Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Planning & Development Services

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Lynne Braddock Zollner, Historic Resources Administrator
CC:	Scott McCullough, Director PDS Sheila Stogsdill, Assistant Director Planning
Date:	May 25, 2011
RE:	Oread Neighborhood Design Guidelines

I. Please include the following item on the next available City Commission agenda:

Accept an Historic Preservation Fund Grant for Design Guidelines associated with overlay zoning districts for the Oread Neighborhood in the amount of $30,005. 

II. Historic Preservation Fund Grant Requests

The Kansas State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) administers the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) to finance activities that will contribute to planning for the preservation of our built environment and archeological resources.  The Historic Preservation Fund is a grant program funded by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior.  The funds are passed through the Kansas Historic Preservation Office to local governments and organizations to pay for historic preservation activities on the local level. Up to sixty percent of the cost of eligible activities can be funded through this program.  Eligible activities include surveys to locate a community’s historic structures and archeological sites, testing to assess National Register of Historic Places eligibility of archeological sites, the preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, the development of city or county historic preservation plans, historic preservation related educational activities and preservation interns. 

Applications submitted by Certified Local Governments (CLGs) must be for activities within the physical boundaries of the CLG.  Ten percent of the Federal allocation to the SHPO must pass through to CLG communities.

2011 Request

The Historic Resources Commission discussed the 2011 HPF grant requests at a public hearing during their meeting in February 2011.  Staff proposed, and the HRC concurred, that staff should prepare a grant application for design guidelines for the Oread Neighborhood to assist in the creation of conservation overlay districts as recommended by the Oread Neighborhood Plan. (The development of design guidelines is one of the implementation steps for the Oread Neighborhood Plan.) The grant will provide funding to hire a qualified consultant to lead the public meetings and draft the design guidelines for the overlay districts identified in the Oread Neighborhood Plan.  If the City Commission accepts the grant, staff will identify a public participation program, similar to the task force that developed the Downtown Design Guidelines, to ensure all stakeholders are involved in the creation of the guidelines document. 

III. Project Funding

The City of Lawrence has been awarded 2011 HPF grant for the Oread Neighborhood Design Guidelines in the amount of $30,005. The grant provides 60% of the estimated $50,000 project cost and the City of Lawrence will provide 40% of project costs in cash and matching.

Consultant [grant]		$30,000.00
Staff (HRA, Administrative Support, GIS Planner)		$17,387.39
Communications/Printing/Advertising [$5 grant] (RFP, Public Meeting Notice, Printing)		$2,621.00
Total Cash match from City	$2,621.00
Total Project Cost	$50,008.39

IV. Action Request

Accept Historic Preservation Fund Grant for Design Guidelines for the Oread Neighborhood in the amount of $30,005 and authorize the City Manager to enter into grant agreements with the Kansas Historical Society for this project.