members of the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission serve on a volunteer basis without compensation. Registered Design Professionals who engage in any design work within the Historic District are deemed to have a potential conflict of interest per City of Geneva policies regarding the appointment of commissioners. Meetings of the Geneva HPC were held at 7:00 pm on the third Tuesday of the month, typically, in the City Council Chambers. Meetings of the HPC are not televised. HPC meetings for the reporting period were held each month except May 17, A Special Meeting was called on November 1, The attendance record of Commissioners and Staff is summarized in the following table: Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 9 of 11

10 May 17, 2016 June 21, 2016 July 19, 2016 August 16, 2016 September 20, 2016 October 18, 2016 November 1, 2016 November 15, 2016 December 20, 2016 January 17, 2017 February 21, 2017 March 21, 2017 April 18, 2017 Scott Roy, Chairman Jenn Abplanalp CANCELLED X X X X X X X X X X X X X Stephen Collins X X X X Jim Hamilton X X X X X X X Al Hiller X X X X X X X X X X George Salomon X X X X X X X X X X Paul Zellmer X X X X X X X X X X X X Carolyn Zinke X X X X X X X X X X X Michael A. Lambert, Preservation Planner X X X X X X X X X X X X KEY: X Not a member of the Commission Present Not Present No Commission member was removed during FY ; however, one (1) Commissioner stepped down due to increased professional demands of her job. New appointments during this reporting period were: Jim Hamilton (resume attached). Currently, the Historic Preservation Commission has no vacancies. During this 2016 reporting period, two Commissioners were in attendance at every meeting of the Commission: Chairman Scott Roy and Paul Zellmer. However, one appointed commissioner attended fewer than 31% of the meetings that were held. A quorum was present at every scheduled meeting of the Geneva HPC. VII. COMMISSION STAFF Michael A. Lambert continues to serve as the City of Geneva Preservation Planner, a position he had held for 4 years and 4 months at the close of the fiscal year. Because the demands of the position required significantly more time to complete the assigned tasks, Michael s hours were increased to 29 hours per week at mid-year. Weekly Preservation Planner duties are divided between building permit review; communication with existing and potential property owners within the Historic District as well as with concerned residents of Geneva; meeting agenda / case coordination for Commission meetings; historic research / building significance reports; architectural design assistance / commentary for exterior rehabilitation and new infill construction projects; file management; and departmental staff meetings. Additional time has been allotted for special projects associated with National Preservation Month and architectural survey work. Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 10 of 11

11 Lambert has assisted in several projects including the coordination of potential tax assessment freeze / tax credit projects; drafting of a series of preservation information sheets that will be available through the City s website; updating of all application forms; and assistance in historical research for proposed building projects and owner-initiated Historic landmark nominations. Since his hiring with the City of Geneva, Lambert has persisted in making arrangements to receive the required Section 106 training with Illinois Historic Preservation Staff. Michael completed the required training (per CLG requirements) during this reporting period. Demands on staff time have precluded the implementation and/or completion of several stated goals and special projects of the Community Development Department, including the development of a Public Education / Outreach program for broadcast on local cable access television. However, in recognition of the City expectations for preservation education and project assistance, the City of Geneva FY budget (adopted in April 2017) provided for the position of Preservation Planner to be returned to full-time status. Historic Preservation continues to be a priority and a key component of planning initiatives throughout the City of Geneva. Preservation of both community character and individual properties is integrated into all discussions regarding potential development in and adjacent to the Geneva Historic District as well as for proposed projects within non-designated areas of the City that may have historic significance. Respectfully Submitted, Michael A. Lambert Preservation Planner May 31, 2017 Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, FY Annual Report, Page 11 of 11