Minutes - Historic Pres 4 9 01MINUTES
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SPECIAL SESSION
6:00 p.m.
Board Room, Carnegie Stout Library
360 W. 11th Street, Dubuque, Iowa
PRESENT:
ABSENT:
Chairperson 'Ferry Mozena; Commission Members Audrey Henson, Ken
Kringle, Suzanne Guinn and Jim Gibbs; Staff Members Laura Carstens and
Wally Wernimont, and Building Services Manager Rich Russell.
Commission Members Pam Bradford and Chris Wand.
AFFIDAVIT OF COMPLIANCE: Staff presented an Affidavit of Compliance verifying the
meeting was being held in compliance with the Iowa Open Meetings Law.
CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m.
DENIOLITION DISTRICTS: Chairperson Terry Mozena said he had called this special
meeting to discuss demolition districts. The Commission discussed the boundaries of the
historic districts and the demolition districts. They discussed incorporating the service area
of Dubuque Main Street Ltd. into a demolition district where the historic districts and the
current demolition districts do not cover.
Staff Member Carstens explained that a demolition district is an area of the City composed
of structures that have historical and architectural value. In these districts, a demolition
permit must be reviewed by the City Council before the demolition can occur. The Council
can review the permit for up to a 90-day waiting period prior to the issuance of a
demolition permit. She explained that the demolition districts were created before the
historic preservation ordinance or historic preservation commission were established.
Commissioner Gibbs wondered if the demolition districts could also be expanded to include
other areas, such as the red brick warehouse district or Little Dublin area. The Commission
discussed that the boundaries Dubuque Main Street area have been established for many
years, and the area is being studied by the Downtown Planning Committee.
The Commission asked Building Services Manager Rich Russell if the Buettel Brothers
Building located at 841 Central Avenue has received a permit for demolition. Staff Member
Russell replied that he believed that a demolition permit has not been issued for this
building. The Commission then discussed if this building should be left out of the
demolition district because the Commission has already reviewed the building.
Minutes - Historic Preservation Commission
April 9, 2001
Page 2
Commissioners felt the County should be allowed to receive a demolition permit for this
building if a demolition district would be approved for the Dubuque Main Street area. The
Commission discussed the demolition district could be expanded to include the warehouse
district or Little Dublin at a later date.
The Commission discussed having the Historic Preservation Commission to be an advisory
body for the City Council in determining if a demolition should occur in a demolition district.
Motion by Mozena, seconded by Guinn, to send a letter to the City Council asking them to
allow the Historic Preservation Commission to act as an advisory body for 60 days to review
a demolition permit for a building in a demolition district, and then forward on their
recommendation to the City Council to allow them to make a decision, with the current 90-
day waiting period to begin on the day of application for the demolition permit. Notion was
approved by the following vote: Aye - Mozena, Kringle, Henson, Guinn and Gibbs; Nay-
None.
Motion by Guinn, seconded by Kringle, to draft a letter to the City Council asking them to
expand the current demolition district to include the boundaries of the Dubuque Main
Street, Ltd. service area and to exclude the building currently residing at 841 Central
Avenue. Motion was approved by the following vote: Aye - Kring!e, Mozena, Guinn,
Henson, and Gibbs; Nay- None.
The Commission discussed what criteria they should use to decide if a building should be
demolished. Consensus was to be consistent, and use the same standards that they
follow in historic districts. Motion by Guinn, seconded by Gibbs, to ask the City Council to
establish the review criteria for demolition districts as the standards for review in Section
25-10 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance. Motion was approved by the following vote:
Aye - Mozena, Kringle, Henson, Guinn, and Gibbs; Nay - None.
AD~IOURNI4ENT: The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Wally Wernimont, Assistant Planner Adopted