City of Monroe Historic Preservation Commission Meeting – October 14, 2026

The City of Monroe Historic Preservation Commission met on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in Council Chambers at 1110 18th Avenue. The agenda listed the meeting start time as 1:00 PM, and the meeting was streamed live. Commissioners approved two certificates of appropriateness, discussed filling a commission vacancy, and previewed a November meeting for a facade grant application.

Call to Order and Minutes

• The meeting was called to order and roll call was taken.
• No corrections were offered to the September 9, 2026 minutes.

Certificate of Appropriateness – Chad Peterson, 1707 12th Street

• The agenda listed the property as 1702 12th Street; the commission clarified that the correct address is 1707 12th Street.
• Applicant Chad Peterson described the building as white with brown entrance and service doors, and stated that brown windows are no longer manufactured. His proposal involved white vinyl replacement windows and glass block infill on the alley side, where windows had been removed and boarded up because the glass was falling out.
• Staff noted that white may not be an approved color for windows within the historic district. A commissioner expressed support for white windows, observing that most houses in Monroe are white and questioning why white would not be historical. Another commissioner recalled prior discussions that storefront frames must typically be dark bronze or black rather than mill-finish aluminum, but was not certain whether that rule applied to windows.
• A motion to approve the white vinyl windows passed unanimously, conditioned on verification that white is an approvable color in the district.
• A separate motion to approve glass block infill for the alley-side windows passed unanimously.

Certificate of Appropriateness – Malinda Mihalakis / Avandra Spa LLC, 902 17th Avenue

• The applicant was not present. Staff reported that Malinda Mihalakis currently operates a spa in Dubuque and plans to move her business to Monroe at 902 17th Avenue, next to Studio Now.
• The sign permit is contingent on approval of the certificate of appropriateness. Staff reported no issues from zoning, the COA side, or the sign permit side.
• A commissioner asked whether the proposed sign was too big; a size of 36 was mentioned, though it was noted that the size had not been verified.
• The commission approved the certificate of appropriateness for the sign unanimously.

Business by Members

• Donna has officially resigned from the Historic Preservation Commission. Members discussed reaching out to Sharon Reese, who had been mentioned at a prior meeting, to see whether she is still interested. One member described Reese as having a very good sense of history and an ideal candidate, and another offered to contact her.
• Staff indicated that a November meeting will likely be needed because at least one facade grant application is expected, in addition to an already approved application for Swiss House.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the COA for Chad Peterson for white vinyl windows at 1707 12th Street, with the condition that staff verify white is an approved color.
• Approved the COA for Chad Peterson for glass block infill on the alley-side windows.
• Approved the COA for Malinda Mihalakis / Avandra Spa LLC for the sign at 902 17th Avenue.
• The commission will contact Sharon Reese about possibly filling the vacancy left by Donna's resignation.
• A November meeting is anticipated to review a facade grant application.