Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Signed Minutes - September 21, 2020

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B. STAFF REPORTS i. Administrative Approvals C. COMMITTEE REPORTS i. Disposition of Historic Preservation Assets 1. N/A ii. Standards Update 1. Todd Zeiger from Indiana Landmarks presented the Model Guidelines to the Commission. Mr. Zeiger stated that Indiana Landmarks has been working with several Commissions throughout the state to remodel the template for the guidelines that they use. Mr. Zeiger acknowledged Commissioner Eric Stalheim for his work, as well as the time of Administrator Feasel and Specialist Toering for their review of the material. Mr. Zeiger stated that they wanted to separate the education from the guidelines — applicants want to go to where they need to go and read what they can or can't do. A lot of the guidelines have a lot of education, which is important, but it can gum up the process. Mr. Zeiger said they would organize the first section by project type, while the second section would have more information and background. Mr. Zeiger stated that this would be digital -friendly, living on the web. It could be turned into a webpage, at the least a searchable PDF. Mr. Zeiger stated they separated -out the residential and commercial guidelines. Mr. Zeiger stated the language is simplified for ease of use by removing the historic preservation jargon. The language is simple. It should be easier to generate the staff reports by grabbing the appropriate text. Mr. Zeiger stressed that expanding administrative approvals (or staff approvals) to accelerate the review process. The guidelines are structured to show applicants what will be readily approved by staff. Mr. Zeiger said that the additional information helps answer some of the questions about the architecture style of a house, or how to hire a contractor. Mr. Zeiger stated that the Commission would need to decide how they wanted the Standards and Guidelines to reflect the nuances of its community. Administrator Feasel asked Mr. Zeiger what he saw as the next steps. Mr. Zeiger said that he would envision a smaller Committee should meet from the Commission to discuss the Standards and Guidelines, that you should consider outreach, that adoption will need to come in time after review. Administrator Feasel stated that the Standards and Maintenance Committee (chaired by Commissioner Downs-Krostenko), would be the likely candidate for leading this. Administrator Feasel asked how final this draft is. Mr. Zeiger stated that this draft is stable, but that changes are always welcome. Mr. Zeiger referenced that "Cultural Landscapes" are not something that many districts have, but that it may be distributed and implemented because it's a good idea. COMMISSIONER WYNCOTT LEFT THE PROCEEDINGS AT 7:26 PM Mr. Garner stressed that this is a massive undertaking, and complimented Indiana Landmarks for undertaking this. Mr. Garner explained how it would be possible to use these Standards and Guidelines for the nine historic districts that have subtle nuances. Mr. Garner showed how appendices would be created for each district, with special considerations for that district, and presented a simulated version for Chapin Park. He spoke of how the page will include a map, links to the ordinance, as well as showed the unique guidelines that are in place in the Chapin Park Local Historic District. Mr. Garner discussed his appraisal of how the existing standards and guidelines were written, in that they tend to divide neighborhood elements into two categories: public infrastructure and private work or sites. As an example, some neighborhoods have brick streets, some do not. This public / private separation will be used in the new standards and guidelines. Mr. Garner discussed "Cultural Landscapes" and how the standards and guidelines are derived from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and the supporting "Preservation Briefs".