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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012 ILPC Annual Report Date: 12/31/12 To: Svante Myrick, Mayor Cc: Ithaca Common Council From: Lynn C. Truame, Historic Preservation Planner Re.: 2012 Annual Report of the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission As required by §73-6 of the City Municipal Code, I am pleased to submit the following report concerning the activities of the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission for the period October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2012. This reporting period is stipulated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for Certified Local Government programs. During the period 10/1/11 through 9/30/12, the ILPC heard thirty-seven cases requesting Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alternations to locally designated historic properties. Of these, seventeen were approved as presented, twelve were approved with modifications, and eight were denied. Four of these eight were revised and resubmitted by the applicant and ultimately approved. These figures represent an 89% approval rate for applications received during the year. Seventy-three percent of the cases heard by the ILPC during this period involved minor alterations to the property in question. Five percent involved major alterations or additions, and twenty-two percent involved new construction. Changes During the Period Revisions to the Landmarks Ordinance were enacted by Common Council in July 2012. Begun by the previous Historic Preservation Planner, this revision process was intended to bring Ithaca’s ordinance into greater conformance with the New York State Model Ordinance and current preservation practice, and to address recurring design review problems that had been observed over the years. Minor additional revisions are anticipated in 2013 to correct two oversights in the original revisions, to add a fee system for Certificates of Appropriateness , to address Commission review of “temporary” improvements, to allow for an evaluation of the “prudent and feasible” nature of Commission requirements as the equivalent of a hardship test for City-owned improvements, and to directly address the question of self-imposed hardships. In December 2011, Christine O’Malley and Stephen Gibian were appointed to the ILPC to fill the vacancies created by the departure of Commission members Susan Jones and Nancy Brcak, and in August 2012, Ashima Krishna was appointed to fill a remaining vacant position. There are currently no vacancies on the Commission. Ms. O’Malley holds a PhD in architectural history and teaches at Cornell University. Mr. Gibian is a practicing architect who has extensive experience working with CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street — 3rd Floor Ithaca, New York 14850-5690 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT JOANN CORNISH, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT PHYLLISA A. DeSARNO, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Telephone: Planning & Development – 607-274-6550 Community Development/IURA – 607-274-6559 Email: dgrunder@cityofithaca.org Email: iura@cityofithaca.org Fax: 607-274-6558 Fax: 607-274-6558 2 older and historic properties. Ms. Krishna is a holds an MA in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University and is currently a PhD candidate in that program. Trainings and Workshops Commission Chair, Sue Stein, attended the Landmarks Society of Western NY's Spring 2012 Preservation Boards Workshop entitled Cultural Landscapes 101: Types, Terminology, & History, presented by Edward Olinger, PLA, FASLA. Commission member, Christine O'Malley, participated in the following two webinars related to the preparation of National Historic Landmark nominations: Understanding Cultural Landscapes: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program; and Writing Section 7 and Evaluating Integrity for Criteria 1, 2, 4 and 5. Historic Inventory Work In May, 2011, the City applied to the Preservation League of New York State for funds to support the completion of a local historic district nomination for the Henry St. John neighborhood. Notice of an award of funding was received in September 2011 and the completed nomination was submitted by the City’s consultant, Historic Ithaca, Inc., in September 2012. The nomination was reviewed and the district recommended for landmark designation by the ILPC in December 2012 (outside the period of reporting for this year). If approved by Common Council, the Henry St. John Historic District will become the seventh designated historic district in the city, joining the DeWitt Park, Clinton Block, East Hill, Cornell Heights, Cornell Arts Quad, and University Hill Historic Districts. Significant support for designation of the district has been shown by neighborhood residents and property owners. In September 2010, the City applied to the Certified Local Government Program for funds to support an intensive level survey of historic properties in the Collegetown area. Notice of an award of funding was received in June 2011, and the completed survey was submitted by the City’s consultant, Historic Ithaca, Inc., in September 2012. The project involved research, documentation, and preparation of complete New York State Building-Structure Inventory forms sufficient to serve as the basis for local historic designation of 12 properties in the Collegetown area. These properties will be considered for local designation by the ILPC in the coming year. Other Major Projects Completed or in Progress The ILPC webpage was completely revised. The new page provides a brief summary of the landmarks program, contact information for preservation planning staff and the Building Department, and ILPC meeting dates and times, with Commission member names listed in the sidebar. It then provides links to the following:  minutes and agendas from past meetings  the complete Landmarks Preservation Ordinance  detailed information about the landmarks program for owners of historic properties  forms & guidelines for the use of applicants  a list of all locally designated properties by address  a list of individually designated landmarks  maps & statements of significance for all historic districts  information about the proposed new Henry St John Historic District  and an Additional Resources section with links to other useful websites, and information concerning the preservation of wood windows. 3 Additional revisions to the webpage are contemplated this year to continue to make it more user- friendly. A stock postcard was printed and mailed to all owners of locally-designated properties reminding them of their property's status and directing them to the new ILPC web page for additional information. We will mail this postcard annually in the hope of preventing work from occurring without a Certificate of Appropriateness. As a result of this initial mailing, two owners who were unaware of their property's historic status submitted projects for retroactive review (both were approved with minor modifications). The Historic District and Landmark Design Guidelines have been an ongoing project since the year 2000. Various drafts have been produced, by both paid consultants and interns, eac h of which have, for various reasons, been thought inadequate for publication. This year, City staff took the project in-house and using some of the previous work, as well as model guidelines from other municipalities, produced a complete draft that is now in the process of final revision. We anticipate publication in 2013. The purpose of the Design Guidelines is to better explain the historic designation process and the ramifications of historic designation to members of the public, and to provide guidance to owners of designated historic properties for their use in planning repair, restoration, and rehabilitation projects. Controversial Cases In April 2012, staff was alerted by a neighbor to the replacement of a large number of windows at a home in the Cornell Heights Historic District that had been done without a Certificate of Appropriateness or Building Permit. Building and Planning Department staff contacted the property owner to request information about what had occurred. The property owner was highly uncooperative. Eventually, the owner did provide sufficient information to obtain a retroactive Building Permit, however they continued to be uncooperative with the (retroactive) C of A process. In September 2012, after involving the City Attorney, the owner presented an incomplete C of A application, in which they continued to refuse to identify the number or location of the windows that had been replaced. The ILPC denied the C of A and referred the case to the City Attorney’s office. Because a settlement had not been reached within 30 days of the public hearing, the owner filed an Article 78 proceeding to protect their rights. The City Attorney has advised staff that a settlement has been reached, but as of this date we have not received official notice of what that settlement involved. Options discussed included a financial penalty and/or replacement of the inappropriate replacement windows on the main facade of the house with appropriate replacement windows. Respectfully submitted, Lynn C. Truame ILPC Secretary