Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-11-05 Joint BOS HDC-min 11/5/18 Joint BOS/HDC Page 1 of 4 JOINT MEETING Board of Selectmen and Historic Districts Commission Monday, November 5, 2018 A Joint Meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen and Historic Districts Commission was called to order at 7:16 p.m. on Monday, November 5, 2018 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Present for the Selectmen were Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo; Mr. Lucente; and Ms. Hai as well as Mr. Malloy, Town Manager; Ms. Axtell, Assistant Town Manager; Mr. Cronin, Director of Facilities; Ms. Kowalski, Assistant Town Manager for Economic Development; Police Chief Corr; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Present for the Historic Districts Commission were Anne Eccles, Historic Districts Commission Chair; and members Robert Adams, Thomas Fenn, Mark Connor, Robin Lovett, Lee-Noel Chase, Ed Adelman and Susan Bennett(late arrival). Joint Meeting Board of Selectmen and Historic Districts Commission Regarding 2018 STM-1 Discussion Article 5 Appropriate for Hosmer House Reuse Study Ms. Eccles (HDC) noted that the Commission has so far not been part of any of the discussions regarding the new Police Station, the main driver for the Hosmer House reuse study proposed by Article 5. Current Police Station design plans necessitate moving the House, either within the current property or offsite to another location. Overall, the HDC would prefer that a master site plan for the site be developed that orients the Police Station, Fletcher Park, and Hosmer House within a comprehensive context. Ms. Eccles noted that the Hosmer House has been discussed numerous times over the years with no conclusion. Mr. Cronin (Facilities Director) said no further design work has been done for a period of time because of attention being paid to the Fire Station. Cost estimates within the Police Station design allocate $1.1M for moving the Hosmer House but Mr. Cronin said this price-tag is a rough calculation. Mr. Lucente (BOS) said the Selectman's goal is to find a use for the long-vacant Hosmer House. It would not be satisfactory to move the House only to have it sit empty yet again. He identified six potential options for the disposition of the House that the HDC might consider: • Hosmer House cannot be moved; • The House can be moved closer to Massachusetts Avenue; • The House can be moved closer to Fletcher Avenue; • The House can move elsewhere within the current Historic District; • The House can move to another Historic District; • The House can move anywhere in town, with certain restrictions. Ms. Eccles (HDC) said the new Police Station would present a different, perhaps undesired, visual experience for people approaching the Center from the east. Mr. Lucente (BOS) agreed that this is a consideration for the Police Station design but it does not answer the question of what the Hosmer House should be used for, the point of the Article 5 appropriation. He asked for 11/5/18 Joint BOS/HDC Page 2 of 4 feedback on his six options and asked what era the HDC feels the House should be restored to, noting it has already withstood many changes and uses over time. Ms. Eccles (HDC) believes the building should continue to evolve; the HDC is not attempting to preserve one period in particular but whatever the new use is, it should serve the community,just as former uses have. Ms. Eccles clarified that the HDC does not dictate design but instead responds to design proposals. Ms. Chase (HDC) noted that, as a convalescent home for WWI veterans, Hosmer House performed a "civic use in a public location." This concept was a theme of the HDC's most recent discussions about the property; it is how the Commission views the best future use of the House. Ms. Barry (BOS) asked if the current Police Station re-design proposes programmatic use of the Hosmer House. Mr. Cronin (Facilities Director)noted that the foundation of the new Police Station, as currently designed, encroaches on the Hosmer House property line. Chief Corr (Police) reported that Hosmer House is not included in Police programming. Mr. Fenn (HDC) said the purpose of the HDC is to protect historic structures and educate the public by telling a story: the HDC needs to preserve the structure for these purposes. Of Mr. Lucente's six options, he prefers moving the House closer to Massachusetts Avenue while staying on the same property; he also supports Chief Corr's vision of adding the porch back on, landscaping the property, and, while the HDC does not enter into the use of historic structures, he personally likes the concept of providing a home base for the Farmers' Market, the yearly skating rink, storage, and public restrooms for events on the property. Mr. Adelman (HDC) said, with the new Police Station, the question of what someone would see entering the Center is hard to answer without a holistic vision for the full site. He is encouraged by the night's discussion and believes a beneficial solution will be reached through collaborative effort. [Ms. Bennett, HDC, arrived at this point in the meeting,] Mr. Adams (HDC) said parking is of concern in the Center and around the Police Station and Town Office Building campus. He believes more of greenspace should not be taken to satisfy parking demand and that more control should be applied of who parks there. Mr. Connor (HDC) noted the difference between entry into the Center from the west, which has historic context, and entry from the east, which is less recognizable as an historic entryway. Rather than view Hosmer House as a structure to be "gotten out of the way", Mr. Connor believes it should be used to advantage because it provides an opportunity to create a more defined gateway. Ms. Eccles (HDC) said the Center Streetscape Committee has a longstanding desire to create a gateway in the eastern approach. She believes there is a lot that can be done with the concepts presented tonight. Ms. Chase (HDC) agreed and summarized by saying that the HDC sees opportunities for a gateway, for not only masking Police operations but also for integrating the 11/5/18 Joint BOS/HDC Page 3 of 4 Hosmer House with the Police Station project, and a chance to develop the area in a coherent way. Mr. Pato (BOS) noted that,previously, the Selectmen were told by former HDCs that Hosmer House could not be moved at all, which posed constraints on the options that might be considered. He is encouraged that the current HDC is willing to review the possibilities. Ms. Ciccolo (BOS) said she likewise feels encouraged and she is excited by the potential of could be done. However, she noted the already large Capital Plan looming ahead, which might limit what can be done in the short term. She believes the study should go ahead to provide clarity. Determining public use versus residential use, for example, would have impacts on a variety of options, such as utilities and parking. Ms. Hai (BOS) agreed that the discussion has yielded interesting ideas and the understanding of collaboration moving forward. Ms. Barry (BOS) noted the heavy volume of comment on the Town Member listsery about the fate of the Hosmer House. Related to that, she asked if any of the HDC members believed the structure should be destroyed. Speaking for the Commission, Ms. Eccles said she sees no reason for demolition. Ms. Barry (BOS) asked Mr. Lucente (BOS)to clearly convey to Special Town Meeting that demolition is not on the table. Instead, moving it within the same parcel and using it for purposes such as those proposed by Chief Corr is the matter at hand. Ms. Bennett(HDC) said, even if there was a proposal to move the House off the site, the HDC could protect it through conservation easements on a new site. Ms. Kowalski, Assistant Town Manager for Development, noted that accepted practice regarding moving historic structures is that they stay as close to their original site as possible. Mr. Lovett(HDC) said that the HDC has discussed how diminished the Hosmer House already is, given how much of the structure has been eliminated. He is pleased with the notion that the porch might be built anew. Dawn McKenna, Tourism Committee Chair, said the Tourism Committee has discussed the Hosmer House at length over the years. She opposes spending funds to study reuse because good ideas have already been floated; she does support a site master plan, however. Ms. McKenna favors using Hosmer House as a headquarters for the many events held on the site. A landscaping plan are needed, however. Ms. McKenna recalled that Town Meeting previously voted not to demolish the building but to take off the parts of the structure that were imperiled. She feels there is already broad consensus among various groups, as demonstrated tonight, of how the building can be used in ways to further the Town's economic interests and create a gateway to the Center. She is opposed to moving the House from the site because of its history at that location and because of the $l.lm cost projection. Mr. Lucente (BOS) said, while he is not normally eager to spend money on consultants, doing so for this purpose would fit the Police Station construction timeline. He believes a lot of questions still need to be resolved. Ms. Ciccolo (BOS) agreed that technical expertise, such as what to do a 11/5/18 Joint BOS/HDC Page 4 of 4 about the foundation, is needed. Mr. Cronin (Facilities Director) said the design timeframe for the Police Station is mid-2019; no site work would be done until approximately April 2020. The design itself hinges on Police programmatic needs. Ms. Eccles (HDC) said the HDC envisions a master site plan. Ms. Chase (HDC) asked if the proposed $50,000 in STM Article 5 is enough to do what is being proposed. Mr. Malloy (Town Manager) said the article/motion is written broadly enough to cover the study; the scope of the study is what will dictate if$50,000 is sufficient. He believes the main question is where the House fits best on the property. Conceptual ideas of how the House would look and what uses it would be put to would also be priorities. Mr. Adams (HDC) asked that a creative, high-quality landscaping plan be part of the scope of the Hosmer House proposal. Mr. Cronin (Facilities Director) clarified that the current architect for the Police Station does not consider the Hosmer House as within his scope. Ms. Eccles (HDC) said including the whole parcel, and not focusing solely on the Hosmer House, might gain more public support since Hosmer House has been a perpetual Town Meeting topic that members may have wearied from. It was confirmed that the HDC's preference of the six options is that Hosmer House be moved closer to Massachusetts Avenue. Ms. Eccles (HDC) added that it should also function in a gateway capacity. Mr. Adelman (HDC) said that if the House ultimately cannot stay where it is, the new site should somehow retain the context and use of the original site. Mr. Connor (HDC) said the House should serve a prominent function and be an historic landmark. The HDC voted 8-0 to preferably keep the Hosmer House within the current site and to give the building meaning through public use. The HDC then voted 8-0 to adjourn. The Board of Selectmen took a 5-minute recess and resumed the Regular Session meeting at 8:18 P.M. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary