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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 ILPC Annual Report To: Svante Myrick, Mayor and Common Council From: Bryan McCracken, Historic Preservation Planner Re.: 2017 Annual Report of the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission Date: February 13, 2018 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 (ILPC) for the period October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017. This reporting period is stipulated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for Certified Local Government programs. During the reporting period, the ILPC held twelve regular and two special meetings. The Commission heard 38 cases requesting Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alterations to locally designated historic properties. Of these, twelve were approved as presented, twenty were approved with modifications, three were denied, two were delegated to and approved by staff and one application was withdrawn. These figures represent an 89% approval rate for applications reviewed by the Commission during the reporting period. In addition to the applications reviewed by the Commission, staff approved 72 projects at 63 designated properties. Staff level reviews included in-kind roof replacements, masonry repairs, door and siding replacements, and exterior mechanical equipment installations. In total, the ILPC or its staff approved 106, or 96%, of the 110 projects reviewed during the reporting period. Major Projects During the reporting period, the ILPC approved the construction of three new residential and/or mixed-use buildings, and substantial alterations to a designated carriage barn, allowing for its adaptive reuse as an accessory dwelling unit. At their regular February meeting, the ILPC approved the redevelopment of the former county library building at the corner of N. Cayuga and W. Court Streets in the DeWitt Park Historic District, concluding a year-long review process. As noted in last year’s annual report, the Commission’s principal concern was the size, scale and massing of the proposed new building and how it would relate to other buildings within the historic district. The project site is located in an area of the historic district that transitions from large -scale civic, religious and educational buildings to small-scale residential structures. To be compatible with the historic character of this area, the new building needed to relate to both building scales. The approved building design achieved this by pulling back from the curbs along N. Cayuga and W. Court Streets and stepping back the third and fourth stories, visually reducing the building’s perceived size, scale and mass. The ground floor of the existing building will be converted into a parking structure and a new four-story, 58 unit mixed-use building will be constructed around it. CITY OF ITHACA 108 E. Green St. — Third Floor Ithaca, NY 14850-5690 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, BUILDING, ZONING, & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Division of Planning & Economic Development Telephone: Planning & Development – 607-274-6550 Community Development/IURA – 607-274-6565 E-Mail: dgrunder@cityofithaca.org In April 2017, the ILPC approved the construction of a duplex containing a total of 6 bedrooms on a vacant lot at 123 Eddy St. in the East Hill Historic District. The construction of a 12 bedroom, Arts and Crafts Style residence in the Cornell Heights Historic District was approved by the Commission in July 2017. The new residence is part of the Bridges Cornell Heights complex and will provide housing for approximately 16 seniors. In June, the Commission approved the installation of multiple new windows and doors in a two-and-one-half story carriage barn in the Henry St. John Historic District to allow for its conversion into new two bedroom dwelling unit. Designations The ILPC recommended the historic landmark designation of two buildings in Collegetown during the reporting period, the Larkin Building at 403 College Avenue and the Chacona Block at 411 -15 College Avenue. The ILPC found the Larkin Building was worthy of designation for its architectural style, close association with development of Collegetown and Cornell University in the early-20th century and commission by members of the Larkin family, the immigrant proprietors of a series of grocery stores in the Collegetown neighborhood. Common Council approved the designation of the Larkin Building in October. The ILPC also recommended the designation of the Chacona Block at 411-15 College Avenue based on its architectural style, design by noted local architect John M. Wilgus, association with the development of Collegetown and Cornell University, and commission by John N. Chacona, respected member of the Greek business community at the turn-of-the-20th century. After a lengthy review process, Common Council disapproved the designation of this historic resource in November. On-going Affirmative Maintenance Cases As noted in the 2016 Annual Report, the City of Ithaca successfully prosecuted an affirmative maintenance case against the owner of the Dennis-Newton House at 421 N. Albany Street. In addition to paying a substantial fine, the property owner was ordered to complete repairs to the property’s badly deteriorated exterior by December 31, 2016. Due to some delays, the repair work was not completed until May 2017 and court proceedings concluded at the beginning of June 2017. 421 N. Albany Street was designated as an individual local landmark in 2015 and is historically significant for its association with the formation of the nation’s first African American collegiate fraternal organization, Alpha Phi Alpha, in 1906. In 2016, it was included on the Preservation League of New York State’s list of “Seven to Save,” a biennial list of endangered or threatened historic properties in New York State, and was also listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The property had been condemned by the City at the time of designation. Changes in Commission Membership Michael McGandy’s term expired at the end of 2016 and Megan McDonald was appointed to fill the vacancy in May. McDonald holds an undergraduate degree in historic preservation from the University of Mary Washington (formerly Mary Washington College) and a masters in regional planning from Cornell University. She currently works as the Deputy Director of Housing and Sustainability for Tompkins County. Certified Local Government Activities The primary goal of the Certified Local Government (CLG) program is to encourage municipalities to develop and maintain community preservation efforts in coordination with local land use planning and improvement activities. Participation in the CLG program allows municipalities to partner with the state and federal governments throughout the processes of identifying and evaluating community resources and protecting historic properties. The City of Ithaca became a Certified Local Government (CLG) on October 10, 1986 and is one of the oldest CLG communities in New York State. As part of the continued participation in the program, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) must evaluate the performance of each participating municipality every four years. The evaluation consists of an examination of materials required to be kept on file with the SHPO and a site visit to examine local records and meet with CLG representatives and preservation commission members. A representative from the SHPO conducted the examination of the City’s preservation activities in September 2017 and a copy of the findings report, which records performance strengths and weaknesses, is attached. Other Activities Staff served on the application review panel for the Preservation League of New York State’s fall funding round of the “Preserve New York” grant. This competitive grant program, funded in partnership by the Preservation League of New York State and the New York State Council on the Arts, awards up to $10,000 to municipalities and not-for-profits for historic structure reports, building condition reports, cultural landscape reports, and cultural resource surveys. The review panel allocated over $200,000 to communities throughout New York State. Respectfully submitted, Bryan McCracken ILPC Secretary