Memorandum
City of Lawrence
Planning and Development Services
|
TO: |
City Commission |
|
FROM: |
Lynne Braddock Zollner, Historic Resources Administrator |
|
DATE: |
April 10, 2018 |
|
RE: |
Landmark Nomination for 1655 Mississippi Street (L-17-00123) |
Background
The HRC has determined that 1655 Mississippi Street meets the criteria identified in 22-403 of the City Code for Landmark Designation on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. The HRC adopted Resolution 2017-09 recommending designation of the property on November 16, 2017. Chapter 22 requires that the City Commission to consider the application of a landmark at public hearing. At the City Commission public hearing on February 6, 2018, the City Commission asked staff to provide additional information to the commission and to property owners within the proposed environs of the property on the landmark nomination prior to their action on the nomination.
1655 Mississippi Street, the Twenhofel-Eikenberry House
The Twenhofel-Eikenberry House, built in 1916, is eligible for listing as a local landmark for its embodiment of popular elements of design, detailing, materials, and craftsmanship that render it architecturally significant. It is an example of the side-gabled roof subtype of the Craftsman style of architecture that is not well represented on the Lawrence Register. The goal of the Lawrence Register is to represent all socioeconomic strata, businesses, industries and residences which illustrate the diversity that has been prevalent in Lawrence since its inception.
Environs Review
Listing a property on the Lawrence Register creates a 250’ radius around the property to review development for its impact on the context of the listed property. This review is achieved by the review of building permits for exterior work. Typically all projects, with the exception of demolition, are reviewed administratively by staff with the building permit. This includes new construction and additions. Larger projects are reviewed by the Historic Resources Commission (HRC). The purpose of the review is not to stifle or stop permitted projects, but to review the projects to determine if they will encroach upon, damage or destroy the environs of the listed property. The primary focus of the review is to maintain the overall character of the area. Items of consideration are typically size, scale, massing, setbacks, and materials. Often, the material submitted for the building permit is sufficient for the historic review; however, for some projects additional information is required for the review. No historic review, administrative or HRC, requires professionally prepared documents or professional representation, though homeowners are often represented through the process.
Currently, there are 87 Landmarks and 2 Historic Districts listed in the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. This creates 2,128 properties currently under environs review. (See attached map.)
Below is a table showing the number of projects that required environs review from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017.
|
Total Environs Cases Reviewed |
306 |
|
Total Environs Cases Administrative Review |
219 (71%) |
|
Total Environs Cases HRC Review* |
90 (29%) |
|
Environs Cases Approved |
304 |
|
Environs Cases Denied |
2 |
*Some of these projects were reviewed by the HRC because they were also a property listed in the National or State registers of Historic Places.
Time of Review
Staff analyzed projects that were submitted in 2016 and 2017 to study the amount of time that a typical building permit with no associated historic review and a typical building permit with an associated historic review took to be issued. The data for building permits with an associated historic review looks specifically at properties that are within the environs of a property listed on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. The data is analyzed based on permit valuation and permit type. (Data table on following page.)
|
For Building Permits with an associated Design Review Case 2016-2017 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
Permit Type |
# of Building Permits |
Average Working Days |
|
RESIDENTIAL NEW SINGLE FAMILY |
4 |
24.3 |
|
RESIDENTIAL REMODEL |
25 |
18.0 |
|
RESIDENTIAL ADDITION |
7 |
27.3 |
|
RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY STRUCTURE |
8 |
38.6 |
|
RESIDENTIAL NEW DUPLEX |
1 |
35.0 |
|
Total |
45 |
24.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
Fee |
# of Building Permits |
Average Working Days |
|
Less than $100 |
4 |
19.5 |
|
$100-250 |
6 |
19.5 |
|
$250-500 |
12 |
19.9 |
|
$500-750 |
6 |
23.0 |
|
$750-1000 |
4 |
21.9 |
|
$1000-1250 |
4 |
21.0 |
|
Greater than $1250 |
9 |
34.4 |
|
Total |
45 |
24.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
For Building Permits without an associated Design Review Case 2016-2017 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
Permit Type |
# of Building Permits |
Average Working Days |
|
RESIDENTIAL NEW SINGLE FAMILY |
272 |
8.9 |
|
RESIDENTIAL REMODEL |
307 |
9.1 |
|
RESIDENTIAL ADDITION |
96 |
14.5 |
|
RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY STRUCTURE |
49 |
19.0 |
|
RESIDENTIAL NEW DUPLEX |
61 |
29.3 |
|
Total |
785 |
11.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
Fee |
# of Building Permits |
Average Working Days |
|
Less than $100 |
85 |
8.4 |
|
$100-250 |
121 |
8.4 |
|
$250-500 |
129 |
7.8 |
|
$500-750 |
53 |
9.5 |
|
$750-1000 |
30 |
10.1 |
|
$1000-1250 |
37 |
10.4 |
|
Greater than $1250 |
330 |
13.6 |
|
Total |
785 |
11.9 |
The data suggests that a building permit with an associated historic review took an average of 24 days, while a building permit without an associated historic review took an average of 12 days. It is important to note that there may be reasons why the review time for a building permit with an associated historic review is longer than those without, such as a contractor/owner not knowing that the property is in the historic environs and needs that extra review, or more information is needed than what was submitted with the building permit.
Staff Recommendation
The Twenhofel-Eikenberry House located at 1655 Mississippi Street meets the criteria for designation as a Landmark on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. Staff recommends the commission conclude the public hearing and adopt Ordinance 9437 on first reading to designate 1655 Mississippi Street as a Landmark on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places.
Action
Adopt Ordinance 9437 on first reading to designate 1655 Mississippi Street as a Landmark on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places, if appropriate.