Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018 ILPC Annual Report To: Svante Myrick, Mayor and Common Council From: Bryan McCracken, Historic Preservation Planner Re.: 2018 Annual Report of the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission Date: February 13, 2019 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, 2017 – September 30, 2018. This reporting period is stipulated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for Certified Local Government programs. DESIGN REVIEW During the reporting period, the ILPC held twelve regular and four special meetings. The Commission heard 24 cases requesting Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alterations to locally designated historic properties. The Commission approved 21 of these applications and denied two; one application was withdrawn. These figures represent an 87.5% approval rate for applications reviewed by the Commission during the reporting period. In addition to the applications reviewed by the Commission, staff approved 60 projects at 52 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 81 or 96%, of the 84 projects reviewed during the reporting period. REAL PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR HISTORIC PROPERTIES OR THE “ITHACA LAW” (444A-2) In 1997, the City of Ithaca became the first New York State community to adopt a tax abatement program for historic properties. In brief, the program provides a ten-year window of tax relief (City and County, only) on the increase in assessed value resulting from the substantial rehabilitation of or investment in a structure. Property tax abatements have been granted for 13 properties in the City’s locally designated historic districts since 2000, representing $145,045 of public investment in historic preservation during that time period. Major project that have utilized this incentive program include the Argos Inn at 408-10 E. State St. in the East Hill Historic District, The William Henry Miller Inn at 303-07 N. Aurora St. in the East Hill Historic District and the former Red Cross residence at 201 S. Clinton St. in the Henry St. John Historic District. Three property owners applied for the abatement in 2018. MAJOR PROJECTS The ILPC approved several projects at 310 W. State St., located in the Downtown West Historic District, which will result in the substantial rehabilitation of this historic resource as well as its site. The Shingle- Style residence was severely deteriorated at the time of local designation in 2015; of greatest concern was significant interior water damage caused by large holes in the property’s asbestos shingle and slate tile roof. In March 2018, the Commission approved the comprehensive rehabilitation of the exterior of the building, including the replacement of the failing roof system with synthetic slate tiles and standing 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 seam metal roofing panels, the installation of salvaged doors, the construction of a new rear entrance and the restoration or reconstruction of deteriorated exterior millwork. The former residence will be an affordable, six-bedroom collaborative housing unit. The Commission also approved the construction of a large “carriage barn” in the rear yard of the property. Also a six-bedroom collaborative housing unit, the new structure was designed to reflect the size, scale, massing and architectural dealing of other historic carriage barns within this and other historic districts. The rehabilitation of the historic residence and the construction of the “carriage barn” are being financed, in part, through historic preservation incentive programs, including a Restore New York Communities Initiative grant, New York State and Federal investment tax credits for income producing historic properties, and the local property tax exemption. As part of the historic tax credit application process, the Tibbetts-Rumsey House was individually listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places in May 2018. As a Certified Local Government community, the ILPC was required to participate in this process. HISTORIC RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION AND RECOMMENDED DESIGNATIONS In February 2018, the ILPC recommended the designation of the former No. 9 Fire Station at 311 College Avenue as an individual local landmark. In their consideration of the historical and architectural value of this resource, the ILPC found the former fire station met criteria 1, 2, 4, and 5 outlined in the landmarks ordinance. Constructed in two distinct phases, the resource is associated with local philanthropist, entrepreneur, and Cornell University Trustee, Henry William Sage; two prominent local architecture firms, Gibb and Waltz, and Vivian and Gibb; and the growth of Cornell University and the Collegetown neighborhood around the turn of the 20th century. After months of deliberation, Common Council denied the recommended designation of the former No. 9 Fire Station in June 2018. COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP Avi Smith was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Commission in September 2018. His experiences sensitively renovating and adaptively reusing historic properties and nuanced understanding of the Existing Building Code provide a strong base for his unique perspective on the Commission. He is the proprietor of Argos Inn, which received the “Excellence in Preservation Award” from the Preservation League of New York State in 2017. CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT (CLG) 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 a CLG community, the City is eligible to apply to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for funding to conduct preservation-related activities. In the spring of 2018, the City applied for and received a CLG Sub-grant to study the architectural and historical value of 19 properties on N. Aurora, E. Court and Linn Streets along the eastern edge of the East Hill Historic District. The findings of this historic resource inventory may result in a recommendation expand the adjacent historic district. Work on this survey will be completed later this year. Respectfully submitted, Bryan McCracken ILPC Secretary