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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2/17/2002 - Landmark Commission l r • THE CITY OF MCHENRY LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 17, 2002 THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 1:14 PM BY CHAIRPERSON GREG LOFGREN AT THE HOME OF DAWN JOHNSON. MEMBERS PRESENT INCLUDED: JUDY FRANKS, KAREN JAMES, MERLE JANSSEN, DAWN JOHNSON, SUE KOTOMSKI, GREG LOFGREN, PAT SCHAFER, GRETCHEN THOMAS, SHELLY TROST, ILENE WIEDEMANN, AND LORI WILHELM. MEMBERS ABSENT: NONE GUEST PRESENT: SUE HENDRICKSON AND MARYA DIXON. NO MINUTES WERE READ OR TREASURER'S REPORT AS THIS WAS A SPECIAL MEETING CONCERNING ITEMS FROM THE FEBRUARY 5, 2002 MEETING. THE BACKHAUS PROPERTY WAS THE FIRST ITEM BEFORE THE COMMISSION. A MOTION WAS MADE BY GRTCHEN THOMAS FOR THE COMMISSION NOT TO PURSUE PARTIES INTERESTED IN MOVING THE RESIDENCE FROM THE BACKHAUS PROPERTY. THE MOTION WAS SECONDED BY PAT SCHAFER. SHELLY TROST INFORMED THE COMMISSION MEMBERS OF THE COMPLEXITIES INVOLVED WITH THE POSSIBLE MOVING PROCESS. MR. BACKHAUS WOULD HAVE TO BE THE CONTACT PERSON AND THEN REFER INTERESTED PARTIES TO THE COMMISSION OR THE CITY. THERE WAS SOME QUESTION AS TO THE SELLING VS. GIVING THE PROPERTY IN TERMS OF LEGALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY. THE TIME FRAME IS TIGHT WITH MANY COMPLEXITIES. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. THE COMMISSION MEMBERS SUGGESTED REALTORS BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS IF FUTURE PROPERTIES ARE DONATED. GREG WILL ALSO MEET WITH THE MAYOR TO TRY TO DRAFT A PROCEDURE FOR DONATED PROPERTY. GREG INFORMED THE COMMISSION THAT THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2002 AT 7:00 PM WAS SET FOR THE OPEN HOUSE ON THE NOMINATION OF THE MAIN STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT. THE PUBLIC HEARING WILL SET FOR MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2002 AT 6:30 PM. AT THE MARCH 5 MEETING THE COMMISSION WILL MAKE ASSIGNMENTS FOR RESPONSIBILITIES BEFORE AND AT THE OPEN HOUSE. GREG INTRODUCED THE TOPIC OF THE TIF DISTRICT AND THE COMMISSION'S CONCERN ABOUT THE PROPOSED HISTORIC DISTRICT. GREG, PAT, AND SHELLY REVIEWED THE FEBRUARY 14, 2002 MEETING WITH THE MAYOR, CITY ADMINISTRATOR, JOHN LOBAITO, AND CITY PLANNERS, JOE NAPOLITANO AND DOUG MARTIN. SHELLY PRESENTED THE EVIDENCE THAT HAD BEEN GATHERED CONCERNING TIF AND HISTORIC DISTRICTS WORKING TOGETHER. THE MAYOR BRIEFLY LOOKED OVER THE SHEET OF PAPER AND MADE ONE BRIEF COMMENT THAT SHE COULD "DO THIS" REFERRING TO THE CITY OF GENEVA REFERENCE WHERE THE TIF WAS IN PLACE FIRST AND THE HISTORIC DISTRICT WAS OVERLAYED SEVERAL YEARS LATER. THE MAYOR'S IDEAS CONCERNING THE TIF DISTRICT WERE DISCUSSED. SHE STATED THAT MUCH OF THE TIF PERCEPTION IS NOT WRITTEN DOWN. SHE STATED IT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN AND MAYBE IDEAS HAVE NOT BEEN PRESENTED WELL. THE MAYOR ENVISIONS A CERTAIN TYPE OF ZONING HOPING FOR THE PROTECTION OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES. CITY PLANNER, JOE NAPOLITANO, STATED THE MAYOR'S ZONING IDEA WOULD NOT WORK AND THE BEST WAY TO ACCOMPLISH PRESERVATION WAS THROUGH THE ORDINANCE. THE LETTER WRITTEN AND PRESENTED BY NANCY FIKE WAS DISCUSSED. CHAIRMAN LOFGREN STATED THAT THERE WERE TWO WAYS TO LOOK AT THESE DIFFICULTIES, HARD-LINE OR AS AN ADVISORY BODY. HE STATED THAT THE HARD-LINE WOULD PROBABLY PRODUCE A POOR WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR AND PROBABLY VERY LITTLE SUPPORT FOR FUTURE EFFORTS. THE SECOND APPROACH WOULD BE AS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS AN ADVISORY BODY TO THE CITY COUNCIL. DISCUSSION CONTINUED FROM OTHER MEMBERS. GRETCHEN THOMAS MOVED: AS AN ADVISORY BODY TO THE CITY COUNCIL THE INTENTION OF THE LANDMARK COMMISSION IS TO WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING THE PROPOSED TIF DISTRICT. THE COMMISSION PROPOSES ITS INTENTION TO ASK THE COUNCIL TO PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL MAIN STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT BOUNDARIES (NORTH AND SOUTH SIDES OF WAUKEGAN ROAD, MAIN STREET AND JOHN STREET BETWEEN CRYSTAL LAKE ROAD TO THE EAST END OF WAUKEGAN ROAD ENDING WITH THE LAST HOUSE ON THE SOUTH SIDE), WHICH WILL OVERLAY WITH THE PROPOSED TIF DISTRICT. THE COMMISSION'S RESEARCH SHOWS A PREPONDERANCE OF EVIDENCE THAT TIF AND HISTORIC DISTRICTS WORK IN CONJUNCTION FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ECONOMIC, AESTHETIC, AND HISTORIC BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY. PAT SCHAFER SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. IT WAS DECIDED TO FORM A COMMITTEE TO COMPILE A PACKET TO SEND TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. THE PACKET WOULD CONTAIN OUR MOTION, RESEARCH CONCERNING TIF AND HISTORIC DISTRICTS, MAPS OF THE PROPOSED DISTRICTS, AND WEBSITES AND PEOPLE TO CONTACT. IT WOULD BE PRESENTED AS AN ADVISORY STATEMENT FROM THE COMMISSION. GREG PASSED OUT ENLARGED MAPS BY SECTION OF THE PROPOSED TIF DISTRICT. MEMBERS NEED TO MARK WHICH STRUCTURES TO SAVE AND BE READY TO REPORT AT THE MARCH 5, 2002 MEETING. IT WAS ALSO DECIDED THAT MEMBERS SHOULD GET COPIES OF COUNCIL AGENDAS BEFORE THE MEETING. ALSO, MEMBERS SHOULD START ATTENDING COUNCIL MEETINGS ON A ROTATING BASIS. PAT SCHAFER MOVED FOR ADJOURNMENT, DAWN JOHNSON SECONDED THE MOTION, THE MOTION PASSED AND THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 2:57 PM.