Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 07/21/2025Agenda Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting 7 p.m. Monday, July 21, 2025 Outdoor Center, 13765 Staring Lake Parkway Eden Prairie, MN 55344 ATTENDEES Heritage Preservation Commission Members: Steven Schumacher-Chair; Paul Thorp-Vice Chair, George Maxwell, Robert Bowes, Rod Fisher, Andy Ludowese, Catherine Lau, Lisa Rude, Prima Sisinni City Staff: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison; Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary MEETING AGENDA I. Call the Meeting to Order / Roll Call II. Reading of Land Acknowledgement Statement III. Approval of Agenda IV. Minutes A. Heritage Preservation Commission meeting held Monday, June 16, 2025. V. New Business A. Discuss Preserve Minnesota Conference in September B. Update on Book about the history of Native Americans in Eden Prairie VI. Old Business A. Cultural Resource Inventory B. National Nomination for Smith Douglas More House VII. Reports from Subcommittees A. Native American History / Outreach B. New Heritage Preservation Site Designations C. Renovation / Maintenance / Development D. Documentation / Historical Records / Outreach HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA June 16, 2025 Page 2 VIII. Reports of Commission and Staff IX. Reports on Historical Society A. General Update (Paul/Bob) X. FYI Items XI. Next Meeting A. Monday, August 18, 2025 XII. Adjournment UNAPPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2025 7:00 P.M. Meeting Heritage Rooms, City Hall HPC COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Schumacher (Chair); Paul Thorp (Vice-Chair); Rod Fisher; George Maxwell; Robert Bowes; Andy Ludowese; Catherine Lau, Prima Sisinni, Lisa Rude COMMISSION STAFF: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary STUDENT MEMBERS: Nico Allen, Kadie Crider, Jacob Holje, Hardhik Kommalapati, Amuktha Pothamsetti, Annika Rice I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Schumacher called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Commission members Lau, Bowes, Ludowese, and Rude were absent. Mark Weber of Eden Prairie News joined the meeting. II. READING OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT Rude read the land acknowledgement statement. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Fisher moved, seconded by Maxwell to approve the agenda. Motion carried 9-0. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Rude to approve the minutes of the May 19, 2025 meeting. Motion carried 9-0. V. NEW BUSINESS A. REVIEW AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDING THE COUNCIL APPROVE A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR THE ADAPTIVE REUSE OF THE DORENKEMPER HOUSE AS AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 16, 2025 Page 2 Novak-Krebs detailed the staff report and draft conditional use permit. The (Certificate of Appropriateness) COA had been reviewed at the previous meeting supporting the adaptive reuse of the Dorenkemper House. City Code required this COA because of the proposed reuses (activities inside and outside of the house, what products being sold, food trucks, et cetera). This document was made deliberately flexible to avoid constant amendments to the conditional use permit. The reuse was therefore for the bookstore and the external improvements. The house sat on park property, so there was a proposal to have the bookstore owner meet with park staff annually, perhaps every January. This would also prevent overlapping events, which would also need to be approved by the Parks and Recreation Department. The approval of the COA was going before the Council tomorrow (Tuesday) and the conditional use permit on July 15. Fisher asked for and received confirmation the City Council would also be holding a public hearing on this conditional use permit. Fisher asked what the COA covered, and Novak-Krebs replied the COA only applied to the reuse; other details would be handled in the lease. MOTION: Fisher moved, seconded by Maxwell to close the public hearing. Motion carried 8-0. Maxwell asked why the lease was not referenced in the conditional use permit. Discussion followed on the legal reasons for this. Novak-Krebs clarified that any new lease with a new renter would require a new conditional use permit. Novak- Krebs offered to speak on this with the City Attorney. Lau asked for and received confirmation this candidate did not currently run a bookstore. Lau asked if this was to be her livelihood. Sisinni asked for and received confirmation there was a formal business plan. Novak-Krebs stated David Lindahl was working on the lease and in conversations with Novak-Krebs. Bowes asked for and received confirmation this bookstore would be open year- round. Thorp agreed with Maxwell that the lease be tied to the conditional use permit. Sisinni asked what the implications were for the actual space with this change. Schumacher stated this was discussed at the last meeting; the building itself was not historical, having been relocated, and so the restrictions were not as robust. Limitations to commercial use would be removed, as with the Smith Coffee House. Sisinni asked for and received confirmation the pieces added could be removed in future if desired; the improvements were to an addition to the house, which would echo the historic character of the structure. Maxwell added the public could not appreciate the house without getting in to see it. Discussion followed on the possible implications of the reuse. Rude asked for and received confirmation the addition could probably not be modified for food service; the modification was only for dry goods. Thorp stated there were no cooking facilities in the house. Lau clarified that the commission EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 16, 2025 Page 3 was taking the position of advocating for this conditional use permit to make the house available to the public. Fisher stressed the commission should encourage and recommend this permit wholeheartedly. Schumacher agreed, saying the location and parking had always been a challenge. He asked for and received confirmation the City department that maintained Riley Park would maintain the snow plowing, et cetera, and the City would maintain the home. Fisher asked what granularity the restrictions had with regard to internal improvements, and Thorp repeated the HPC had no jurisdiction over the building itself, but its reuse. Novak-Krebs stated since this house was on Park property there would be coordination between Parks and Recreation and other City agencies. Schumacher commended the progress made on this adaptive reuse. MOTION: Lau moved, seconded by Maxwell to recommend to the City Council approval the conditional use permit Motion carried 9-0. Novak-Krebs repeated this would go before the City Council at its July 15 meeting. She displayed an aerial view of the house which showed the locations of the proposed addition. She also displayed current elevations and historic photographs during the relocation of the house. She then showed a detailed plan of the addition, showing the restroom, potential deck, checkout area and potential bookshelves. Novak-Krebs added the upstairs would also be used, perhaps as a reading nook for children. The deck could require another COA depending on its size and materials. The bookstore would be open year-round. Thorp agreed with Maxwell that a tight lease was needed. Schumacher explained the building itself was not historic, having been moved to the site, so the addition of a restroom and running water would still be beneficial even if the bookstore were to fold. Discussion followed on a subsequent reuse if the bookstore did not continue. Novak-Krebs displayed the parking and footpaths as detailed by MacDonald & Mack. Construction completed by late fall, occupancy in January 2026, open in spring of 2026 B. CULTURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY Novak- Krebs displayed digitized documents and explained back in the early 1990s two consultants assessed and photographed historic properties in Eden Prairie. The resulting filled-out forms and photographs comprised the inventory. Fisher asked for and received confirmation this included the cooperation of the owners. Thorp stated the HPC went to the Historical Society for copies, and also possessed some originals. He stated consultants went through that list 10 years before and found many eligible buildings were gone. A dozen were probably left. Among the criteria had been age (properties built before the 1920s) and perceived significance, filled out land forms, et cetera. Most had been houses, although addresses often didn’t correspond. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 16, 2025 Page 4 Novak-Krebs stated the commission could add more buildings to the inventory, fill out the form for each property, and send the information to SHPO to put in their file, and to be added to its map of similar inventories in Hennepin County. Thorp stated the Mitchell House built had been missed and should be added. Lau suggested adding the buildings of the plaque owners. Discussion followed on what building SHPO had prioritized (hangars at the Metropolitan Airports Commission). Discussion followed on several potential additions to the inventory. Thorp stated the commission had information as complete as the records at the Historical Society, although the commission was not able to copy the Native American inventory. Novak-Krebs stated the City Code required na inventory of archeological sites in Eden Prairie but could not make that public. Novak-Krebs stated the City had hired a consultant in the 1990s, and Thorp noted Eden Prairie now had a consultant on retainer (MacDonald & Mack. Novak-Krebs stated the consultants from the 1990s did leave a record along with two large reports detailing their processes and methodologies. Novak-Krebs offered to email the information, process, and criteria to the commission members. C. NATIONAL NOMINATION FOR THE SMITH DOUGLAS MORE HOUSE Thorp announced he and Kathie Case went through the nomination and found it ready to submit. Novak-Krebs offered to send the nomination out to the entire commission. She explained for the benefit of the new commission members the previous nomination that went to SHPO which questioned how this house was tied to the railroad. Novak-Krebs found more language written and the nomination was resubmitted with the changes, but it languished. Discussion followed on why the previous submission had not been acted upon. Schumacher stated he was confident in the work of Thorp and Case, and saw no reason to wait another month in order to gather more comments from the commission members; the commission members agreed. Discussion followed on the history of the property. Schumacher asked for and received confirmation the students’ video was not yet posted, but Novak-Krebs stated it would be. She would speak to Communications staff and notify commission members when it was available online. Thorp suggested submitting the video with the nomination. The commission members agreed. D. DISCUSS OTHER MEETING LOCATIONS EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 16, 2025 Page 5 Schumacher asked for suggestions. Novak-Krebs stated Kathie Case offered the old gym. Thorp suggested Smith Coffee House. Other suggestions were Lion’s Tap, Staring Lake, the Outdoor Center, and the Northrup King Research Center. Novak-Krebs offered to follow up on these ideas. Fisher suggested looking at the Outdoor Center for July or August. VI. OLD BUSINESS VII. REPORTS OF SUBCOMMITTEES A. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY OUTREACH B. NEW HERITAGE PRESERVATION SITE DESIGNATIONS C. RENOVATION/MAINTENANCE DEVELOPMENT D. DOCUMENTATION/HISTORICAL RECORDINGS/OUTREACH IX. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF Novak-Krebs announced the Flying Red Horse Ribbon-Cutting on Tuesday, June 17 at 4:00 p.m. The interpretive panels were up, the language of which the commission had reviewed. X. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY Bowes stated there would be a table at PeopleFest, July 7, 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. The Camp Edenwood 100th Anniversary celebration would be held September 9. Thorp announced Picnic on the Farm would be held at the Dorenkemper House on July 16. Fisher suggested inviting the bookstore owner to attend to meet residents. Novak- Krebs agreed. XI. FYI ITEMS Lau recommended a book, By the Waters of Minnetonka, by Eric Dregni. Schumacher commended Nico Allen for taking first place at National History Day in Washington, DC. Lau stated she would write a congratulatory letter to him on behalf of the commission. IV. NEXT MEETING EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 16, 2025 Page 6 The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, July 21, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage Rooms, City Hall. V. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Bowes to adjourn. Motion carried 8-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 p.m.