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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-9-20 HLC Minutes * M I N U T E S * HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION March 9, 2020 City Hall, 801 Main Street, Beaumont, Texas A Regular Meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission was held on March 9, 2020 and called to order at 3:34 p.m. with the following members present: Vice-Chairman Dohn LaBiche Commissioner Hester Bell Commissioner Marty Craig Commissioner Theresa Goodness Commissioner Terry Hallemann Commissioner Lynda Kay Makin Commissioner Thomas Sigee Commissioner Janelle Templeton Commission Members absent : Chairman Paula Blazek Commissioner Marie Broussard Councilmembers present: Councilmember Taylor Neild Also present: Demi Laney, Planner I Adina Josey, Senior Planner Elayna Luckey, Historic Code Enforcement Officer Lindsey Gilbreath, Demolition and Permit Chief Catherine Allen, Recording Secretary APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Craig moved to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on February 10, 2020. Commissioner Makin seconded the motion. The motion to approve carried 8:0. REGULAR MEETING 1) CA-3167: Request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house. Applicant: City of Beaumont Location: 2360 Evalon Avenue Ms. Laney presented the staff report. Boyd Meier, Building Official, requests a certificate of demolition for the house located at 2360 Evalon Avenue. According to the inspection report, this structure was originally tagged on October 10, 2018 and re-inspected on January 2, 2020. It Historic Landmark Commission March 9, 2020 states there are ample amounts of deteriorated and missing siding along the exterior of the house. The roof currently has a large hole in it, which will require a roof replacement. The window sills have rotted and will need restoration. Based on the extensive repairs needed for this structure, the Building Codes Staff is recommending a raze order. The house is in the 1991 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states that the house was built c.1942. The house is a common housing style built during the World War II era. Planning staff recommended approval of the demolition. Slides were shown of the subject property. Seventeen (17) notices were mailed to property owners within 200 feet of the subject property. Two (2) responses were received in favor and no responses were received in opposition. Code Enforcement Officer Luckey reviewed the history of code violations for the property. Discussion between the commission and staff clarified that the improvement value of the property listed in the staff report is the value at its current state. Further discussion was held about the City’s responsibility for the cost of demolition and any recourse for the property owner. Commissioner Craig moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house. Commissioner Makin seconded the motion. The motion to approve carried 8:0. 2) CA-3168: Request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a garage. Applicant: City of Beaumont Location: 2205 Hazel Avenue Ms. Laney presented the staff report. Boyd Meier, Building Official, requests a certificate of demolition for the garage located at 2205 Hazel Avenue. According to the inspection report, this structure was originally tagged on March 7, 2018 and re-inspected on December 26, 2019. It states the entire structure is collapsing, which means the roof and rafters must be replaced. There are ample amounts of rotten and missing siding along the exterior of the garage. There is trash, debris and overgrowth all throughout the interior of the structure. Additionally, the electrical system will need to be brought into compliance with the 2014 National Electric Code. Based on the extensive repairs needed for this structure, the Building Codes Staff is recommending a raze order. The house is in the 1991 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states that the house was built c.1940. The house is a fine example of a smaller frame Italian Renaissance structure built for the middle class after the second Spindletop boom. Planning staff recommended approval of the demolition. Slides were shown of the property. Nineteen (19) notices were mailed to property owners within 200 feet of the subject property. One response was received in favor and no responses were received in opposition. 2 Historic Landmark Commission March 9, 2020 Discussion was held between the commission, staff and Councilmember Neild about the fact that the actual house is occupied and up to code and why it is still the City’s responsibility to pay for the demolition of the garage. Staff clarified that a lien can only be placed against the property for commercial structures. Commissioner Craig moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a garage. Commissioner Sigee seconded the motion. The motion to approve carried 7:1 (Bell). 3) CA-3169: Request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a garage apartment. Applicant: City of Beaumont Location: 2341 Hazel Avenue Ms. Laney presented the staff report. Boyd Meier, Building Official, requests a certificate of demolition for the garage apartment located at 2341 Hazel Avenue. According to the inspection report, this structure was originally tagged on June 15, 2015 and re-inspected on January 2, 2020. It states there are ample amounts of rotten wood throughout the structure. There are several broken windows and the ceiling has collapsed. Additionally, the electrical system needs to be brought into compliance with the 2014 National Electric Code and the plumbing system must comply with the 2015 International Plumbing Code. Based on the extensive repairs needed for this structure, the Building Codes Staff is recommending a raze order. The house is in the 1990 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states that the house was built c.1930. The house is an example of a multi-family dwelling built after the second Spindletop boom. Planning staff recommended approval of the demolition. Slides were shown of the property. Nineteen (19) notices were mailed to property owners within 200 feet of the subject property. No responses were received in favor or in opposition. Discussion was held between the commission and staff about the history of this structure and why it has taken so long to get to the demolition stage. Staff clarified that this was due to the large volume of red tagged houses, staffing changes and budgetary issues. The commission and staff again discussed the demolition being the City’s responsibility even though the house itself is occupied. Staff clarified that a lien cannot be placed against the property whether the property is occupied by a home owner or a renter, as long as it is residential. The commission expressed the need for a workshop on the demolition process and any possible methods of fund recovery for the City. Commissioner Craig moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a garage apartment. Commissioner Makin seconded the motion. The motion to approve carried 7:1 (Bell). 4) Historic District Code Enforcement Report 3 Historic Landmark Commission March 9, 2020 Officer Luckey presented the Historic District Code Enforcement Report including information about current violations and inspections, as well as updates on code enforcement duties and procedures. OTHER BUSINESS Further discussion was held about the need for a workshop on the demolition process and the City’s responsibility for the cost of demolition. THERE BEING NO OTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 4:04 P.M. 4