Historic Preservation Committee

MINUTES HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION NEW CITY HALL 212 SW 9TH STREET LAWTON OKLAHOMA OCTOBER 15, 2014 The meeting was called to order by Debra Jones, Chair, at 4:00 p.m. in the New City Hall. Notice of meeting and agenda were posted on the City Hall notice board as required by law. ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Crawford, Susan; Denham, David; Jones, Debra; Jones, John; Michener, Paige. ABSENT: Hagler, Joey; Newcombe, Steve; Phillips, Cherry; Smith, Richard. OTHERS PRESENT: Jonathon Stone, Planning Department; Denise Ezell, City Clerk’s Office. ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Approve minutes of October 22, 2013. Denham stated on page 4 the first word of the last sentence should be “assessed”. Motion by Denham, Second by Jones, J., to approve the minutes of October 22, 2013 with stated correction. Aye: Denham; Jones D; Jones J; Michener; Crawford. Nay: None. Motion Passed. 4. Approve Annual Meeting Notice for 2015. Jones D stated it is a legal requirement that the annual meeting noticed be filed in the Office of the City Clerk by December 15 of each year. Motion by Jones J, Second by Michener, to approve annual meeting notice for 2015. Aye: Jones D; Jones J; Michener; Crawford; Denham. Nay: None. Motion Passed. 5. Discuss potential outreach program to owners of historic properties to encourage the use of the HP Overlay as a preservation tool and take action, if necessary. Jones D stated I put this on the agenda for us to discuss. We have never done an outreach program nor have we had an informal meeting to discuss potential properties that meet the meaning of the ordinance. I thought an informal outreach where we invite potentials in to try and get some knowledge of the ordinance out there and to see if there is an interest or if we could assist them. This is just an idea. Denham stated that sounds good to me. There is no knowledge out there. We need to find a way to mark the areas we have with some signage. Michener stated that would create a little bit of visibility. Historical Preservation Page 2 of 4 Jones D stated I don’t know why we couldn’t do that. Jones J stated to give you an idea of how the real estate market is this year about 26.5% of the sales in Lawton has been foreclosures. If there is an owner that lives in a District and allows their property to go into foreclosure then the new buyer will have have no idea they are in a Historic District. I believe signage will help make it evident the home is in a Historic District. Crawford stated I agree. Denham stated I thought initially we were to give notice to the real estate professionals. Jones J stated there is nothing out there. I bet out of the 180 realtors no more than 20 know that Morford Hills is a Historic District. Denham asked so the MLS doesn’t identify it as such. Jones J stated it shows the zone but I guarantee it shows R1. Jones D stated so it doesn’t show the overlay. The official zoning map will show the overlay. Jones J stated I know it does but the typical realtor will put R1. Denham stated you will want to do some nice signs. Jones D stated I will have to talk to the city to see if they could hang a sign below the street sign. Michener stated we just have the 3 homes. Crawford stated you can do a plaque that identifies the home like Governor Ferguson’s home in Guthrie. It is privately owned yet there is a sign stating “The Home of Governor Ferguson”. Jones D stated I’ll talk to Rogalski about Morford Hills to see if they could produce something to go on the street signs. Jones J stated you are talking about 4 double faced signs. Jones D asked do you want to try and identify some properties and put together an outreach program. Denham stated I would approach the homeowner’s association. Jones D stated I think we also need to approach some of the churches. Historical Preservation Page 3 of 4 Jones J stated those are not in as much danger as the subdivisions. Fields & Dunning has some significant architecture in those homes and they certainly might some interest on a couple of blocks. I would rather us look at an area than individual buildings. Denham stated we did Mattie Beal to get the ball rolling and had zero follow through. Michener stated the same with our neighbors. Several came to the Johnson’s but didn’t follow through. Denham stated at this state there is no perceived value. Michener stated just restrictions. Jones J stated correct and many see that as a negative. It just isn’t there in today’s market for those home. Jones D stated they require a lot of work and a lot of dedication. I’m just putting this out there because I think we need to sell the ordinance. I don’t disagree with you because I would like to see more additions or blocks in an addition. I don’t want to create work for the Planning Department unless you all have an interest. Denham stated we have initiated everything that has come through. Jones D stated Lawton is not Norman. We are a transitional community and it has a blue collar mindset. Crawford stated I think this is great. We need to discover whether the area has an organization network. This kind of things works well when you have an organized group or a single person identified with the neighborhood. Denham stated like Yvonne Johnson. She got the ball rolling on Fort Sill Boulevard. Jones J asked how do we get the word out to people and how do we communicate with them. Jones D stated we will have to ask for assistance from the Planning Division. Once we have identified the group we would ask to be placed on their agenda if they have meetings. Jones J stated if we are going to target an area we need to make certain it is eligible. Jones D stated it will take a while to put together the concept. We don’t want to plan neighborhood meetings in January and February when the weather is unpredictable. Spring is a much better time. There is work to be done if we are going to do this and this will give us time to get it done. Historical Preservation Page 4 of 4 Jones J stated an area that has always fascinated me is the 400 Block of H. Those houses are called railroad houses. That is the only area in town you will see those homes. To me that is historic. Crawford stated those are shotgun houses and you are right that is historic. 6. Chairman and Committee Member report and comments. 7. Adjournment. Jones D stated thank you for coming in and I’m glad to see everyone. There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 4:22 p.m. Motion by Denham, Second by Jones, J., to adjourn. Aye: Jones D.; Jones J.; Michener; Crawford; Denham. Nay: None. Motion Passed.