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Historic Dis. Design GuidelinesCITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA MEMORANDUM April 12, 2001 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager Development of Historic District Design Guidelines Historic Preservation Commission Chairperson Terry Mozena has submitted a recommendation to more efficiently coordinate several activities which are occurring in relation to historic preservation and downtown planning. I respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval of those recommendations. Michael C. Van Milligen MCVM/jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager Planning Services Department 50 West 13th Street Dubuque, Iowa 520014864 Phone (319) 589-4210 Fax (319) 589-4221 April 4, 2001 Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager City of Dubuque 50 w. 13th Street Dubuque, IA 52001 RE: Development of Historic District Design Guidelines Dear Mr. Van Milligen: Introduction On February 19, 2001 the City Council approved the contract with the State Historic Preservation Office for a $7,500 grant to hire a preservation architect to develop a Manual of Design Guidelines for all five historic districts. On March 6, 2001 the City Council adopted three of the four historic preservation incentives recommended by the Historic Preservation Commission and the Preservation Task Force to support historic preservation in Dubuque. One of these incentives was the creation of a Historic District Public Improvement Program. We believe that a linkage of these two projects would result in a manual of design guidelines that would encompass the streetscape elements as well as the architecture of individual structures in the five historic districts. We think this combined manual would be a better product than the individual products of two stand-alone design efforts, after reviewing the purpose and process identified for each project. Historic District Public Improvement Program This program is intended to provide incentives for public place and streetscape improvements in each historic district on an annual rotating basis, with improvements based on a comprehensive urban design plan for each of the districts. As you recommended, the City Council adopted the FY02 - 07 Capital Improvement Program Budget of $500,000, with $100,000 budgeted annually for five years from the General Fund. Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork Historic District Design Guidelines Page 2 The City presently provides a number of support grants to neighborhoods in CDBG target areas, which are areas where a majority of the households are at or below 80% MFI. There is some overlap between the CDBG areas and the five historic districts. The new Historic District Public Improvement Program would provide the means by which the City could fund public improvements and provide incentives to do streetscape elements such as landscaping, historic lighting, planters and signs. The Commission and Task Force members requested allocation of $100,000 in the first year to retain a qualified consultant to develop a comprehensive urban design plan for public places and streetscapes for the five historic districts. This plan would serve as the basis for the expenditure of the program funds in the historic districts. In the subsequent years, the HPC and Task Force also requested that the City allocate $100,000 annually, with funding to be rotated among the five historic districts each year. The HPC would review and approve all projects. Potential Additional Funding The Commission supports your suggestion that property owners could be assessed for 50% of the costs for streetscape enhancements, with the Historic District Public Improvement Program providing the other 50% of these costs. The Commission believes that if property owners and neighborhood associations cost- share in these enhancements, then they will have a greater sense of ownership in these improvements. We believe that they will be more likely to help maintain these enhancements and to watch over them. Property owners and neighborhood associations could conduct fundraising events to help pay for their share. Additional state or federal grants also could be explored as possible funding sources. CDBG funds could be used to fund improvements or assist with assessment costs to Iow and moderate income households in the four historic districts that are within the CDBG target areas. Program Guidelines/Design Standards As indicated in your enclosed correspondence with the City Council regarding the Historic District Public Improvement Program, you have reiterated the HPC's recommendation that design standards need to be recommended to the City Council for their approval before any funds are expended on streetscape improvements. You identified a committee to help develop this new program. This committee would review alt the design work that has been done to date, work with a design consultant to develop design standards, and work with you to develop a policy recommendation for the City Council on how this program will be structured. Historic District Design Guidelines Page 3 Design Guidelines Manual for the Historic Districts The City has received a $7,500 grant from the State Historic Preservation Office to develop, publish and distribute design guideline manuals for the five historic districts. The grant contract requires the City to hire a historic preservation consultant with demonstrated experience in design guideline development. The consultant is to work with the Planning Staff, the HPC, other City staff and the public on all phases of the project. Project Phases The Design Guidelines Manual is to be a phased project. This entire process is described in detail in the enclosed EXHIBIT C from the grant contract. In Phase 1, the consultant will collect and prepare background information. In addition, the City is to form a volunteer Advisory Group to focus on guiding the project, help recruit participants for public workshops, and ensure that critical, major interests of the community are represented. In Phase 2, the consultant is to work with City staff and the Advisory Group to define the existing character and development trends, and to establish design goals for each district. The consultant is to work with City staff and the Advisory Group to define the design guidelines process. A public workshop will be held to describe the design guidelines process, and to involve the public in this process. Draft design guidelines are to be developed in Phase 3 for review and comment by City staff, the Advisory Group, the State Historic Preservation Office and the general public. Phase 4 will result in the creation of final design guidelines, based on the input received in Phase 3. In Phase 5, the City staff and the HPC will hold a public workshop to explain the design guidelines and their application to projects in the historic districts. Recommendation Merger of Two Projects We believe that the process described for development of the design guidelines manual in the state grant is applicable to the development of streetscape design standards for the Historic District Public improvement Program. The grant process involves a qualified consultant, an Advisory Group that would be similar to the Preservation Task Force in its composition, and opportunities for involving and educating the public about historic preservation. Historic District Design Guidelines Page 4 We also believe that the process that the State Historic Preservation Office requires that we follow will exceed the CLG grant budget if we try to do it for all five historic districts. We might have to settle for doing just one district. By merging the two projects, however, we will have an adequate budget to hire a qualified consultant, to publicize and involve people in the process, and to propose an expenditure process for the Historic District Public Improvement Program. We then can publish the manual of design guidelines for all five historic districts, and to distribute this information to the public, to property owners and to the neighborhood associations. Committee Structure In your memo, you have identified a committee that you would appoint for the Historic District Public Improvement Program: myself, as HPC Chairperson, HPC Architect member Chris Wand, and key City staff - Leisure Services Manager Gil Spence, Civil Engineer Bob Schiesl, Parking System Supervisor Cindy Steinhauser, Neighborhood Development Specialist Jerelyn O'Connor, Street Maintenance Supervisor John Klosterman, and Assistant Planner Wally Wernimont. If the two design projects are merged as one project, then we recommend that this committee be expanded to include: · HPC Realtor member Jim Gibbs, · Building Inspector Dennis Hackbarth, who was suggested by Building Services Manager Rich Russell, because he handles inspections of residential property, and · Housing Rehabilitation Supervisor Joleen Patterson, who was suggested by Housing Services Manager David Harris, because she handles rehabilitation of residential property. In addition, we recommend that the Advisory Group required by the state grant include the same community groups who participated in the Commission's review and update of the Historic Preservation Ordinance. These organizations included the Historical Society, Dubuque Main Street, Dubuque Board of Realtors, neighborhood associations, Old House Enthusiasts, and similar groups. Coordination with Downtown Planning Committee In addition to the creation of a design guidelines manual and the Historic District Public Improvement Program, the Historic Preservation Commission is aware of a third process that will be occurring simultaneously: the development of a comprehensive downtown plan. The Commission is very interested in having a leadership role in this planning effort. At our March 15 meeting, I appointed Jim Gibbs to attend the meetings of the Historic District Design Guidelines Page 5 Downtown Planning Committee, and to serve on this committee if appropriate. This Commission liaison will strengthen our existing linkage with this committee, which is provided by Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens. This committee representation also will help coordinate the development of the design guidelines with the downtown planning effort. We would appreciate your concurrence with our recommendations. Sincerely, Terry Mozena, Chairperson Historic Preservation Commission Enclosures CC Historic Preservation Commission Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA MEMORANDUM February 20, 2001 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager Historic Preservation The Historic Preservation Commission requested, and the proposed budget includes, a new Historic District Funding Improvement Program at $100,000 a year for five years. The purpose of the money is to create an anmlal streetscape improvement program for historic districts. However, no guidelines have been developed for expenditure of these funds. This will be a policy decision of the City Council prior to July 1, 2001. The first thing that would need to happen is a design standard would need to be created for recommendation to the City Council; I would appoint a committee consisting of the Chair of the I-Iistofic Preservation Commission, the architect who serves on the HPC, and some key staff including Leisure Services Manager Gil Spence, Civil Engineer Bob Schiesl, Parking System Supervisor Cindy Steinhauser, Neighborhood Development Specialist Jerelyn O'Connor, Street Maintenance Supervisor John Klostermann and Assistant Planner Wally Wernimont. They could review all the work that has bean done up to this point (treatment options are attached) and they may also need the assistance ora design consultant. This group will also help me develop a policy recommendation for the City Council on how this program will be structured. I am considering recommending a program similar to the street program, where every project is based on a shared cost, or an assessment. In all cases I would see the money reserved for "back-of-curb" improvements, such as historic street fights, sidewalk treatments, landscaping, etc. In providing these enhancements we would need to be very careful about their long-term impact on City expenses because of electrical costs or maintenance. These projects would take place when requested by the Neighborhood Association. There are two different situations that could arise: There is a scheduled street reconstruction project and streetscape enhancements are desired. Now the only major "back-of-curb" component that routinely occurs is sidewalk replacement, and this is 100% assessable. Retaining walls and public area grass replacement is done as part of the assessable project costs. With these enhancements, I would see an assessment process. The owner would continue to pay 100% of the estimated cost of a standard grey concrete sidewalk with possibly a 50/50 sharing in costs of the enhancements, with the City's portion coming from these budgeted funds. The neighborhood could obtain the 50% match through fund raising, grants or assessments. Another scenario is where there is no street project planned. I would see the process being the same with shared costs. I am not at this point seeking a policy decision, I just wanted you to be aware that there are still some policy issues to work out if you approve this initiative. MCVM/jh Attachment cc: Terry Mozena, Chairperson, Historic Preservation Commission Bany Lindahl, Coq~oration Counsel Tim Moesman, Assistant City Manager Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager Para Myhre, Acting Community/Economic Development Director Serelyn O'Connor, Neighborhood Development Specialist EXHIBIT C SCOPE OF WORK WORK ELEMENTS The C'~y of Dubuque will develop, publish, and distribute design r~tsw guidelines that will aid irt the presewafion of the City's historic districts. Recent ineppropriate alterations of historic homes in Dubuque have pointed to the critical need for Design Review Guidel'mas. A task force of local citizens and members of the Historic Presmvatkm Commission have resommanded the development of deelgn review guidelines for the historio districts. Commissioners and staff discussed that design review guidelines could make the job of the Commissioners easier and more efficient. Planning Services staff believe that design review guidelines for each clls~ot would make the job of staff easier and more ~. Design guidelines would provide opportunities for elmarnfined staff sign-offs on certain types of projects ~ meet established criteria. S~ffand commission have discussed ~aces in whk:h staff s~nmff is appropriate. An example is the replacement of an atuminum porch with a wooden portia tfmt matohes a pomh Mmwn in an eld photograph of the bultding ;md ~ is appropriate for the structure's period of significance. These guidelines would be formulated using the Secretary of Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Restoration and Rehabilitation as a baseline and adding informative illua;,u'~ons and other ak:lea to help property owners comprehend and follow the Design Review guidelines. The State will review and comment on ~,=; and proposed final versions of the guidelines to insure compliance with Iowa CLG Program and Federal requirements. The most effective and useful design guidellnea are those which were developed for a specific dist~ or dislfiats of like historic chamater, function, and contemporary periods of significance, The City of Dubuque will select one or several such locally designated districts for which design guk~-~ltnes wilt be developed. To accomplish these goals, the City of Dubuque will undertake the following: Him a historic preservation consultant with demo~ab~ e:q:erience in design guideline development wire meets the Seore~'y of the Intador's Pmfessionel Quel~n Standards for Archlt. ecturel History or Preservation/Historic Architect. The consultant will work with lhe local Project Director, Historic Preservation Commission, other City Slatf and the public on all phases of the project. Phase 1, Advance Preparation, will involve working with a consultant fo prepare background inf~mafion that will provide a basis for informed discussions. This phase will entail the consultant's review of existing regulations, historical research, and other materials in order to gain an undemtanding of the existing context. In addition, the City will form a volunteer Advisory Group fo focus on guiding the project, to help recruit participants for the public workshop, and fo ensure that critical, major interests of the community are represented. The Advismy Group will also serve as a data source and sounding board. The censultant and Advisory Group will select the historic diel~ or dates, deadlines for drafts and scheduled conference calls will be developed. Phase 2, Define District Character and Goals, includes defining the existing character, identifying development trends that may influence its futura, and establishing design goals for the areas. During this phase the following activities will occur. The consultant will conduct logistical meetings with city purpose is to gain an undmstand'mg of how staff and beards use the guidelines on a daily basis. Also, for. the consultant to elicit input on the group's view of the dislficrs character, development bends, and design goals. The consultant, city =[a~' and the advisory group will tour the historic ~s) to identify design issues in the field. The tour will also include photo-dooumantation of design issues. The consultant will colle~ and copy historic photos and descdpfinns to use in this project and take supplementary photographs of existing conditions and issues in slide and print form, assemble various planning documents and acquire base maps. The final ac~uity in Phase 2 is the public workshop for residents, property owners, professionals and interes{ed citizens. It will be I3 organized to provide an overview of the design guidelines process, define issues and e~ptein the timetable of ~e project to the public. The meeting Wql inlroduce the concopt of the design guidelines and present a range of design issues, problems and solutions in a slide show to establish a common base of unde~s~u~cilng of the pmjest. Basic goals and pormies for guidelines wal be developed that provide direction for the development of the guidelines that will follow in Phase 3. Parers will be asked to identify typical design problems that am encaantered in the area. The consultant assisted by City staff wiil direct the workshop. Phase 3, Develop Omit Guideilnes, involves devetoping an initial draft of the design guidelines. The clrafl design guidelines for the historic distriCt(s) will cover topics s~Jch as lot and s~eelscape fealures, mass and scele, building materials, archite~___~_,'al features (e.g. doors, roofs, windows), parking and secondary structures, building addFdans and rekxmtlons, and new, inflll developments. The Guidelines will contain an annotated oulfine of design review issues. The outline will cover the foifowing topics, as they relate to the design review guidelines for the Historic Dislrict (s): historical character of the district (s), description of building types and styles;, iden~ the Gheracter deitning features of the building types or styMs that are ancountsred in Ihe histod~ disl~ict (s); and goaJs for comment. Copies will be made available for public review and comment. 5, Phase 4, Prepare final Design Guidelines. The consullant will schedule at least one conference call ~ draft Design Gulde#nes. During the call, the consultent will review the drelt Desig~ Guidelines and answer quasfians. The purpoas of the review conf-~tnoe calls will be to to cterify, sl]'engthen, or weaken design guideline language. Based on the verbal review and w~'il[un comment provided by the Slate, Pubilc and others, the Consultant will revise the draft. The revised (;~ will be subn-dtted to the ~ for final review and approval prior to printing the rmel eclllton of the Design Guidelines. The cansuitant will submit a find print ready copy of the Design Guidelines to the City Stelf for duplication, Phase 5, the CLG Project Manager and Historic Prese~atfl~ Commission will hold a workshop for the public to explain how the Des/gn Guidelines will be used and illustrate their appilcafion in the development of projects within the historic dL11r~ (s). Ail work on lfie project will conform to the "Secretsry of the Interior's Steedards and Guidelines for Preservation Planning, Regisba~on, and Treal.']ants for I-~k~'ic Prese~afion Projects", Federal Register of September 29, 1983; to Ifle Fiscal Year 2000 Grants Manual For Certified Local Govemmants; and to the CLG's grant applicat/cm submitted in August, 2000. The CLG financial officer is responsible for fiscal administmflan of the GranL The CLG Projest Director wifl be the Communi[y Development Director who will work with the consullant in coo~inal~3g grant a(~vities. Project Director respansibiWes wiil inctude administmtian of the grant, scheduling of meetings, copying and di=E,'buttng information fTom the cansultant to the volunteers and others involved in the project. The project dire~m' will be responsible for developing and d'~seminating press releases about various grant activities. The project director will be the point of conta~ for all can~nunications betwasn the consuitsnt, volunteers and the Stete Historical Soctaty Project Manager. The CLG Project Directs' and consuJtant will oversee preduciion of the products identified befow. The CLG Historic Prese~aticn Commiusion, elested officiais, and ttm State will review and comment on public with G a~ copies of products for review and comment. Changes directed by the State shall be made prior to submission of the final versions of the products. ~'&ODUCT~