HomeMy WebLinkAboutHP APRIL 8, 2019 Historic Preservation Commission
MINUTES
The Jeffersonville Historic Preservation Commission met for a regular meeting on Monday,April 8,2019,in the
Building Commission conference room of City Hall.
ROLL CALL
President Jan Paddocks called the meeting to order with roll call.
Members present included: Paddocks,Melanie Yates,Ed Siewert,Maggie Moore, Johnna Anderson,Jill Schimpff and Lisa
Green.Advisor Laura Renwick also was present.Director Larry Wallace was not in attendance.
AGENDA
Paddocks asked members to review the agenda for the April 8 meeting.After a brief review,Melanie Yates made a
motion to accept the agenda as presented.Lisa Green seconded the motion and the agenda for the April 8,2019 meeting
was accepted as presented.
MINUTES
Paddocks asked members to review the minutes from the Feb. 11 meeting.After a brief review Jill Schimpff made
a motion to approve the minutes.Ed Siewert seconded the motion and the minutes from the Feb. 11,2019 meeting were
unanimously approved.
CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS:
•NICK NOWINSKI was on hand to present a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for new lighting and signage
for Goodwood Brewing at 134 Spring Street.
Nowinski told the Commission that he and three partners were opening the upstairs portion of the business where Cox's
Hot Chicken is located.
"The front of the building isn't lookin so hot" ...Nowinski said."I love the character and how old it is... I wouldn't
change a thing about it.I'd just like to put something nice and attractive on the front,kind of light it up a bit and do something
that's going to enhance the building.The awning is falling down,it's raggedy and there's basically no lighting"
Liz Carter,a representative from Showtime Signs,accompanied Nowinski to the meeting to explain what was being proposed.
Said she found a historic photo of the La Rose theater and its marquis lighting and would like to do something like that to bring
that kind of feel back to this end of Spring Street.
She said the proposed lighted sign wouldn't include any neon or flashing lights and the bulbs around the perimeter of the
marquis would be 7 watt bulbs(smaller than refrigerator lights).
Carter said the sign would only be 10-foot wide,would be opaque and would be lit from behind.
Nowinski said the marquis style signage would integrate the two businesses(Cox's Hot Chicken and Goodwood).He said
they also wanted to remove the vinyl banner/sign currently hanging on the side of the building taken down.
Member Ed Siewert asked if there were any plans to do anything with the existing awning on the building.
Nowinski said the awning would be replaced and incorporated with the marquis-style sign and would be all metal.
"I don't want to mess up that stone on the front at all.I don't want to do anything to that:'
Laura Renwick said that while the proposed marquis signage was"a little outside the guidelines"she was comfortable
with Nowinski's request.
"It would be easily reversible,would liven up that end of Spring Street and also given that the building is kind of isolated
in location:'
Melanie Yates made a motion to accept the application for Cox's Hot Chicken and Goodwood Brewing at 134 Spring
Street as presented with the caveat that the vinyl sign on the side of the building be removed and any further signage they may
decide to add be approved through the commission.
Lisa Green seconded the motion and the C of A for 134 Spring Street was unanimously approved.
• ALAN MUNCY of Arc Construction Management was on hand to present an application for Certificate of Appropri-
ateness for new development at the corner of Spring and Market streets.
He showed the Commission renderings for a three story,mixed use building that would include 22 one and two bedroom
residential units,retail and restaurant space.He said he had tenants"on board and ready to lease"space for retail,a restaurant,a
bank and coffee shop as soon as the building is built.
"It's very important to us that our project meets the guidelines of the Jeffersonville Historic District;"Muncy said."We're
targeting young,urban people to move downtown.We want everything filled in downtown.We don't want there to be any blank
spaces.We want those spaces filled with shops and retail"
Muncy told the Commission the project met all of the requirements set forth by the city's Planning and Zoning Department for
a downtown overlay district and that he had extensively reviewed the Design Guidelines for new construction in the historic dis-
trict.He said his project met all those necessary requirements as well.
Muncy said he had reviewed HPC Advisor Laura Renwick's comments to members regarding his application and had
subsequently made some modifications to the original rendering he submitted-taking some of Renwick's concerns into consider-
ation.
Renwick had expressed concern over the use of HardieBoard(cement board)and masonry on the exterior of the building
-pointing out that other buildings in the Spring Street corridor were almost entirely masonry and that design guidelines call for
new construction be"traditional and of the same quality... and faced in a single material."
But Muncy said"there's more than just an aesthetic reason why we can't do brick all the way up."
"It is difficult to run brick on a three story building,"Muncy said."The brick that high up starts crumbling and falling.
You can't lay brick up higher than 30 feet without a brick relief angle... and you can't do that on a wood frame building."
Muncy estimated 60 percent of the construction would be masonry,and then pointed out adjacent buildings that used siding,
metal panels,HardieBoard and plywood.
Muncy also pointed to adjacent buildings when addressing Renwick's concerns over the massing of the building,with
only slight variations in the plane of the front facade to offer relief.And also her concern that the building didn't reflect enough
distinction/separation between the first floor retail space and the second floor residences.
"There are buildings over here with no undulation-just flat brick,"Muncy said."This building has undulation,setbacks,
cornice,offsets ..."
However,he told the Commission he would be willing to add cornice all the way across the Spring Street frontage to show
the division between the first and second floors.
Jason Samms,also of Arc,showed the Commission examples of the materials that would be used on the building,includ-
ing the cornice and HardieBoard.
Lisa Green said she had a"bit of an issue"with the design of the building because it is visible from all angles and vantage
points and the design and appearance were"just plain."
"The corners look nice but then you turn the corner and it's just flat.And when you look at the back-the back just
doesn't have any character,"Green said."It looks like a...commercial building that might fit better somewhere else.But that's my
opinion:'
A number of people who live and/or own property nearby the site were also in attendance at the meeting with a variety of
questions for Muncy-ranging from the placement of Dumpsters for the restaurant at the site to how many parking places would
be provided. Others in attendance said the building was unhip,didn't have any architectural design and looked like a"strip mall"
or a"box."
Jill Schimpff asked about the exterior stairway on the north end of the building leading to the residences,which she said
she would prefer not be visible from the street.
"Thank you so much for your investment in downtown,"Schimpff said."But I just really hope there's a way that stairway
can be more hidden ..."
Muncy said the design currently used slatboard to obscure the stairs from view. "We're trying to hide them the best we
can.Id be open to doing some kind of other shield... It will be opaque.You won't be able to see it(the staircase)from Spring
Street."
He added that the staircase couldn't simply be moved to the back of the building because there's not enough space there to
accommodate it.
Jason Samms added that there would be trees all along the side of the building closest to The Springs Salon and Spa that
would also provide screening.
Schimpff also expressed her concern over the design's lack of originality.
"I see it as being the Marriott or the condos(two other recent downtown projects by Arc) ..."Schimpff said."Not that
that's a bad look.I don't mind it.It's just the third example of the same building.Just to throw it out there ... this and the condos
look like sisters or brothers.It's not cookie-cutter but its verging on it."
Siewert also took issue with the buildng's overall design and appropriateness for Spring Street.
"It's a beautiful building.There's a magic in trying to blend a new building into a historic district.But Spring Street is our
signature thing.It's got a quaintness to it people love.It has a character;'Siewert said."It's interesting you go through and point out
every ugly building on Spring S treet-you did it for a reason... to point out mediocrity.This board was created in the 80s to weed
out the mediocrity. And while this is a beautiful building,it doesn't have any of that character Id like to see on Spring Street."
Green agreed.
"It's more a building that would go up with the sprawl going out on 62-not here on Spring Street,"Green said.
Renwick told Muncy she was still concerned about the amount of solid wall on the southeast corner of the buiding.
Muncy said he couldn't add windows to break up the area of solid brick on the Market Street side because that is where kitchen of
the restaurant would be.But he said he is willing to add two art pieces-perhaps created by the City of Jeffersonville's Public Arts
Committee-to break up the solid wall.
Muncy said the windows would be a"substantial"6 feet tall and 5 feet wide and that lighting and landscaping would also
be added to the building,although neither of those things were shown on the renderings.He added that he thought the changes of
adding cornice and darkening the color would also help add definition and improve the aesthetics of the building.
Downtown resident Kate Miller-who is also a member of the Jeffersonville Urban Enterprise Zone board-told the
Commission she had worked with Muncy on other projects and cautioned Commission members to find a way to hold Muncy
"accountable"for the changes he had promised the Commission he would make on the project.
"I caution you,it's very easy-when you want to do something-to bring out all the stops and make a lot of promises
..."Miller said."Especially when you want to do something... I hope someone keeps up with the changes he's said he will make
Heeding Miller's advice,Renwick and Schimpff both asked Muncy if he would supply revised visuals reflecting the
changes he had agreed to make.Muncy agreed to the request.
Paddocks asked if anyone had a motion regarding the C of A for Arc.
But Schimpff said she favored postponing a vote.
"I would personally lie to postpone and have another meeting where we can see an updated drawing of what we've seen
tonight;Schimpff said."I would prefer to see something"
Other members,however,said postponing a vote to see updated renderings didn't seem necessary.
"He's already said he would do these things;'Green said."I don't think we need to make him wait another month for us to
vote:'
Green then asked Renwick for her opinion about the project one more time.
Renwick she appreciated the changes Muncy had already made to his original design and the ones that had been dis-
cussed during the meeting in an effort to address some of her concerns.However,she said that while she is"understanding of
Arc's position;'she still had concerns about the corner of the building and the use of HardieBoard.
"I also agree with Ed;'Renwick said."This is Spring Street.We definitely want to show off our best on Spring Street and I don't
think we're quite there yet"
Muncy told the Commission that"style is subjective"and that he was"doing his best"to satisfy their requests,but that he
couldn't spend an"unknown period of time working on a project without getting any answers:'
"We would completely understand if you said our project isn't right for downtown Jeffersonville,"Muncy said."But we won't be
back with another plan"
First District City Councilman Dustin White encouraged the Commission to take a vote on the C of A request and voiced
his support for the project.
Ed Siewert expressed his reluctance,however.
"I want this to happen.I love this project;'Siewert said."But I can't make a motion(to approve the C of A)because it just
doesn't meet the character of Spring Street"
After another call for a motion regarding the C of A,member Maggie Moore motioned to accept the C of A,provided
that updated renderings reflecting the discussed changes-specifically addressing the first floor windows,cornice on the Spring
Street side of the building between the first and second floors,addition of public art pieces on the Spring Street side and screening
around the stairway-be sent to Laura for review.
Member Johnna Anderson seconded the motion.
Paddocks called for a vote.Members Maggie Moore,Johnna Anderson,Melanie Yates and Lisa Green voted in favor;
members Jill Schimpff'and Ed Siewert voted against.The request for Certificate of Appropriateness was approved 4-2.
C-O
Paddocks,President,Jeffersonville Historic Preservation Commission DATE