HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES CITY OF PEORIA, ARIZONA DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY SERVICES BUILDING POINT OF VIEW ROOM MAY 9, 2008 A Workshop of the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Peoria, Arizona, convened at 9875 N 85th Avenue, Peoria, AZ in open and public session at 8:05 a.m. Members Present: Chair Jodey Elsner, Vice Chair Priscilla Cook, Commissioners Mark Hackbarth, Steve Poe and Harold McKisson. Members Absent: Commissioner Gary Nelson (Ken Feldman resigned from the Commission April 15, 2008). Others Present: Ellen Van Riper, Assistant City Attorney, Glen Van Nimwegen, Community Development Director, Chris Jacques, Acting Planning Manager, Rob Gubser, Senior Planner, Adam Pruett, Senior Planner, Melissa Zechiel, Planning Technician, and Cathy Griffin, Executive Assistant. Opening Statement: None. Final call for speaker request forms. Audience: 1 (Karen Garbe) Note: The order in which items appear in the minutes is not necessarily the order in which they were discussed in the meeting. REGULAR AGENDA NEW BUSINESS, PUBLIC HEARINGS and/or ACTION: Dick Bowers, facilitator of r.a. bowers and associates, presented his goals for the workshop: Clarify the role of the Historic Preservation Committee; Understand the connection with the City Council and the Historic Preservation Committee; Discuss the connection with staff and other City Departments and Identify key goals for the Historic Preservation Committee 2008-2009 work plan. The following topics were discussed: * The need to review status of historic buildings and archeological sites within the City of Peoria * Sites that should be placed on a city register * Research the impact development may have on archeological sites and have developer provide report to city staff. City staff would provide information to the Historic Preservation Committee, which, in turn, would make recommendation to City Council. * City needs to identify projects (roads, trenches, grading, buildings) that may have an impact on historical or archeological sites. * The role staff should have in identifying historical sites in Weedville. * The frustration Historic Preservation Commissioners have from previous staff not responding to their suggestions. What are the parameters between this Commission’s utilization of staff resources? * When a permit application to teardown a building is received, staff should ask if the Historic Preservation Committee should be involved prior to demolition. How to obtain public awareness in such issues? How to determine if the building is a landmark, what are the landowner’s rights? This process would need to be formulated. Standards must be defined as what identifies a landmark. * Clarification of the City Council’s intent in approving the ordinance required for Peoria to become a Certified Local Government (CLG) through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). What regulations did the City Council intend for the City to follow? * Need for City database in GIS that can identify sites or areas of historical importance. * Is staff violating the CLG agreement? What is the role of staff? One of their roles is to carryout the intention of City Council and to support and advise. Council sets staffs’ 12 month agenda and the department must present projects staff has accomplished. * Adopt recommendation to City Council: The Historic Preservation Committee believes that Weedville should be designated as a Historical district and requires analysis. * Be clear on the parameters that create an historic site. * Culture also needs to be preserved. Public needs to be involved. * Weedville cemetery – how does something get done to preserve it? * The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) should communicate their intentions with Council. * There should be some way to look at land being developed to see that the site is investigated and found not to contain landmarks before development can occur. * Need an avenue to move forward with the Historic Preservation plan to include a City register, list of designated landmarks and surveys, Palo Verde site, jail, school. Determine how property gets on the list. * Requesting a grading or building permit should trigger a GIS-based process that determines whether the location is historically important or undetermined. * How to gather data and have it entered into GIS? How to take these intentions to Council and clearly agree what the process should be and make this clear for developers and property owners? * Requested Ellen Van Riper, Assistant City Attorney, to research the CLG/SHPO agreement and confirm what the minimum requirements are of SHPO for review of projects. * May need a City policy to clarify how to regulate and enforce the CLG/SHPO agreement. * What can the HPC members request of staff? How do items get on the agenda? * Ellen Van Riper, Assistant City Attorney, gave a brief explanation of “Prop 207” and its impacts on historic preservation efforts in Flagstaff and Tempe, Arizona. * Codification of intention and process to make it occur. * HPC role is to give advice to the City Council regarding the preservation of Peoria’s history, to establish process to identify landmarks and historic sites Suggested goals for 2008-2009 discussed were: * Signage – example, where are the signs to recognize Downtown? * Educate the citizens on the benefits of landmarks and historic sites. * HPC should play a stronger role and focus on policies and processes. What is the role of the HPC – as articulated by City Council? * HPC has had no archeological actions in 5 years, need clarification from the city. * HPC should have joint meeting/workshop with the City Council. * Establishment of a local register – determine eligible buildings. * Historic Preservation overlay on jail and Palo Verde archeological site. * Have HPC meetings quarterly, as per Certified Local Government (CLG) requirements. * Identify projects that will require funding via the City’s budget process. * Connection and process to inform and learn from other city’s plans and policies. Suggested core items for the 2008-2009 work plan: * Connection with and process to inform and learn from other city plans and/or policies. The Central Peoria Plan is being developed which could include how to explore the heritage and consider a conservation district. * Council and HPC need to be on same “page” – have a joint meeting/workshop, discuss local “register”: eligible buildings, jail, Palo Verde, Weedville, cemetery. * HPC establish a stronger role and focus on policy and process: have meetings at least quarterly, set agenda through HPC Chair, plan for budget requests prior to budget process. * Old Town: no signage, currently there is no sense of place. Need to educate people, inform the public, educate ourselves, benchmark cities. * Clarity of process to examine possible historical sites, i.e., school in Weedville. Items important to the HPC: * Have regular meetings and as needed * Items are added to the agenda by the HPC Chair * Public outreach * Gather ideas from others * Open dialogue with individuals (council members as appropriate) * Stay at the policy level – frame the HPC vision In conclusion, Mr. Bowers discussed the “Strategic Triangle”: The public must see the HPC work as adding value. What HPC does must be seen as valuable, legitimate and politically sustainable, operationally and administrable feasible. It was determined that the next HPC meeting will be held on June 18, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Historic Preservation Commission, the meeting adjourned at 11:32 a.m. __________________________ ______________________ Jodey Elsner, Chair Date Signed