Village of Lake Bluff Historic Preservation Commission Meeting
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VILLAGE OF LAKE BLUFF HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MARCH 11, 2020 - 7:00 P.M. VILLAGE HALL BOARD ROOM 40 E. CENTER AVENUE, LAKE BLUFF, ILLINOIS AGENDA 1. Call to Order and Roll Call 2. Consideration of December 11, 2019 Regular Meeting Minutes 3. Consideration of January 27, 2020 Special Meeting Minutes (Stonebridge Site Tour) 4. Consideration of January 30, 2020 Special Meeting Minutes (Stonebridge Advisory Review) 5. Non-Agenda Items and Visitors The Chairperson and Members of the HPC allocate fifteen (15) minutes at this time for those individuals who would like the opportunity to address the HPC on any matter within its area of responsibility that is not listed on the agenda. Each person addressing the HPC is asked to limit their comments to a maximum of three (3) minutes. 6. Presentation of Village Historic Survey 7. Staff Report a.) April Meeting Date & Stonebridge Advisory Review 8. Adjournment The Village of Lake Bluff is subject to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Individuals with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who require certain accommodations in order to allow them to observe and/or participate in this meeting, or who have questions regarding the accessibility of the meeting or the facilities, are requested to contact Glen Cole at 847-234-0774 or TDD number 234-2153 promptly to allow the Village of Lake Bluff to make reasonable accommodations. VILLAGE OF LAKE BLUFF HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING December 11, 2019 7:00 P.M. Village Hall Board Room 40 East Center Avenue DRAFT MINUTES 1. Call to Order and Roll Call A Regular Meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) of the Village of Lake Bluff was called to order on December 11, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Village Hall Board Room. The following members were present: Present: Paul Bergmann Jane Jerch Lois Nicol Cheri Richardson, Vice Chair Steve Kraus, Chair Absent: Randolph Liebolt Also Present: Glen Cole, Assistant to the Village Administrator (AVA) 2. Consideration of the November 13, 2019 Meeting Minutes Member Bergmann moved to approve the November 13, 2019 HPC Regular Meeting Minutes as amended. Member Nicol seconded the motion. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote. 3. Non-Agenda Items and Visitors Chair Kraus stated that the Chairperson and Members of the HPC allocate fifteen (15) minutes at this time for those individuals who would like the opportunity to address the HPC on any matter within its area of responsibility that is not listed on the agenda. There were no requests to address the HPC. 4. Initial Advisory Review for Demolition of the Stonebridge Estate (0-230 Jensen Lane a.k.a. 136 Green Bay Road) Chair Kraus asked staff for quick background on the property. AVA Cole stated that appropriate background information could be brought to future meetings if requested by the commission. AVA Cole went over the HPC’s role in the advisory review process and what needs to be voted on. Staff recommends having a special meeting in January due to the Page 1 of 3 Historic Preservation Commission December 11, 2019 expected interest from the public for this application. AVA Cole explained the advisory review process once the application has been submitted. AVA Cole clarified that this process could have a maximum demolition delay of 120 days, possibly an additional 30 days if an extension is given by the Village Board. AVA Cole expressed that it is vital that advisory review applications be judged in view of the goal and purpose of the Village’s historic preservation regulations as well as the criteria for advisory review; together, these consist of about 20 statements. He stated that of those 20, seven are most relevant and a list of these has been shared with the commission as a starting point. A brief discussion commenced. AVA Cole explained that there are 3 landmarked structures on the 136 Green Bay Road estate. He stated that these three structures are the Manor House, the Carriage House, and protected landscape elements. Specifically, this application proposes to demolish the Manor House, the Carriage House, and the terrace and the retaining wall on the south end of the property. Chair Kraus stated that it will be imperative to have more information regarding the full depth of the demolition application and future plans moving forward. He stated that this information would be vital to have at the future advisory review conference. As there were no comments from the commissioners, Chair Kraus opened the floor for public comment. Matt Allison, resident, came forward to address the HPC and said he resides on the northern border of the estate. He wanted to confirm that this commission is only able to delay the demolition process and cannot deny a demolition permit. AVA Cole confirmed that statement is generally true, although in this particular case, the Village Board would need to act for a permit to be issued. Mr. Allison believes that the Roanoke Group should not be allowed to own this property and that all surrounding homeowners are going to do everything in their power to force the Roanoke Group to relinquish their ownership of this property. He stated that development can occur on this property but they do not want it to be by the Roanoke Group. Katie Sekera, resident, came forward to address the HPC. She has heard that an evaluation firm out of Deerfield gave the Manor house a ‘good’ rating, which is the second best rating a structure can receive, and was curious if this carries any weight in this process along with how they can consider demolition of this structure that received this type of rating. She stated that her family chose Lake Bluff due to its beautiful community and the draw to historical importance all around the community. She believes that Roanoke Group does not care about the community and based off their past actions, she is not able to trust what they are proposing moving forward. She stated it would be extremely unfortunate if the Manor House and Carriage House are demolished and then Roanoke Group goes broke and this project stalls again. Chair Kraus emphasized that the land east of the Manor House to Green Bay Road is landmarked. A brief discussion commenced. AVA Cole read aloud letter from a resident regarding the application that was recently received and not distributed to the HPC (in error). He stated the letter was from Ted Kovas, who is a resident of Page 2 of 3 Historic Preservation Commission December 11, 2019 property abutting 136 Green Bay Road from the West. He stated it is not appropriate that the Roanoke Group could potentially be rewarded for not taking care of the Manor and Carriage House and has let them deteriorate these last eight years while the surrounding residents living in historic homes have spent substantial amounts of money to continue the historic preservation of their homes for the betterment of the Village. Once AVA Cole finished reading the letter, Chair Kraus closed the public comment session. Chair Kraus asked for a motion that determines the proposed work is inconsistent with the goals and purposes of the historic preservation chapter of the municipal code and that it is requested that the applicant to be present at an advisory review conference in January with the date to be determined. Member Jerch made a motion. Member Bergmann seconded the motion. The motion passed on the following roll call vote: Ayes: (5) Bergmann, Jerch, Nicol, Richardson, Kraus Nays: (0) Absent: (1) Liebolt Member Nicol stated she was curious if we could go visit the property before the conference. AVA Cole stated that this could be arranged. 5. Commissioner’s Report Chair Kraus discussed scheduling of the upcoming meeting. 6. Staff Report AVA Cole stated that he will be issuing a notice on behalf of the commission regarding the HPC meeting dates for 2020. Chair Kraus requested that staff book Susan Benjamin for a normal meeting in February to go over the survey. 7. Adjournment There being no further business to consider, Member Richardson motioned to adjourn. Member Nicol seconded the motion. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Glen Cole Assistant to the Village Administrator Page 3 of 3 VILLAGE OF LAKE BLUFF HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING January 27, 2020 9:00 A.M. Stonebridge Development 0-230 Jensen Lane aka 136 Green Bay Road DRAFT MINUTES 1. Call to Order and Roll Call A Special Meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) of the Village of Lake Bluff was called to order on January 27, 2020 at 9 a.m. at the Stonebridge Development, 0-230 Jensen Lane a.k.a. 136 Green Bay Road. The following members were present: Present: Paul Bergmann Janie Jerch Lois Nicol Steve Kraus, Chair Absent: Randolph Liebolt Cheri Richardson Also Present: Glen Cole, Assistant to the Village Administrator (AVA) Michael Croak, Building Codes Supervisor 2. Introduction and Public Comment AVA Cole called the roll and stated that a quorum of the HPC was present. He stated that this special meeting was an opportunity to tour the Stonebridge development before the HPC’s advisory review conference scheduled this Thursday. He stated that Mike Walline with the Roanoke Group would provide a tour of the facility and encouraged those taking the tour to be careful given the site conditions. He also said that there was an opportunity for members of the public to address the HPC on any matter within its area of responsibility. There were no requests to address the HPC.