CITY OF SARASOTA MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE. HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD June 11, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Note: The City's Website address is sarasotagov.com. Select "Videos on Demand" from the. Main Web Page to vieus agendas, videos of past meetings, and minutes. Historic Preservation Joyce Hart, Chair Board Members Present: Brian Bradley, Vice Chair Marlene Lancaster Ramsey Frangie Sherry Svekis City Staff Present: Clifford Smith, Senior Planner Karen Grassett, Planning Technician I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chairman Hart called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. and Senior Planner Smith (as Secretary to the Board) called the roll. Senior Planner Smith stated HPB member Gurley had called and stated he would not be at the meeting. The Board voted unanimously to excuse Mr. Gurley's absence. II. CHANGES TO THE ORDERS OF THE DAY There were: no changes to the Orders of the Day. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES HPB member Svekis made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 9, 2013 Board meeting. HPB member Frangie seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. Dr. Smith administered the oath to those wishing to speak. IV. FLORIDA MASTER SITE FILE [FMSF] DEMOLITION APPLICATIONS 1. 2051 MAIN STREET: Application 13-FMSF-22 requests demolition of the Lawyers Professional Building in order to use this area for a parking lot to be exchanged for property at 20 North Washington Blvd. Mr. Chris Berger, representing Archaeological Consultants, Inc., Ms. Michael Saunders, owner of the property, and Mr. Rodney Connelly, Civix LLC, contract purchaser appeared to present the application. Mr. Berger gave an overview of the project stating the building was designed by Frank Folsom Smith, a member of the Sarasota School of Architecture, and is potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Minutes of the Regular Historic Preservation Board Meeting June 11, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 2 of 4 Ms. Saunders stated she purchased the building in 2005 with the intent to centralize her support services at that location. Ms. Saunders looked at retrofitting the building to fit her needs however that was not possible due to the cost to bring the building up to code. Ms. Saunders stated she did not know the building was considered historic until after Mr. Connelly approached her regarding purchasing the building. Mr. Connelly met with County officials with a proposal to relocate the existing County owned parking facility at the corner of US 301 and Main Street to the 2051 Main Street site as which time the County noted the property was listed as historic. Mr. Connelly and Ms. Saunders then met with Dr. Smith to initiate the process for approval to demolish the building. Mr. Connelly discussed his proposal stating the process began approximately one year ago when he read that the County wished to dispose of some property. Mr. Connelly stated he had met with all 5 County Commissioners and received acknowledgement that the proposal would be good for that area and noted his company has an executed letter of intent from Kimpton hotels to construct a 150 unit hotel on the corner of US 301 and Main Street. Mr. Connelly stated if the application to demolish the building is approved the next step would be toj put the land trade on the County Commission agenda for approval, that they have met with City staff and initial design work has begun, and they are anxious to get the project moving forward. Mr. Connelly stated the proposal is for a boutique type hotel that is business oriented and would include a 4 or 5 star restaurant, 6-8 thousand square feet of conference space, a pool, rooftop entertainment, and a small amount of retail. Ms. Saunders stated for the record her commitment to not demolish the building until the project moves forward sO that the parcel does not sit vacant for any period of time. Discussion ensued regarding documentation of historic drawings, construction of the parking lot, code issues with the building, and purchasing the parcel rather than going through a land swamp process. Mr. Connelly stated the need to keep parking in the same general area as iti is now and noted parking for the new hotel would be provided by entering into an agreement with a business with an existing parking structure. Ms. Saunders noted the building will need to be demolished regardless of what use is proposed for the site. Dr. Smith discussed the application noting he has visited the site, the building is eligible for national and local designation, has structural issues, and he has recommended approval of the demolition with mitigation. Dr. Smith stated the HABS Level 1 documentation recommended by Mr. Berger in his conclusion is an appropriate mitigation measure and noted the applicants have looked at salvaging or moving the building however neither is economically feasible. Dr. Smith stated he recommends the applicants follow through with what salvage can be done and complete all mitigation measures required by the Historic Preservation Board prior to demolition. Minutes of the Regular Historic Preservation Board Meeting June 11, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 3 of 4 Ms. Saunders noted the survey provided was costly and the additional report requested would cost an additional $6,500 which creates a financial hardship. Ms. Saunders suggested the HPB acquire the original drawings from Frank Folsom-Smith and those combined with the photographs submitted with the report should meet the intent of the HABS Level 1 documentation requested. V. CITIZEN INPUT Mr. Dan Snyder appeared noting he is a member of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF) however was appearing as a citizen. Mr. Snyder stated his frustration with the will of a few dictating the fate of historical buildings in Sarasota, pointing out Riverview High School as an example. Mr. Snyder stated Sarasota High is the last remaining Rudolf building and is being gutted internally, noting city staff endorsed the renovations. Mr. Snyder stated the need to have a process to better protect the historic buildings in Sarasota, stated the Sarasota School of Architecture buildings are an asset just as important as the beaches, etc. and requested the HPB deny the application. Mr. Snyder noted the City is filled with vacant lots. Ms. Saunders stated she would donate the building and the first $10,000 needed to relocate the building and suggested the SAF raise the additional funds necessary to relocate the building. HPB Chair Hart closed the hearing. HPB member Lancaster made a motion to find Demolition Application No. 13-FMSF-22 consistent with Sections IV-824 (b) of the Zoning Code and approve the proposed demolition, subject to the following condition: Complete all mitigation measures required by the Historic Preservation Board prior to demolition. HPB member Svekis seconded the motion. Discussion ensued regarding the requirement to include historic drawings or if those are not available having measured drawings created, the cost of creating measured drawings, and the SAF and Ms. Saunders working together to find a way to relocate the building without delaying Mr. Connelly's project. HPB member Lancaster withdrew her motion and HPB member Svekis concurred. Discussion ensued regarding the process of creating the measured drawings, the possibility of having laser drawings done, and interviewing Frank Folsom Smith at the property before demolition. HPB member Lancaster made a motion to reiterate her previous motion with the following additional conditions: (1) Applicant will conduct a video-taped interview on-site with Frank Folsom Smith; (2) Original drawings from Frank Folsom Smith, if available, are to be presented to Dr. Smith; (3) Discussions will be held with SAF on the possibility of moving the building where SAF would handle that, allowing 30 days to come up with an agreement. HPB member Svekis seconded the motion. Discussion ensued regarding the requirement for measured drawings and the associated cost being significantly less than the $6500 for the laser drawings. The motion passed 4/1 with HPB Chair Hart voting no. Minutes of the Regular Historic Preservation Board Meeting June 11, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 4 of 4 VI. TOPICS BY BOARD MEMBERS No topics were discussed. VII. TOPICS BY STAFF Dr. Smith noted all HPB members should have received invitations from the City to the Van Wezel for presentations of appreciation to Board members and requested they attend if possible. VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 3:45 pm. clyo Hur Joyce Hart, Chair Clifford Smith, Senior. Planner Historic Preservation Board Secretary to the Historic Preservation Board