 Welcome to the Monday, May the 1st, 2023 meeting of the Montpelier Design and Review Committee. At this point, we'll let members and staff introduce themselves. Benjamin Cheney, member. Meredith Crandall, staff. Steven Everett, member. Martha Smirsky, member. Liz Pritchett, member. At this point, we'll let Meredith review the remote meeting procedures and process. So we just have Liz on remotely tonight, but I need to do this for people who are potentially watching via Orca Media. So just make sure I check correctly. It is all right. So for anyone who is watching tonight's design review committee meeting via Orca Media, you can participate in tonight's discussion via the Zoom platform, either through video or telephone access options. To join the Zoom meeting on your computer or your phone, you can plug your, well, your Internet-capable phone. 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You can raise your hand with either the little raise hand button or by doing so if you're on video and we will let you know when it's sacred to talk. In the event the public is unable to access tonight's meeting, it will need to be continued to a time and place certain. Thank you and I will hand this over to the chair. At this point, do I hear a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. I'll second it. All in favor of the agenda, speak your names. Ben. Martha. Steve. Yes. OK, agenda is approved. Unless anybody has anything to add at this point, we can go to the first application for 28th State Street, Overlake Park, applicant Brian Lewis. I'm assuming you're Brian. Come forward and describe your sign force. The projection sign, that's 24 inches in diameter. So with the yellow mustard logo on it and a red metal rim using preexisting holes to be mounted. Brian, we talked earlier about the fact that it's already up there. Yeah, my apologies. No, we understand where you're coming from. No. And in the future, as stated, I'll make sure the paperwork's in prior to anything else happening. OK, thank you. Yeah. It looks good to me. And actually, the physical thing looks good to me, too. Yeah, the gentleman who did it, Gary Blodgett, is a super talented sign maker. He does all of the signs for the local mountains. And he's a really fantastic fabricator. The microphone. Did you hear that? The gentleman, Gary Blodgett, who made the sign, is a he's just a talented artist and fabricator out of Huntington, Vermont. Where's his shop? In Huntington, Vermont. It's called Colorshack. He builds custom motorcycles and he redid the gondola for Stowe this year. And he does all of the trophies for World Cup Racing and all different stuff. He's just a really cool guy. Yeah. Surprising talent tucked away on the hills of Vermont. Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, I found him when I had my motorcycle painted. I was recommended to him and we've been friends ever since. So, yeah. Good. Does anybody have any comments, questions, suggestions about the sign? Nope. This is Blizz. I think it looks great. I love your logo. Yes. Thank you. Very nicely done. Thank you. I think you're welcome. You're welcome. Thank you. Good. You should back up. Yeah. Yeah. I'm glad everyone likes it. That's why we need a live participants here. There's a set of criteria that I just am going to read through very quickly regarding the sign. The size, location, design, color, texture, lighting, and material of all exterior signs within the design review overly district should be compatible with the buildings and structures of the site and surrounding properties. Acceptable. Where appropriate, signing shall respect the original sign placement and sign bands on historic structures. The overhanging is fine at this location. If a building has multiple tenants, there shall be consistency in placement and size among all signs. Acceptable. It is recommended that sign placement be centered over building entrances. In this case, this one is acceptable. Sign installation shall minimize damage to character defining materials on the building. And again, it's acceptable. You're using existing mounting holes in the building. In masonry buildings, fast centers shall be in the mortar joints. I'm assuming it looks like it's already there at this location. Sign design, color, and typography shall respect historic precedents where appropriate and shall be the appropriate scale for existing and new buildings acceptable. Sign support structures shall be compatible with the building architecture and must not only and must not be overly complex or dominant in and of themselves acceptable. Those are all the criteria that apply, all in favor of the sign as applied for. Speak your names. Ben. Martha, I'm a yes. Steve says yes. Yes, yes. So the sign is approved. Great. Thank you very much. So Will, do you want us to just now permit to you? You probably don't need to brush over and pick up that. That would be fantastic. And as long as we're here, there's a signature that you can enter on the bottom right below my name. Great. What's the sign designer's name again? Gary Blodger. OK. I always like to know good resources like that. Super talented guy. Thank you. And good luck with the sign and the. And a few weeks probably for the bill about your sign. So. Awesome. And anything else that you want to do on the outside, if you're just fixing the railing and having it stay as it looks the same, that doesn't need a permit. If you said tweak the railing, that might come back. What's been broken, the hanging rod, and there's four missing rods. We'll just have those replaced by the same people who built the, which is yours. What's that? Which is me. That's you. That's me. That's me. That's me. That's me. What's that? Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you as well. That's a little. That's a sub promotion here. I mean, he doesn't look exactly thrilled that he has to fix it. They were all busted out. But yes, we'll fix it. Cool. Thank you. And it's nice to meet you as well. We'll see you again soon. Thank you. And we can go to the next application for 100 Main Street. City Line Realty, applicant Wes Hamilton. Welcome, Wes. Are you part of City Line or is that? Good Lord, no. No. That was good. That would be my brand new landlord. Oh, I'm sure the city is familiar with. Yes. Overland Park. I would only assume he's many, many people. Yeah. No, our application is for a Parklet. Yes. Yeah, this is just as a reminder to the design review committee. The city adopted a revised Parklet ordinance. That took effect for this season during COVID. They basically waived the normal review processes that had been put into effect when the Parklets first started. And then they, they waived those. So none of these were going through the design review process or really any process, not even river hazard process over the last couple of years. And now with the new ordinance going into effect, even ones that had gotten approval pre COVID had to go back through the process. Now at this point. It won't come back through design review committee. Even if West reapplies at the, the like three year renewal period, unless there's a design change to the Parklet or the design review regulations change. Okay. Well, what will happen is it'll come into the planning department. We'll check the rules. We'll check the approvals. If. Those are all still the same. We'll just do a checkbox that goes up to the city manager's office. So that we're, what we're doing here is for three years. We're going to have to do that. We're going to have to do that. We're going to have to do that. We're going to have to do that. We're going to have to do that. We're going to have to do that potentially more. Right. If the design doesn't change and the design review regulations don't change, it'll be just sort of an administrative review through the planning department. So that you guys don't have to keep seeing it over and over again, even if West has to get a new. Well, Parklet permit at three years. Yeah, I appreciate that. Cause I was. I was like, am I going to have to do this every year? Which is not that I mind seeing you all, but you know, I don't have a regular year list. So there'll be some, I think administrative paperwork aspects through the manager's office. But you won't necessarily come here, especially if it's. Unless we change our design. The regulations change. That's great. You'll come back through in three years. I appreciate that. Is there anything that's changed from this year to last year? No, and I just, um, no, nothing and I would assume at this point, the part that we've been doing in the past several years, you're all presumably familiar with, um, And, you know, when we put it together, I worked closely with Bill Frasier, as well as at the time he had put me in the loop with somebody who I don't remember their name from the public works, you know, because that was high on my mind in COVID times when it was like do whatever the heck you want, I was like, well, but I'm only going to do this once. Yeah. So, yeah, hopefully everything looks good to you because I intentionally worked closely with them a few years ago to make it make sense, you know, for everybody's needs. I just was asking if there was anything that's changed. No, we've never had a problem with it. Yeah, no, it's there. You guys did a nice job with it. Yeah, thank you. No, there's that's we wanted to keep putting that in and you were smart because if you do it right once that, well, that's that's in a theory. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, keep reusing it. Absolutely. Yeah. Yours is one of the sturdiest ones we have seen downtown. Yeah. Well, I mean, again, we I appreciate that feedback and, you know, that again, from from the beginning, it was like, let's do it right the first time and never do this ever again. What's become very popular about your your lighting is the same, right? The lighting is the same. Yeah, it's just the the the rope lighting that we that we run around it. Yeah. So so we're all familiar with it. We live through it. I would. I would think so. Yeah. Well, it's nice to add that many extra seats to your business. Well, I think so. Our kitchen at times doesn't necessarily agree. But but yeah, it's it's it's turned into an actually crucial part of our business that that's, you know, the difference, you know, I mean, we this is kind of a little bit of field, but, you know, in a different world or maybe if we were a little closer to a coast, we would be closed for six months through the winter and then start back up for the busy season because we just leave money all winter and then we put that parklet out and we recover everything and and hopefully put enough in the bank to make it through the winter. And now we're just in the cycle of just repeat that. So yeah, yeah. Good. It's nice boost. It's been absolutely fantastic for us. Good. Good. Good. Yeah. Anybody have any comments, questions, suggestions? And I'll go through the criteria for the project for the parklet. There's just a few that are by most of them. Yes. Be not applicable. Exterior design and materials of new construction or alterations of existing buildings will be consistent and compatible with the characteristics of the existing building or other properties. And again, new construction will be considered to be compatible if the materials used possess a kind or type that are appropriate to the district. Materials selected shall fit the neighborhood context of the proposed building and or reflect the nature and use of the structure acceptable. Location and appearance of all utilities, mechanical equipment, trash storage, fencing shall be cited to minimize adverse visual impact or adequately and appropriately screened from public view acceptable. Outdoor lighting fixtures, structural design of outdoor lighting fixtures shall be compatible with the architectural design and function of the building and compatible with the neighborhood acceptable. Landscaping, screening and site furnishings projects within the design review district and subject to the landscaping requirements in section thirty two or three shall consider the following site furnishings, including fencing, seating and other types of site furniture visible from the street or side yards. This landscaping obscure or undermined key architectural patterns or elements on historic buildings, mechanical equipment, screening, acceptable. And lastly, accessory buildings and structures. New accessory buildings or structures shall be located within either the side yard or rear yard and shall not visually disrupt the streetscape or affect the integrity of the existing building or proposed new building. And again, the location and where it is is the only possible location, so that's acceptable. I was looking at for for parklets in general, whether there's some aspect of them that is too disruptive, a view of like the buildings or the sign bands or something like that. If some of them went really high, but that streetscape disruption was the critical part here. And that comment was, staff suggests that some review of parklets under this criteria for accessory buildings regarding disruption of the streetscape may be applicable here. And obviously, that's acceptable based on your design. And all in favor of the application is presented. Speak your names, Ben. Martha, I'm a yes. Steve, say yes. Yes. I assume that was a yes. Yeah. So this is, you know, the what it's instead of the design review committee's recommendations going to need to issue a permit or to the development review board, it's going to the city manager. And what he's doing is he's taking the input from all the different relevant departments and then deciding what to do with the applications for the parklets, the design review committee will be seeing more of these for new parklets, you know, a lot of the locations that put in less long term installations over the next over the last couple of years, but they want to do that again. They've got to come in and they've got to this time actually meet all the criteria and the requirements for safety and everything else. You did all the right things up front. Yeah, there's a place for you to sign your own application just right below my name. I do that street scape thing, the last criteria that you were just mentioning. Is that about kind of like the overall kind of visual aesthetics of the space or is that more like sight lines for cars and that kind of thing can be a combination of the boat. Yeah. I mean, it's basically other cars parking there and then approaches to and then looking at it from even if you're on the sidewalk across the street, just to make sure that whatever is constructed doesn't interfere with it. No, I the reason is curious and obviously we just got the approval, so that's fine. But I know that. I've well, I've heard of a murmuring here and there, like we first put it in about sight lines off of Hayes in place there. Oh, for driving for driving. So that is more of a Department of Public Works concern. OK, design review is really about design aesthetic sort of more and how it impacts other nearby buildings. So so design doesn't want to hear about that. That would be if that would be if there's concerns about that and somebody has provided comments since this now has that whole like making sure you reach out to neighbors. If those comments come into the city manager's office, he'll go to the Department of Public Works or he should. That's who you go to. That's who our in-house experts are on those things. And they know what all of the Vermont transportation standards are for those kinds of things. You know, I'm not worried about it. I just figured I was here and say my two cents, but you guys aren't even looking at it. So I won't give you my two cents and we can do anything. Yeah, and that's at least that part of it. Yeah, right. Yeah. No, so that would be something to go to Department of Public Works. Or you I mean, you can approach me and I can also filter it. Yeah, I'm not writing bigger. I'm worried about it. Awesome. So then this goes to the city. So then I'm following up with the city manager's office. So I will do a scan of this and I will send it to the city manager's office and I'll send you a copy just so you have it as well. And then, yes, city manager's spot at this point. You already. So Audra will need to issue the river hazard, but that wasn't. Yeah, that's fine. I'll follow up with that just the whole email thread that exists. I guess, you know, since today was the day that we were planning to install. I will follow up again in the morning. Yeah, and I'm sorry, Audra was out today. I don't know if you tried to call her. She's without sick, so hope to be in tomorrow. Yeah, awesome. Thank you all so much. Thank you. Good luck. Hope the weather cooperates for you. Yeah, I can. Hopefully we install it. It's a day with a whole day. Yes, Friday looks like I'm for the weekends. Whether yeah, yeah, and the bikes. So the bike swap of this weekend is going to be really busy. Yeah, yeah. You do a free install because of weather. Because this yeah, yeah, we won't go. Thanks, Wes. Thank you. We can take a look at the minutes. If anybody has any questions, comments or suggestions regarding the minutes. I've read them and I think they're fine the way they are. All in. OK, I guess that was the ocean. So that was considered a motion and it's been seconded all in favor of the minutes for April the 17th. Speak your names, but Martha and Steve, minutes are approved. Does anyone have anything else to bring up? If not, do I hear a motion to adjourn? So moved and I'll second it. All in favor, speak your names, Ben, Martha, Steve. OK, thank you all for coming. Thank you, everybody. As far as I know, we'll have an application for review on the 17th, but I'll let you know if we get closer and suddenly we don't know.