HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-05-12 MinutesMINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION A regular meeting of the Fayetteville Historic District Commission was held on May 12, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. at Drake Field White Hangar 4290 S. School, Fayetteville, Arkansas. ITEMS DISCUSSED ACTION TAKEN Dickson Commercial Historic District Strategic Plan Discussion only Historic District Commission Powers Ordinance Tabled Historic District Commission May 12, 2008 Page 2 MEMBERS PRESENT Vince Chadick Cheri Coley Ethel Goodstein-Murphree Rob Merry -Ship Karon Reese STAFF PRESENT Karen Minkel, Long Range Planning MEMBERS ABSENT Leslie Belden STAFF ABSENT 2 Historic District Commission May 12, 2008 Page 3 CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chair Goodstein-Murphree at 5:46 p.m. I. Approval of the Minutes MOTION to approve the minutes of April 10, 2008 meeting: Cheri Coley SECOND: Vince Chadick VOTE: The vote was unanimous to approve the minutes from the April 10, 2008 meeting, 5-0-0. II. Old Business Dickson Commercial Historic District Strategic Plan Chair Goodstein-Murphree discussed the importance of the commercial historic district's acceptance from the Planning Commission, City Council and, most importantly, property owners. Commissioner Reese asked if they should begin with a meeting of the property owners versus something else. Chair Goodstein-Murphree asked if it would be possible to get a profile of the property owners. Karen Minkel, Senior Long Range Planner, reviewed the amount of regulatory action the Downtown has recently faced from the Downtown Master Plan to the stalled Business Improvement District. The challenge facing the HDC was that most cities used a local ordinance district as a means for economic development, whereas Fayetteville had a thriving downtown. Chair Goodstein-Murphree said that they needed to identify the types of communication needed with different groups and when. She also mentioned the idea of marshalling resources from the State office and utilizing representatives from other CLGs such as Argenta, Fort Smith and Rogers. Commissioner Chadick stated that the HDC needed to target something to say "yes" to; the goal should be unanimity rather than a majority. The goal was to ensure that a thriving place is preserved. Chair Goodstein-Murphree emphasized the importance of diversification that the Downtown is a place where one can do ordinary shopping in addition to going to upscale restaurants. The HDC needed to think about the character beyond the buildings. Commissioner Reese stated that there needed to be a way to get information out. There needed to be a well -marketed event. Historic District Commission May 12, 2008 Page 4 Commissioner Merry -Ship clarified that the HDC was creating guidelines for property owners to use if they wanted to get involved with historic preservation. The only economic impact he'd benefited from was from Camell Hall, and he didn't see the big carrot in the HDC's proposal. There needed to be something like free trash pick-up or the waiving of impact fees. Commissioner Reese said that the benefit comes from being in a historic district. Commissioner Chadick stated that the HDC didn't want to make a representation that was not accurate. It might be beneficial to create a Q&A document. There may be indirect incentives for maintaining and preserving the area. He did not want to be a solution looking for a problem. Chair Goodstein-Murphree asked if there were public sector partners who they could involve. (A brainstormed list included: Dickson Street Neighborhood Association, Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods, Downtown Partners, Washington County Historical Society, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce) Commissioner Chadick said that the HDC should focus on the benefit of a structure like the Train Depot. Commissioner Coley said that she liked the idea of trying the concept out on the Dickson Neighborhood Association and Downtown Partners. The HDC directed staff to draft preliminary strategic plan with a timeline. III. New Business Motion: Commissioner Coley made a motion to table the Historic District Commission Power Ordinance to the June 12, 2008 meeting in order to give commissioners a chance to review the document. Commissioner Merry -Ship seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed with a vote of 5-0-0. MEETING ADJOURNED: 6:46 P.M. 11