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Heritage Preservation Commission January 10, 2007 Page 2 Commissioner Lindberg commented that many communities like Maple Grove are trying to achieve the downtown look and feel that we already have or had. He also commented that Michael's presentation talked about maintaining the nice old neighborhoods. He also discussed the SWOT analysis the task force went through. Commissioner Rohlf discussed his frustrations with the current redevelopment of the downtown and his hopes that the new park will offer a place for people to congregate like there once was with the town square. He is concerned about the parking in downtown and is not in favor of a parking ramp. Commissioner Kragness commented on the how the streetscape has changed dramatically with the Bluff Block because the building is oversized for downtown and it doesn't match the old buildings. Commissioner Peterson said that there is nothing we can do about the current projects, we need to move forward and determine what we want to preserve. Council member Zerwas discussed the parking situation downtown and the need for a ramp. He stated that Anoka just built one and is it very beautiful. He also discussed his concerns for safety in the downtown area with Highway 10, the Railroad tracks and the river. 5b. Discuss Goals and Priorities for Redevelopment Task Force Staff gave a brief overview of the direction the HPC was given by Scott Clark at the last HPC meeting to develop a list of priorities stating what the HPC wanted to see happen downtown whether that be no change, certain buildings remain, what types of programs to use, etc. Commissioner Kragness, Commissioner Rohlf and Rebecca worked on a draft. Commissioner Rohlf discussed the reasoning behind the policies and how the economics need to be studied more looking at the total costs. Also, the building code should not be used as an excuse to remove structures because there are exceptions in the code for historic buildings that are not on the National Register they only have to be older than 50 years. Commissioner Peterson would like the policy to be worded stronger and require an ordinance to be developed. She also suggested everyone review the Maxfield Study and policy and make the policy more specific. Anew task force was formed to make the policy more specific. The new task force will include Commissioners Peterson, Kragness, and Harris along with Rebecca. The first meeting will be held on Friday, January 19, 2007 at 3:00 p.m. at the Elk River City Hall in the Uppertown Conference Room. Commissioner Kragness requested feedback from the Commission prior to the meeting. 6. Schedule next HPC meeting and Identif~genda Items The next regularly scheduled meeting for the Heritage Preservation Commission will be held on Tuesday, February 13th at 6:00 p.m. The items to be discussed include the Downtown redevelopment Task Force Update, Planning Commission items (if there are any), policy recommendations and possible grant for survey work. Adjournment Commissioner Lindberg adjourned the meeting at 7:47 p.m.