Historic Preservation Commission Agenda and Packet 2018 02 12

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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes December 14, 2017 Page 2 of 10 continued to December 5th, however staff and the applicant determined that as the scope of the application had changed substantially they needed to re -notice and restart with a new application. The intent of the request is to landmark the sign alone and not to associate the landmarking with the property. The applications requests HPC funds for the City to acquire the sign City to acquire the sign and for the applicant to remove the sign and package it for transport. The sign will be stored temporarily at a City facility, after which the City will install the sign in a publicly accessible location for view. Planning Commission and City Council will review a PUD amendment to allow a new, similar sign at 640 Main Street. The Downtown Sign Manual allows signs to be landmarked alone without reference to a building. The sign has architectural significance as it is representative of neon signs popular in the 1950s and it represents the Colacci family and the Blue Parrot restaurant, which operated in that location for 98 years until its closing in 2017. The sign has social significance as it exemplifies the cultural and social heritage of Louisville's Italian community and the popular Blue Parrot restaurant. These findings were presented to the Commission at the previous public hearing on the sign on October 16th, 2017. The Commission is also considering the allocation of funds for the acquisition of the sign. Resolution 20, Series 2009 allows the use of Historic Preservation Funds to acquire property. The applicant request funds to acquire the sign equivalent to the cost of constructing and installing a similar sign. Additional funds will be requested by the City at a later date to facilitate relocation and placement of the sign to a city facility for display. In consultation with the City attorney, staff finds that HPC is allowed to allocate funds for this purpose. The total allocation of funds amounts to $34,133.00. $2,850 to package and remove the sign $31,282.00 for acquisition Staff recommends approval of a request to Landmark the Blue Parrot sign (Resolution 1, Series 2018) and recommends approval of a request to allocate funds to acquire the Blue Parrot Sign (Resolution 2, Series 2018). Haley asked for questions of staff from the Commission. Cyndi Thomas asked for more details on the amount requested for fund allocation. Ritchie replied that it was a bid that was acquired from the property owner to replace the sign. Ritchie replied that it was a cost proposal from the sign contractor who would construct and install the new sign. It didn't go up for a bid and is not an estimate. It is a proposal from the property owner to replace the sign. Haley asked if the acquisition funds were for purchasing or replacing the sign. Ritchie stated that the City would be purchasing the sign for a cost equivalent to the amount of a new sign, even though the funds are specifically to acquire the sign. She added that the resolution did not require the applicant to use the grant request toward a new sign, but the applicant was pursuing a PUD amendment to construct a new sign. Fahey asked if the $34,133 amount included a deduction for preserving the sign, which they would have to spend anyway if they were to keep the sign.