January 31, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes
Historic Preservation Commission
Regular Meeting

January 31, 2022 | 5:30 p.m.

Chandler Downtown Library 6... CHANDLER
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Copper Room South Community of Innovation

22 S. Delaware Street, Chandler, AZ

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Vice Chairman Velasquez at 5:00 p.m.

Roll Call
Commission Attendance Staff Attendance
Vice Chairman Jeff Velasquez Derek Horn, Development Services Director
Commissioner Erika Finbraaten Kevin Mayo, Planning Administrator
Commissioner Bryan Saba David de la Torre, Planning Manager
Commissioner Kevin Weight Susan Fiala, Senior City Planner
Ex Officio Member Jody Crago Harley Mehlhorn, City Planner

Thomas Allen, Assistant City Attorney
Absent Kim Moyers, Cultural Development Director
Chairman Devan Wastchak John Owens, Downtown Redevelopment Specialist
Commissioner Cheryl Bell Michelle Reeder, Clerk

Julie San Miguel, Clerk

Scheduled and Unscheduled Public Appearances

Members of the audience may address any item not on the agenda. State Statute prohibits the
Board or Commission from discussing an item that is not on the agenda, but the Board or
Commission does listen to your concerns and has staff follow up on questions you raise.

Action Agenda

1. Meeting Minutes of July 29, 2021, Historic Preservation Commission

Move Historic Preservation Commission approve Historic Preservation Commission meeting
minutes of July 29, 2021.

COMMISSIONER WEIGHT pointed out the Minutes need to be corrected to reflect “National
Register” instead of “National Registry”.

Action Agenda Item No. 1 Motion and Vote
COMMISSIONER WEIGHT moved to approve Action Agenda Item 1, of the January 31, 2022,
Historic Preservation Commission Meeting, with correction; Seconded by COMMISSIONER SABA.

Motion carried unanimously (4-0).

2. Recommendation for Chandler to become a Certified Local Government (CLG)
DEREK HORN, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR presented details regarding Historic
Preservation Commission recommending City Council approve Chandler to become a Certified
Local Government (CGL).

COMMISSIONER SABA stated there are many positives to becoming a CLG and asked if there are
any downsides the Commission should be aware of.

DEREK HORN, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR replied, there will be some reporting and
grants that will take some staff working, but we do not have any discernible downsides.

COMMISSIONER WEIGHT thanked staff and expressed his appreciation for their work on this. He
stated this is a great opportunity and mentioned the City does not have to pursue grant funds
but having the option available is tremendous. He pointed out Chandler is the largest city in
Arizona that is not a CLG and further stated the importance of Chandler obtaining status and
recognition. He asked if the Historic Preservation Commission could be notified of the date this
is going before City Council.

DEREK HORN, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR responded this to go before the City Council
in March and staff will inform the Commission of the date and time.

COMMISSIONER FINBRAATEN echoed the words of Commissioner Weight and stated she has
seen the advantages from becoming a CLG and gave examples of different projects and ways
grants from becoming a CLG could assist a city with funding .

Action Agenda Item No. 2 Motion and Vote
Move Historic Preservation Commission recommend City Council approve Chandler to become a
Certified Local Government (CLG)

Finding no additional costs beyond minimal staff time investment and noted benefits, staff

recommends Historic Preservation Commission recommend City Council approve Chandler to
become a Certified Local Government (CLG).

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COMMISSIONER SABA moved to approve Action Agenda Item 2 of the January 31, 2022, Historic
Preservation Commission Meeting; Seconded by COMMISSIONER FINBRAATEN.

Motion carried unanimously (4-0).

3. PLH21-0093 CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC, DBA RECREO
SUSAN FIALA, SENIOR CITY PLANNER presented details regarding the request architectural plan
review approval for new signage to the building located at 28 South San Marcos Place.

COMMISSIONER SABA stated the design is interesting and exciting. He asked if the image on the
presentation is shown to scale. He further stated, when looking at the front of the building its
hard to envision how close the sign would be to the windows.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC explained his inspiration for the project are his
childhood daydreams of recess. He explained Recreo is Spanish for recess and the restaurant is
filled with elements to trigger ideas of playtime, playground, and recess. He stated the elements
include wall of etch-a-sketches, a wall of kickballs, images of playgrounds, a bar with swing seats,
and a school bus on the patio. He further stated the logo itself is a VW Bug made into a weeble
wobble or rocker. He expressed the importance of a first impression and how the sign, along
with other elements would create a unique impactful impression. He further stated, uniqueness
is something he tries to bring to Chandler, especially in the downtown area. He explained the
image is close to scale and he measured the car himself. He further explained the details of the
sign and stated they recently discovered the letters need to be 21 inches instead of 16 inches, so
6 inches longer than previously requested. He mentioned one of the reasons for the elements
they have chosen are to make great images for social media posts. He explained the influence of
posts on social media and the positive impact of tagging downtown Chandler on posts and
pictures.

COMMISSIONER FINBRAATEN asked how the sign will be attached in a way that does not harm
the building.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC stated he has owned this building for twenty-six years
and the last thing he wants to do is cause harm. He explained there will be four bolts that will go
through to a back steel plate welded to the car and through the wall and platted inside and a
hole for the power source. He further stated the infliction caused by the sign will not be
substantial and will certainly be repairable.

COMMISSIONER FINBRAATEN asked how much the vehicle weighs and noted due to the vehicle's
design most of the weight would be carried in the back.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC stated he did not know the exact weight of the VW Bug,
but it was shockingly light once all the unwanted parts were removed.

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COMMISSIONER FINBRAATEN agreed that the VW Bug is light weight as they are a simpler car
and stated when she thinks of the early twentieth century vehicles, she thinks of the Model T.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC stated he has been doing historic preservation for a
while and his personal opinion can be different from other experts, but he believes the building
should stand out because of its age and everything does not have to be held to that age. He
explained it does not bother him from a historic preservation standpoint to do this and he
would like to preserve the 1912 area of this building as much as possible. He further explained
the fact that the car is from a different time tells a more interesting story and lets the 1912
architecture stand on its own.

COMMISSIONER SABA stated he had a similar reaction as Commissioner Finbraaten, but it helps
when you think of it as a sign. He further stated we have a lot of different style signs on our
buildings downtown and when he thought of it as a sign, it wasn’t detracting.

COMMISSIONER FINBRAATEN stated Arizona is very eclectic and her difficulty with the sign is
that is more 1950's stye.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC stated he agrees with Commissioner Saba. He further
stated this sign will create the same if not more excitement as the signs for The Uncommon and
Tipsy Egg. He mentioned social media has picked up on The Uncommon and Tipsy Egg and it has
generated a lot of excitement.

COMMISSIONER FINBRAATEN stated she appreciates the Applicant generating excitement for
downtown Chandler especially since there is a difficulty in getting people out again.

COMMISSIONER WEIGHT asked if other locations were considered for the vehicle element, such
as, inside the building or near the newer more modern elements like the shipping container. He
asked if that would be possible or if it had to be on the front of the building. He asked for
assurance that the basic historic integrity of the building can be retained. He explained he is
open to the concept of adding exciting elements, so long as there is assurance they can be
reversed and the historic integrity is kept.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC agreed with Commissioner Weight and explained he
does not want to do anything that would real damage to the front of the building or its historic
nature. He stated that was the intent of going with a raceway, to reduce the number of holes
and penetrations to the brick. He mentioned an example where a raceway was not used, he
stated on the Thomas Building there is great frustration anytime a sign is removed since it leaves
about forty holes. He explained the intent of using the raceway is to minimize damage and it will
not touch the stucco or damage the brick, due to its placement on the overhang.

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VICE CHAIRMAN VELASQUEZ confirmed the Applicant had a structural engineer on his team. He
stated the magenta was a bit alarming at first, but not as shocking when considering the
storyline and the transcending of time. He mentioned the year of the vehicle, 1967, is almost
halfway between 1912 and 2022, and he liked the transition through time. He further stated he
liked the bold elements and pointed out how momentum that can build from a social media
presence.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC stated his intention is to elevate in every project he
brings to downtown Chandler. He explained when he travels he tries to find the next big thing,
then build upon it, and bring it to Chandler. He pointed out the need to be competitive and
these elements are imperative to complete against other places.

VICE CHAIRMAN VELASQUEZ asked if these signs needed to be changed in ten years, would it
structurally be an easy fix.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC answered absolutely, we do not want to damage these
buildings.

COMMISSIONER SABA asked where the sign was located on the shipping container.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC responded it is sitting on the westernmost edge on top
of a steel beam. He explained, it acts as a screen wall to the bathroom pipes and this idea was
actually taken from Overstreet.

COMMISSIONER FINBRAATEN asked if the size of the numbers or letters will be modified to
match the size of the letters on the front.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC stated the modification is not necessary on the
backside as the neon style is different. He presented the corresponding image and stated the
back scale is correct and the front letter will need to be tweaked. He further stated for scale the
Commission can envision San Tan Brewery's sign who has letters that are 21 inches.

VICE CHAIRMAN VELASQUEZ asked if the sign in the back is lit and asked to clarify the request
regarding the back sign.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC stated the back sign is to be lit in between the letters
and explained the difference between the neon signs proposed on the front and back.

SUSAN FIALA, SENIOR CITY PLANNER clarified the proposed is for no neon on the back sign.

NELS KREIPKE, CELONI HOSPITALITY LLC advised the Commission that business owners are
working with the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership (DCCP) to activate the alleyways.

Page 5 of 7

He stated everyone is working to cleaning up the alley to make them more pedestrian friendly so
Hidden House and the Stanley can connect to Downtown. He pointed out the additional
elements in the back will complement what the DCCP is working on.

COMMISSIONER WEIGHT asked if the modification of the front sign to 21 inches meets staff's
recommendation for approval.

SUSAN FIALA, SENIOR CITY PLANNER stated the increase to 21 inches would add up to 14 square
feet total for signage, which is a minor increase and is still below the allowed square footage.
She clarified staff does not have any issues as the square footage as it is not above the limit.

Action Agenda Item No. 3 Motion and Vote

Move Historic Preservation Commission approve PLH21-0093 Celoni Hospitality LLC, DBA
Recreo architectural plan review for new signage subject to conditions as recommended by
Planning staff

Planning staff recommends the Historic Preservation Committee approve PLH21-0093 Celoni
Hospitality LLC DBA Recreo, located at 28 South San Marcos Place, subject to the following
conditions:

1, Development shall be in substantial conformance with Exhibits A and B, kept on file in the
City of Chandler Planning Division, in File No. PLH21-0093 Celoni Hospitality LLC DBA
Recreo.

2. Separate sign permits shall be submitted for all signs.

COMMISSIONER SABA moved to approve Action Agenda Item 3 of the January 31, 2022, Historic
Preservation Commission Meeting with requested modification for bigger letters; Seconded by
COMMISSIONER WEIGHT.

Motion carried unanimously (4-0).

Member Comments/Announcements
None.

Calendar
The next regular meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission will be scheduled as needed.

Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 5:44 p.m.

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Devan Wastchak, Chairman

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Derek Horn, Staff liaison for Historic Preservation

Matters and Designation

David de la Torre, Staff liaison for City Center District
Matters and Reviews

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