Historic Preservation Commission Agenda and Packet 2017 11 20

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Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes October 16, 2017 Page 8 of 10 Haley stated that the applicant would comply with demolition permit requirements when necessary. She asked for applicant comments. Eric Hartronft of Hartronft Associates, 950 Spruce St, Louisville, CO, stated that Boulder Creek Neighborhood was one of the biggest employers downtown and had been good corporate citizens, supporting the street fair and other city activities. Boulder Creek does not want to move out of downtown and believes that the company's presence supports commerce. One of the company's goals is to give the street level back to retail use and move their offices up onto a second story. Hartronft stated that design guidelines were guidelines, not code. He added that there are some elements in the design guidelines that could be read as code, such as sentences with "shall," but most of them were guidelines. Guideline C3 allowed for a mix among 1-3 stories and the intent was not for all buildings on the street to be one story. The proposal respected the mix of one- and two-story buildings on the block. He stated that their proposal incorporated the aesthetic of the Huckleberry building on the corner by keeping the building next to Huckleberry lower. The proposal takes cues from other buildings downtown and uses a 1950s and 1960s design inspiration. The two-story buildings are patterned after false -front western style buildings. The design also respected the rhythm of the two -building pairings along the block. Hartronft stated that parking downtown was an issue and that the design included parking for the buildings to be built. Zuccaro clarified that the process for demolition review criteria applied for constructions in or before 1955. To be eligible for landmarking, the building needs to be 50 years old or older. Therefore staff would not be coming back to the Commission with a demolition review. When a development application comes in for a PUD/SRU, staff takes the plans to advisory commissions before the required reviews by the Planning Commission and City Council. HPC, Parks, Open Space, and Revitalization can be solicited for comments in this process but that solicitation is not required. Staff was requesting perspective on downtown design guidelines as well as the regulatory requirements. Chuck Thomas stated that he did not have a problem with the scale of the proposed structure and that parking off the alley was a great element. He stated that he did not have a problem with the two-story structure but he suggested that the PUD incorporate a design element or a setback to distinguish between the first -floor retail and the second floor. Ulm agreed that the scale of the buildings was done well. He suggested looking at the massing on the two-story pieces of the proposal buildings. He suggested opening up the two-story building more so it fits in the fabric of the rest of the plan or using a different material for the two- story buildings. He stated that the proposal had good elements with the stair tower and the balconies to break up the building. He added that the alleys needed to be done right as they were important to the development of the town and that parking downtown was needed. He asked if the city had water and sewer available for this development or if they were at capacity. He stated that overall he was pleased with the project. Koertje stated he was not concerned about the loss of the buildings that would be demolished. He stated that he liked the rooftop deck and thought the two-story buildings were fine. He was concerned that the third story in the middle would be too bulky for the block.