[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:00] Paul Vasquez and Danny. The city clerk will inform me when the reappointments will be made. As of now, the reappointment
[0:10] appointments are scheduled for December 20th. So you should receive a notification about the results
[0:19] or an invitation to the meeting, something to that effect to let you know what's going on. And you did remember
[0:25] to send something in writing, letting her, okay, well still send her something in writing
[0:30] to let her know that you want to continue serving on the board.
[0:34] Okay, who do I send to the city clerk?
[0:40] The annual report was sent to the state and I sent each of you a copy for your information.
[0:45] They have requested more information in the past, but it's a good thing.
[0:50] So that's been sent off for the city of the land.
[0:52] And then I wanted to mention that planning is underway for the city to host the joint Florida
[0:59] Trust for Historic Preservation slash Florida Main Street Conference in July of 2022.
[1:06] I did speak to someone that is on that committee and she said that they're excited about the
[1:13] thought of having that here.
[1:16] So as more information comes about I'll let you all know and what kind of involvement they may need for
[1:21] And that ends my updates.
[1:25] Mr. Chair.
[1:26] Yes.
[1:26] I'm going to say that is like a grand coup to get that event here in the land.
[1:33] And I think that we ought to have some events planned and something showing off our built environment.
[1:42] So, you know, because it is, you're getting people from all over the state.
[1:47] And it really is a time that we can show off what we have and show what our direction is being.
[1:58] Plus it's also very educational as a board member and as members of the public to actually attend some of these events,
[2:07] because they go get into a lot of details to what Secretary of Interior standards various ways to implement codes and so forth.
[2:16] various ways to write code maybe we don't have so I really encourage I'm very happy to see
[2:23] this coming to the land. Thank you. Did you want to do the special item before or after the
[2:33] we could do it afterwards? Okay and then the speaker card that I just received is that on this item
[2:39] the, we're talking, okay, thank you.
[2:42] Okay, we'll go to new business.
[2:50] COA21-208, which is alteration of the Putnam
[2:53] for Putnam estates.
[2:57] The applicant is Miles Beach of Miles Architectural Group
[3:00] Incorporated.
[3:01] The background for the property is,
[3:04] the property is located in the downtown historic district.
[3:07] The address is 225 West New York.
[3:10] It was built in 1923, and it has a carriage house in the rear that was built around 1939, I believe.
[3:21] The parcel size is 1.38 acres, land use is downtown commercial, and the zoning is also downtown commercial.
[3:28] And the existing use is a vacant hotel.
[3:33] As shown in the slide, the applicants goal is to convert existing hotel to one and two
[3:41] bedroom apartment units.
[3:53] The structure was built in 1923, replacing the old Putnam Inn, which burned in 1921.
[3:59] The architect, who designed it, was William J. Farbender, who was experienced in construction
[4:04] of fireproof buildings.
[4:05] The building has numerous levels and at this highest point could be described as seven stories tall.
[4:14] When originally built as a hotel, it is said to have contained 128 hotel rooms and based on earlier floor plans,
[4:22] it included a dining room or reception room, a cocktail lounge, kitchen and service space,
[4:28] with a service dining space, among other things that are required for a hotel.
[4:32] Throughout the years the building changed owners and it has undergone physical changes and the most recent
[4:40] occupancy which occurred somewhere around 2009 or 2010 was when the building was used as apartments
[4:47] and there were approximately 52 units as well as a nightclub and a restaurant occupying the first floor of the building.
[4:54] And from this slide, you can see where it says form or that is a depiction of the second floor.
[5:05] And as you can see, highlighted in yellow, those are the corridors that originally existed that allowed access into the individual units.
[5:16] And those, all of those spaces have been removed.
[5:18] So there's just a shell as described by the property appraisers.
[5:24] And the depiction on the right is generally
[5:28] what's proposed for the additional units.
[5:32] There is proposed a new point of access
[5:36] through the existing front courtyard.
[5:41] And as you can see, the units are configured
[5:45] a little differently than what they were originally.
[5:51] Okay, like I said, see that the owner prior to the current owner had plans to renovate
[5:56] the building for apartments after it's had vacant for a number of years during his ownership
[6:02] in 2018, the building experience of fire, which tested his claim of being fire proof.
[6:10] So thank God it passed.
[6:12] The historic preservation board granted approval for changes which included the addition of windows and so all of the existing windows were removed from the building that were approximately 118 that were removed and then the board also approved the addition of an elevator shaft along the rear of the building however that never took place so it was never constructed.
[6:39] The proposal that the new owner has is to convert the existing building to one and two
[6:45] bedroom apartments anticipating 64 units will be created and then doing so the following
[6:51] changes will be made to the exterior of the building.
[6:55] The addition of stairways and an access corridor within the front courtyard.
[7:00] And from this slide, you can see from where it says proposed building design highlighted in green.
[7:07] That is the new corridor that is proposed for the interior of the courtyard front courtyard to allow access to the individual units.
[7:19] Also, the proposal adds some upgrades to the front courtyard which includes a swimming pool.
[7:26] The addition of the building area on the north elevation, which is the rear and the courtyard area,
[7:33] you can see that that's highlighted toward the top of that slide where it says proposed building design.
[7:40] You'll see a slide in the later on that shows more detail.
[7:46] Also, the proposal includes the removal of rear emergency fire escapes.
[7:52] There is the removal of a tower type structure in the top, top right hand structure, the area highlighted in red.
[8:03] I'm not sure what that structure is, but that's proposed to be removed.
[8:07] And then also there's a replacement of tile awnings on the east and west elevation.
[8:14] And then also painting the building into the color scheme that match what is currently in place.
[8:22] Okay, additionally, there may be some minor changes to the building as the renovations go on to some of the windows, some of the windows may be aligned a little differently, but for the most part they will stay pretty much the same and as well some of the spaces that are currently doors may be converted to windows.
[8:45] I didn't look at this close enough to see which is which, but those are just some of the minor adjustments that it may also be made to the building in the future.
[8:55] Okay, I just wanted to say that because a major proportion of the interior of the building has been removed,
[9:01] the Florida building code classifies the work to be performed on the building as a level 3 alteration, which is described as alterations applied where the work exceeds 50% of the building area.
[9:13] And an ordinance 94-36, which established the Downtown Historic District in Section 3
[9:21] estates that, in addition to the general requirements of the city of Deland, land development
[9:28] regulations, when considering applications or proposal to alter or modify sites, sites
[9:35] buildings or structures within the historic district that historic preservation boards
[9:40] I'll apply the criteria set forth and the design guidelines for commercial buildings in downtown
[9:45] the land.
[9:47] So in your report, you will see a list of the elements that are required to be reviewed in
[9:54] order to make changes to this historic structure.
[9:57] The guidelines address individual elements such as awnings and canopies, surface preparation,
[10:03] painting and new construction and additions.
[10:05] The owner's have stated a willingness to follow the standards in order to maintain the historic integrity of the building while making the needed improvements to the building.
[10:17] The property also contains a building located in the rear of the property that was firmly used as offices and apartments.
[10:25] A structural engineer has provided documentation outlining evidence of foundation cracking and severe
[10:32] termite infestation, which all impact the structural integrity of the building.
[10:38] As a result of those findings, the chief building official has granted an issued an emergency
[10:43] demolition permit so that that building can be removed.
[10:46] The property will be required to go through a full site plan review by members of the
[10:55] our property address for the entire site that includes parking, storm water,
[11:00] landscaping, and things like that.
[11:04] Joel LeVro, who is the chief building official, is not able to be at the meeting,
[11:09] but he wanted to meet to express here tonight that he is happy with the progress
[11:15] that's being made and that has been made so far in a appreciative of the cooperation
[11:21] been received from the new owners and staff enthusiastically recommends a approval of this request.
[11:28] If you have any questions of me, I'll answer those and then the applicant is here as well.
[11:34] Okay. Question for staff? Well, I guess for staff on the enthusiastic recommendation,
[11:43] how do you justify the changes to the front elevation of the building given the U.S.
[11:52] Well, because of the changes, like I stated, the changes that have been made to the interior
[11:59] because of the amount of change over being over 50 percent.
[12:05] To put anything back in this bill is going to require some changes that impact the exterior.
[12:11] And with the removal of all of the corridors that were able to allow access to those individual units
[12:19] and then being totally gone, with a proposal that the applicant has made, they are suggesting
[12:27] that addition of those corridors in that front courtyard would be an option for, it would
[12:35] be their preferred option for making those things.
[12:37] It's an option, but is it an option that actually meets the Secretary of Interior Standards?
[12:42] I mean, this is a front elevation in which they're covering a basically two sides of the
[12:50] courtyard completely with architecture that kind of tries to mimic it, but it's just,
[12:59] you know, that's not what the standards are about.
[13:03] Most of the improvements on buildings like this would take place on the back, it's a choice
[13:10] is to wear where you want the call ways to be, where you want the elevators to be. I know
[13:20] I was very clear about this in their little preliminary time when it came to the board,
[13:27] but I'm still not seeing the standards being applied. And then I guess the next part of that
[13:34] if the standards aren't being applied, I guess I'm assuming they're forgoing the 20% tax credit.
[13:39] that's available from the federal government on this building.
[13:44] Go ahead.
[13:45] You're asking if they're requesting those 20%.
[13:49] In other words, is this going to go through another review process at the state level
[13:53] in order to be able to comply with the requirements of a tax credit of that nature?
[14:03] Well, that requires the state, that requires the state, and then the endorsement of the state.
[14:11] Well, we haven't specifically addressed whether or not the applicant is going to request
[14:16] that historic exemption, but you are correct if they do request it, it will have to go through
[14:22] that additional review.
[14:23] Keep in mind the reason that credits in place.
[14:25] Can I interrupt for a second?
[14:28] Let me remind us all this is a quasi-judicial hearing.
[14:31] And the issue before you as whether or not to issue a certificate of appropriateness.
[14:34] Certainly we have the guidelines which include the secretary of the interiors.
[14:39] Let me find a guy lines, but whether or not they're going to apply for a tax credit or
[14:45] a dissertation on what the purpose of the tax credit is for is just not the appropriate time.
[14:50] So let's get the evidence in from staff and any questions that you have about the evidence
[14:54] relating to that issue and plenty of time to make the comments later, but I want to stick to
[14:59] kind of the hearing process.
[15:00] Well, this all was related to how the Secretary of Interior Standards are applied, and they can be applied at a much stronger level at the state level than maybe we might apply in here in the land.
[15:14] But in any case, my observation is that that front elevation doesn't meet Secretary Standards period.
[15:23] Okay,
[15:27] well, yeah, I guess there are a number of options that could have been provided,
[15:33] but this is the one that the Architects show.
[15:36] And I do want to point out to that, one of the requirements state that when you make add an addition
[15:45] to, if this is your concern, when you add an addition to a historic structure, it should stand out
[15:53] so that you can determine just by visualizing it
[15:57] that has been in addition.
[15:59] So I believe that this proposal does meet that standard, too.
[16:07] I guess I was going to be my question for you.
[16:09] It was, you know, there's two access additions.
[16:13] It looks from the drawing anyway
[16:15] that they may have a different texture, pink color
[16:17] to accomplish exactly what you're talking about.
[16:22] There could be some more differentiation that's made in order to make it stand out more if that's what the board desires.
[16:32] I mean, I would rather not stand out more.
[16:36] I was just wondering, is there any chance that the front elevation that those could be turned into windows or shapes like the other windows?
[16:46] So when you're looking at the front of it,
[16:48] it actually looks less like something stuck on
[16:52] and looks more.
[16:53] I mean, that's obviously this needs to be here,
[16:57] obviously we want this building to be used
[17:01] and not sitting there vacant.
[17:02] And I get that there are things that we're gonna
[17:06] just have to suck up and deal with.
[17:08] I totally get that.
[17:10] This looks great.
[17:13] I think I mean, this is by far the closest we've gotten
[17:16] is something real and actually moving forward.
[17:20] The only thing that jumps out at me is the ends, the south elevation of the stairwells.
[17:28] If they could match the other windows, I feel like when you're looking at the building,
[17:33] you wouldn't notice them.
[17:35] Even though, I don't understand, it seems to me like you wouldn't want it to be obvious
[17:41] that there's something attached.
[17:43] And if those actually were windows like the rest of the building when you drive by it, you wouldn't even notice it.
[17:51] Well, let me jump in here, Mr. Chair, if I may.
[17:54] We have a hearing person.
[17:55] So let's do this for the rest of our time.
[17:58] If you have specific questions, not suggestions,
[18:03] but making her presentation ask her those factual questions.
[18:10] Then present what they want to present and you can ask questions.
[18:13] And then when we're done with all that,
[18:14] I'm answering our page and make a vote.
[18:18] They didn't all that good stuff.
[18:19] Thank you. Sounds good.
[18:21] Linda, are these open air stairwells?
[18:26] I believe they are.
[18:28] They're not enclosed air-conditioned space.
[18:30] No, no.
[18:34] Any other questions for staff?
[18:37] All right, thank you, Blanda.
[18:40] Would the applicant like to...
[18:43] Sure, come on up, thank you.
[18:49] I'm Miles Beach with Miles Architecture Group.
[18:52] So the question that you had regarding the stairwells,
[18:56] they're there for a couple of reasons,
[18:58] the existing stairwells,
[19:05] the existing stairwells, there are two, the fire escapes,
[19:09] and a set that are close to the center of the H.
[19:13] Those are the excess stairways.
[19:15] If you look at the end of the building,
[19:16] there's no way to get down.
[19:18] Since we have to meet current building codes,
[19:20] the fire marshal has indicated to us that he needs to have our exits
[19:24] so that we can't meet the code, be no more than 20 feet to a dead-in corridor.
[19:30] So we had to provide exits at the front of the building.
[19:33] If we were to put them in the center where the corridors are now,
[19:35] we'd be cutting holes through the middle of the building,
[19:37] which would compromise the structural integrity of the building,
[19:41] and be a lot more expensive.
[19:44] The owner has determined that to create hotel rooms that are the size of that
[19:49] with interior corridors, left a lot of the usable space
[19:53] to the building to circulation.
[19:57] So our goal was to bring the circulation to the outside
[20:00] and allow us to put a new stairwell on the front of the building,
[20:03] not because we wanted to, but because code is requiring
[20:05] that we do so.
[20:07] So if you, and then to address your question,
[20:11] specifically, of course, it doesn't work on it.
[20:13] But if you look at the existing building,
[20:15] which was done from a 3D scan that we had done,
[20:18] The first floor is a colon aid.
[20:20] It exists now.
[20:21] It existed back when it was built.
[20:23] This got columns that's open air with the roof.
[20:26] Our goal was to extend that colon aid element vertically.
[20:30] That's why it's addressed our contextually
[20:33] the same as the colon aid versus the interior windows.
[20:37] Because we basically take in the first floor element
[20:39] and just extend that that on up.
[20:41] Certainly it could be addressed to make it look more like
[20:44] It's part of the interior structure, versus an exterior structure, but to your point as well.
[20:52] We have to make it not necessarily, we have to differentiate the original historic building from that.
[20:56] So that was one way that we did that.
[20:59] And then the other issue was that the, you notice the difference in the color between that,
[21:04] that that's going to be intended to be a white stucco painted or painted similar,
[21:09] whereas the rest of it is a brick that's been painted.
[21:11] So there will be a differentiation in the materials as well, and then you'll also notice that on the back of the building is where we've done
[21:19] Any of the digital vertical circulations to get it away from the streets we have our elevators back there, another set of stairs
[21:26] And we're also proposing to do additional infill there to provide amenities and support spaces that will allow the building to function correctly.
[21:36] Okay,
[21:41] great. Thank you.
[21:46] So this is the building as it's currently and then has
[21:50] we wanted to take in portions of this. There's the circulation that we've added and then
[21:56] how we've been filled on the back side. You utilize the courtyard on the front to add
[22:00] an amenity pool. I'd be able to bring some life to the front of the building as people
[22:05] are driving by and also for the people that are living there. Proposed fitness area and then
[22:13] a walkway at the end. A couple of other items that aren't on here, but I do want to make you aware of,
[22:19] is that we are investigating some outdoor spaces either up on the roof towards the back of the building,
[22:26] primarily, and then on top of that courtyard, so you can see these two pateos off of the units right there.
[22:34] And then on the renderings are on the back, you can see an occupied space on the back as well.
[22:43] We're trying to keep the windows as much in the flavor of the original windows. Of course, we've got to meet Hurricane and the Kurd, you know,
[22:50] construction standards, but we tried to keep the, you know, the configuration of the windows and the look of the windows to be as close to the original as we could.
[22:59] Moving forward.
[23:03] I think that's about it.
[23:04] Questions?
[23:06] I have a question.
[23:07] I appreciate what you're trying to do and meeting the code so forth because I'm a general contractor and we deal with that all the time, too.
[23:16] With regard to the front elevation, I was talking about coming out past the front elevation.
[23:27] I think it's more problematic than had you stopped at the 20 feet that you need and then come down.
[23:34] So that you still would reveal that front elevation as it was.
[23:39] And I was wondering if had you considered that possibility because it's the 20-foot dead end
[23:45] carter that you're dealing with.
[23:47] That's a portion of it, but we've also got entrances into the proposed apartments.
[23:52] So, locating that stair back would eventually block one or one or two of those doorways.
[23:58] How long would it be if you were getting it to your front unit?
[24:02] I mean, is that that's more than 20 feet?
[24:08] Because, you know, part of the problem that I see besides just the fact that this level of work is being done to the front elevation is the fact that it's kind of dominant because of the way it's done and how it comes out further than the previous footprint.
[24:27] So I was trying to see if there was a way to mitigate that.
[24:32] I do think it doesn't need to be distinguished.
[24:35] Well, you know, respect to Danny.
[24:38] It's very clear in our charge that it should be differentiated.
[24:42] You should be able to look at that building and see that this is the original.
[24:46] And this was a later improvement.
[24:49] And so I appreciate the texture difference, the color differences, and things like that
[24:56] that you're going to try to meet the code.
[25:00] But I feel that bringing it out further is basically dominating the front elevation rather
[25:10] than exceeding it, even if it was just recessed enough to be able to do your staircase.
[25:18] back beyond behind the original, original structure, but I'll let other members comment
[25:33] questions.
[25:40] Thank you very much, appreciate it.
[25:42] Then we had a speaker that wanted to comment.
[25:46] On this item, or after.
[25:49] Yeah, welcome, come on up.
[25:59] I was just wondering,
[26:00] I know that the previous owner bought the house around the corner from, that's on Clara and
[26:08] I noticed the parking extends a little bit.
[26:12] I believe the parking just goes into the backyard of that house is your intention to
[26:17] tear that house down, okay, and is your intention to have any ingress and egress on Clara
[26:23] Avenue.
[26:26] Okay, and in the future, do you intend to tear the house down?
[26:30] You have lots of lip and just absorbing that bacteria for this one.
[26:36] Okay, and then what's going to do you all own that house now?
[26:46] Do this hang on.
[26:48] The people responding to the questions of the mic so we can pick it up.
[26:52] Get their name.
[26:53] And I really do want to kind of do this.
[27:00] Thank you.
[27:01] Yes, sir.
[27:01] Please take your name and address please.
[27:03] Good evening.
[27:04] And during all, 330 South Woodland Boulevard, resident of the area for 10 years, as a resident,
[27:12] I couldn't be happier with the dialogue and the presentation that I've seen from staff
[27:19] and from a developer, with an own reputation nationally to choose to come to our community.
[27:26] Because we have reputable staff, we have a quality product, we have wonderful outlook
[27:33] on the rise and over the rise and where we're going, and I couldn't be in more support
[27:38] of what's happening, and that's all I wanted to say, I'm not going to get into the color,
[27:43] the texture, are we coming off from the leaf too far, are we getting, that's a dialogue
[27:49] that seems to be very healthy in how it's developing, and I'm grateful as a citizen to see
[27:55] it happen, and I think this is, I wish the developer, you know, Godspeed and God send them on
[28:01] So that's why we want to share with you.
[28:03] Awesome.
[28:04] Thank you very much.
[28:08] Mr. Chair, I have a question for staff, because also looking at the front parking lot,
[28:16] has there been any dialogue as there has been in the past about CRA participation and possible
[28:26] city and county participation and shared parking in order to have less asphalt in the front
[28:33] this building? There was, it's part of our master plan, the CRA master plan going back to 2005.
[28:42] I think it was. I don't think there have been discussions to that extent. There had been a
[28:48] little bit of dialogue about the possibility of utilizing some space on the rear because the
[28:54] the county is restructuring parking that's behind this property. So, you know, there was some
[29:01] initial thought about, you know, the possibility of shared parking there, but we haven't explored
[29:07] that any further.
[29:08] Because, you know, at the time that I was talking about the underutilization of the county
[29:16] building, which I think is city or whatever, next door, was a possibility of a shared use
[29:22] that they're being the one to the what for records or whatever you know but you know the
[29:30] the idea is that this is such a public has such a public presence is right across from city
[29:36] hall and it seems ashamed to devote most of it to parking when parking is equal distant away
[29:44] publicly owned. So both in both directions, Western and North. So, you know, it just,
[29:53] it seems that this will be an opportunity for the public to participate in a system.
[30:00] The building owner to create less asphalt and more green.
[30:07] And as I stated, they will go through the site plan process and parking is one of the major elements
[30:13] that discuss during that process. So that that would be a great opportunity to discuss those issues that you brought up.
[30:33] Thank you, Aaron.
[30:34] Alan, Mr. He had a question for Blender before we, and by next gentleman out.
[30:41] Yes, sir. Come on up. Thank you.
[30:43] That's okay. We can, we can, we can be in the roles.
[30:49] My name is Brian O'Sullivan. I live on West, West,
[30:53] Constant of three blocks from the structure or what's left of the structure.
[30:58] I'm an attorney who moved up here five years ago from Boca,
[31:00] retones, specifically because I love the small town flavor of the land.
[31:04] and still do. But I just wanted to make this comment on it. I know it is not exactly
[31:10] German, according to the city attorney, as to what we're speaking about. This lady's
[31:14] comment was well-faken. Why would we want, right now, presently, it's a terrible ice sore,
[31:21] and we have all that traffic going down 40 seeing this thing. And they really don't penetrate
[31:26] the interior of the town. Why should we have our town thought of in that regard of this
[31:30] Crippet Old Building. Here's an opportunity to have a beautiful structure and why, in
[31:36] guys' name, would we want to have the old stand out from the new, so it's some sort
[31:40] of hodgepodge of old pretty architecture with new, pretty architecture. It seems to me to
[31:46] be the exact opposite of what you would want. It should be a nice homogeneous, attractive
[31:50] looking building that used to be, most of it, a part of it, the old Putnam and had great
[31:56] memories, but time marches on.
[31:59] Now, closing, Boko Ritong, where I came from,
[32:01] had the strictest rule for green versus parking,
[32:06] and you couldn't build a property in Boko Ritong
[32:09] with signs higher than a certain height.
[32:12] McDonald's was forced to have theirs taken down
[32:14] and all of the little stores, and whatnot.
[32:17] They were crazy about beautification,
[32:18] but they had a formula, and I don't know what I used to know it.
[32:22] As to how much green we had to be placed
[32:24] in so much square footage of parking space, and when you go down there, and this is not too
[32:29] the old towns. Well, like I said, I am feeling there, there are praises, but
[32:34] every parking lot you saw even if it accommodated great many cars was done nicely with
[32:39] interspersed greenery and trees and done well, so it can be done, but let's not make the front,
[32:45] the new park red and the old park gray and all of this kind of weirdness. Thank you for your
[32:49] I'm sorry, I appreciate it.
[32:53] Is there anybody else that would wish to speak to the project for we discuss thoughts, comments?
[33:04] You know, I think that just from my point of view to my fellow board members, you know,
[33:10] we've been looking at this building a long time.
[33:13] We're now on the third group that is coming forward.
[33:17] I don't think that at least for myself that I ever saw it getting finished without some modifications
[33:23] to make it economically viable and I think we've got an opportunity here with from what
[33:30] staff is telling us and from what we've heard that we've got people ready, willing and able
[33:34] to make it happen and even making some adjustments that perhaps from a historical perspective
[33:42] aren't on our dream list, I think that making those adjustments to make something like this work
[33:48] is absolutely something I'm in favor of anyone and I think the product looks phenomenal.
[33:56] So that's my thought.
[33:59] Go ahead.
[34:00] You mentioned financial viability and things like that and that's one of the reasons I brought
[34:06] up the tax credit. It's a million to two million dollars on this building. Okay. That's a huge
[34:13] thing. The question is, and that's why I asked it. I don't know if the applicants here
[34:19] or not, but the reason I asked it is because if we prove this as it is right now, there's a
[34:27] really good chance that that 20% is not achievable. Whereas with some mitigating design changes,
[34:36] not serious design changes, just mitigating design changes, that would be a good possibility.
[34:44] And you know, I would like no matter what happens here tonight, I'd like the Apple can
[34:48] to look at that possibility and see what is feasible because unfortunately, I can't support
[34:56] it because I know that U.S. Secretary Tiers Sanders and this doesn't meet it at the moment,
[35:05] it could be tweaked, but it doesn't, and I think I'd be failing in my job being in this profession,
[35:12] doing historic preservation work, that it would be wrong with me to approve it as it sits.
[35:21] Open to it, and I'm open to it. I'm open to it, and I'm open to it. I sure hope this thing gets done
[35:26] in one way or another so that we can restore that building the way it should. But I can't,
[35:32] I can't support it as it said, but I sure hope we do at some point have a successful project here.
[35:40] And I certainly, and I appreciate that, and I, you know, a totally agree with you.
[35:44] But I'm going to go on a limb and say that if they're money and if they're willing to forego, whatever tax credits are needed.
[35:52] No, but I'm just saying that that's just another tool in the toolbox of historic preservation.
[35:57] That should be their choice.
[35:58] But yeah, but what should not be their choice
[36:01] is whether something meets the Secretary of the Terror
[36:04] Sanders or not.
[36:05] You know, if we can give it a pass, and apparently,
[36:09] I'm in the minority here about giving that a pass.
[36:11] But if you talk to any historic preservation professional,
[36:16] three out of four of them at least will say,
[36:19] no, this does not meet the Secretary's standards.
[36:22] And that's our law.
[36:24] So, you know, being, like I said, being a professional in that particular area, I can't support it as it sits, and like I said, I would be open to mitigating things, but I just can't, you know, I just can't do that professionally.
[36:41] I'm just a comments or discussion.
[36:48] Mr. Chair, remember you need to have a motion.
[36:50] I'm just free wheel and here it is.
[36:58] Would you like a motion?
[37:00] I would love a motion.
[37:02] Then I moved that we accept the proposed alterations to the Putnam building in hopes of renovating
[37:09] it with the successful adaptive reuse.
[37:13] A second.
[37:14] I have a motion and I have a second for their discussion.
[37:18] All right, all in favor.
[37:21] Hi.
[37:21] Hi.
[37:22] And you opposed?
[37:24] Yes.
[37:24] Okay.
[37:25] Three to one.
[37:26] It passes.
[37:27] Good luck gentlemen.
[37:28] Looking forward to seeing that thing completed.
[37:35] And then
[37:50] we got a question for our city attorney.
[37:53] As much as I hate to ask this, does it have to be a majority of the entire board or just
[37:58] who's attending tonight?
[38:03] In order, you've talked about what we just did?
[38:05] Yeah.
[38:06] Yeah, you have to have a quorum to take any action, what you do, and then of the quorum present in voting, you must have a simple majority, which
[38:12] Okay, based upon my math.
[38:14] Okay.
[38:15] Thank you.
[38:16] Yeah.
[38:20] All right.
[38:20] Blender.
[38:21] We had another item.
[38:24] Um.
[38:26] Bar.
[38:27] Bar.
[38:27] Flores you?
[38:32] Can I just ask a quick question, Belinda?
[38:34] Yes.
[38:35] Go ahead, Bar.
[38:36] I just, the, um, are you asking the board to vote on something tonight?
[38:40] No.
[38:41] You just talk.
[38:42] She just wanted to introduce her.
[38:57] I'm good.
[38:57] I'm good.
[38:58] I'm good.
[38:58] I'm good.
[39:02] I'm just moving the little wheel.
[39:08] Gotta get the technology down here.
[39:11] My name is Barb Shepherd.
[39:14] I'm live at 112 West New York Avenue, Sweet 209, just down the street.
[39:19] And we are not here for a vote of any kind.
[39:23] We're just kind of here to share some excitement with you.
[39:26] I want to introduce in the audience my architect Amanda Lamir and my husband Jeff Shepard
[39:34] part of our team and we think our other architecture Nando Gomez listening online.
[39:43] So as you have seen guys, I'm gonna be your neighbor.
[39:49] I'm not gonna stay and hear about this. Okay, all right, okay, okay. Okay, so
[39:56] As you have seen around downtown Deland, it is not always easy to figure out how to use the second floor spaces in a way that justifies the investment to bring them up to code and so on.
[40:12] So, we are excited after six years of vacancy, six, seven, to have come up with a plan
[40:23] for the second floor of our building at 120 and a half West New York Avenue that we
[40:31] think will work and respects the integrity and we just kind of wanted to preview that with
[40:36] all and share that with you. I don't know.
[40:43] Ultimately we may be coming for a COA, maybe
[40:48] about the entry door, but I don't know what else the historic board might be involved in here.
[40:55] But okay, I'll just go through this really quickly.
[41:01] Okay, there we go. Okay. Got it.
[41:05] Okay, so this second story space, which is kind of highlighted there in red, has been a
[41:12] part of downtown Delan's architectural landscapes since 1923.
[41:20] Oops.
[41:23] Like many of downtown Delan's buildings, it is a sand brick building, and it's interesting
[41:30] at Conrad Realty Company, which I represent and which owns this building and the bond
[41:40] company of Lake Helen, actually, as I was looking into some of the history, probably
[41:46] provided most of the materials for the building of downtown Deland.
[41:52] This photograph is from a collection of Sandbrook that I actually have on the property because
[42:00] Sandbrook is not, you can't go get a replacement at Lose.
[42:06] If you lose a Sandbrook or you need to repair a Replace the Sandbrook, it's really great if
[42:12] you have one on hand, so we do.
[42:15] So it's that Sandbrook building.
[42:19] This space is somewhat extraordinary.
[42:21] It's 2,483 square feet with 28 windows lining the perimeter, and the windows that overlook New York Avenue
[42:33] Looked out onto the beautiful historic courthouse. So it's a very very special space and one of our conundrums
[42:42] Amanda's been through this
[42:45] It was how to preserve as much of that beautiful light and
[42:51] And still make this space usable in a way that could offer some return on our investment.
[43:00] Also of note is that this two-story section of the building is part of a larger building,
[43:09] totaling about 7,366 square feet.
[43:14] The one-story portion in the back, you may know as Nest, Blake Elliott Salon, and the back part of the Plexus uniform shop.
[43:28] So it's a building that has both two-story and one-story elements.
[43:35] I
[43:40] just love this 1924 story and the Delan daily news that announces the opening of the
[43:49] Conrad Realti company and insurance company in this particular building and the quote on the right
[43:59] In keeping with Conrad policy it will be thoroughly modern in every detail and likely of brick construction
[44:07] And as you know, our family members make the bricks.
[44:12] Also, I thought it was interesting that the Jasper fruit store
[44:16] was on the first floor, where a loom laser spot is today.
[44:24] And then this city directory, Jeff, worked with the West
[44:28] Felicia Historical Society to get what documentation we
[44:31] could about this building.
[44:33] And this city directory page showed that the second floor
[44:37] when this building opened were the woodmen of the world and the Christian science society.
[44:46] That was kind of cool.
[44:52] In 1982, in keeping with the fashions of the times,
[44:57] this second.
[45:00] Second story space was remodeled, renovated for use. And a lot of what was very special about it during that time, no offense to the
[45:29] by four in paneling and created this warren of little offices which is how the space was used
[45:38] for many years.
[45:44] So our hope in building a bed and breakfast on this second floor is that we can
[45:51] honor this historic integrity of the space and once again welcome the public up there to look
[46:00] out over at the courthouse and to enjoy this space and what is very special about it.
[46:09] This is our actual kind of schematic floor plan that Amanda has created, you know, it says
[46:15] option 6.
[46:17] There's been a lot of deliberation, but our goals here were to preserve the openness of
[46:24] space and yet again to try to create some sort of economic reality up there.
[46:34] So we just wanted to share that with you.
[46:36] It's not, again, not an item for y'all to vote on, just something that we wanted to share
[46:43] because we know a lot of building property owners in downtown Deland are struggling to figure
[46:49] how to use their second story spaces and we would welcome any suggestions you have about
[46:56] how we can do this in a way that, you know, accomplishes our goals of preserving downtown
[47:04] Delan's history. And man, did you want to say anything?
[47:11] Yeah. Yes. Thank you.
[47:17] Well, I would be, I'm not qualified to advise you because you've done such a fantastic job on
[47:24] everything that you've done down there. So I think that looks like a fantastic plan. My only
[47:29] question is how close to that 1924 budget of 30,000 are you going to be?
[47:39] Multiple of.
[47:40] Yeah.
[47:41] We're sort of in case anybody knows one we need that we need a plumber because
[47:47] a parent that's the big ticket item here.
[47:51] I know a plumber.
[47:52] Do you do know plumber?
[47:54] Okay.
[47:54] I'll talk to you after the meeting.
[47:57] Now, it's not going to be 30,000 in a upgrade, and that was from ground up.
[48:02] Right, exactly.
[48:04] Yeah.
[48:04] I guess, again, on the incentives side, you might want to analyze how much that the property
[48:11] appraiser might raise your assessment because you are obviously eligible for the tax exemption
[48:21] of up to 10 years for that increase of all the work that you're putting in.
[48:27] So that's a good local thing both city and land and Felicia County.
[48:35] And basically,
[48:39] when you improve a building, if your improvements would raise your assessment by 25% or more,
[48:46] Then you would come to the board with if you'd need to do a COI or even if you didn't,
[48:51] you'd come to the board and ask for a tax exemption for the work that you're doing.
[48:58] And so what will happen is that there would be a value established for that work.
[49:03] And that would be just like, you know, like your home state exemption thing.
[49:07] There'd be another exemption.
[49:09] And mine is $17980,000 on stone street, so, and that's both on city taxes and on county
[49:19] taxes.
[49:21] Very interesting.
[49:22] Charles, I think.
[49:22] I don't know about it, but actually, no, it is a type of incentive that makes it quite
[49:30] worthwhile, especially when you're doing things that are out of the ordinary and you certainly
[49:35] are.
[49:35] And I think you ought to be beneficial to you financially as well.
[49:43] And then the other thing is any, you might look into the tax credit issue too.
[49:48] As far, if you need a tax credit, you have to need the tax credit to be able to use it.
[49:54] Like I'm sure the button people might have.
[49:58] Charles, can we discuss this at another time and not during the meeting?
[50:02] Do we not want to discuss the incentives that we have for a star preservation?
[50:06] We don't have to do it on the record.
[50:08] Why not?
[50:10] There's no reason not to do our incentive program on the record.
[50:13] We want to hide it?
[50:15] No.
[50:16] She's not bringing any particular issue before us.
[50:20] So you can tell her at least.
[50:21] We're bringing this issue because we have knowledge.
[50:26] We're bringing this to her and the public as to what is available for her.
[50:32] for people who preserve historic buildings.
[50:34] And I think that should be on the record loud
[50:36] and clear and shout it out to the rest of the city.
[50:39] Thank you.
[50:40] Thank you.
[50:42] Well, thank you very much, Barbara.
[50:44] I wish you a good luck on that.
[50:46] I appreciate it very much.
[50:47] And thank you for your time tonight to hear.
[50:49] And thanks for all the advice you can offer.
[50:53] And reach out to Charles, he was successful in doing that.
[50:57] So that's not a good resource.
[50:59] All right, thank you.
[51:00] Thanks, Felenda, for your help, too.
[51:05] Linda, do we have anything else to go over?
[51:09] That was it. There's one more thing I would like to share if, well, actually, I want Mike to share it.
[51:17] He doesn't mind.
[51:21] What happened to you this morning?
[51:25] I became a granddad this morning. So, congratulations, all right. I didn't do a whole lot, but I
[51:31] I was just excited. I wanted to say it, but I'd rather have him say it. I wanted to say congratulations.
[51:40] Absolutely. Congratulations.
[51:43] I'll pass it all.
[51:46] Well, that was an exciting end to our year of historic preservation board work, though.
[51:51] I wish everybody happy holidays Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
[51:56] Meeting adjourned.
[53:12] But that is what the real thing is.
[53:23] Yeah.
[53:23] Why is it so?
[53:29] Why should I call you?
[53:30] Why should I call you?
[53:31] I think it's very simple because you have great holiday.
[53:34] If I don't see you.
[53:34] I don't know.
[53:36] I don't know.
[53:36] So, where do you go?
[53:39] Yeah, no brain.
[53:40] No, it's really, uh.
[53:42] I don't know.
[54:05] Thank you guys.
[54:09] Yeah, absolutely. I'm excited to see what's in it.
[54:11] Yeah.
[54:13] Yeah.
[54:13] Before I get out of this car, I see that building.
[54:17] But then it's building and they love the architecture.
[54:20] But it's the same.