Historic Preservation Commission Meeting – November 13, 2025
Historic Preservation Commission Meeting – November 13, 2025
The Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission met on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Village Boardroom. The meeting included approval of prior minutes with a correction, public comments regarding the Flanders House, a public hearing and unanimous recommendation to designate 23822 W. Lockport St. as a local historic landmark, and updates on the village's comprehensive plan.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the agenda (motion carried unanimously).
- Approval of the September 11, 2025, minutes with a correction: Commissioner Schmidt was noted as absent, and a typographical error ("maybe" changed to "may be") was corrected. The motion carried unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Caleb (address 24044 West Main) and Bob Ones, with Michaela and Mark Queeton, introduced themselves as new owners of the property at 24044 West Main St. (the Flanders House). They expressed a strong desire to preserve and restore the house, which is listed on the National Register but was moved from its original location. They asked for guidance on proper preservation steps, including interior renovations and potential local landmark designation. Commissioners recommended contacting staff (Jonathan Prue) for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) and provided information about the National Register nomination photos and the Plainfield Historical Society.
Discussion Items
- Chair's Comments & Comprehensive Plan Update: Commissioner Schmidt reported a meeting with Jacob Said, a consultant working with the village on a comprehensive plan and unified zoning ordinance update over the next 18 months. The consultant was invited to attend future LDDC or HPC meetings. Commissioners were encouraged to review the zoning ordinance for recommendations to streamline historic preservation processes.
- Landmark Nomination – 23822 W. Lockport St. (Case 2087‑030325.HPC): Staff presented the nomination for a Queen Anne style house built in 1888 (based on a builder's board found on site). The property has been owned by the same extended family since construction and underwent a careful restoration/reconstruction from 1992 onward, guided by a historic photograph. The owners were unable to attend due to a funeral. The commission discussed criteria D (architectural style), F (design details/craftsmanship), and J (suitability for preservation). They set the period of significance at 1888, noting that the front porch (a sensitive addition) is not original. Character-defining features include the massing, window openings, reconstructed roof cresting, and the original bay windows (reinstalled). Additional photographs of all elevations were requested for the nomination file.
Key Outcomes
- Public Hearing for 23822 W. Lockport St.: The public hearing was opened and closed by unanimous votes (7‑0).
- Recommendation to Approve Landmark Designation: The commission voted unanimously (7‑0) to adopt staff's findings of fact and recommend approval of local landmark designation for 23822 W. Lockport St. based on criteria D, F, and J, with a period of significance of 1888.
- Next Steps: The revised nomination will be forwarded to the Village Board for final approval, likely at the December 2025 meeting.
- The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Wow, I don't know. Yeah, I have some other races on the things I'll survive. I know. Yeah, but it wouldn't do that. Roll call, please. Commissioner Derek. Present. Commissioner Failing. Here. Commissioner Olson? Here. Commissioner Rapp. Here. Commissioner Schmidt. Present. Commissioner Scholz. Here. Yeah. Chairman Border? Here. Liberty and Justice Coral. Seeking a motion for the approval of the agenda for tonight's meeting. So moved. All in favor signify by saying I seeking a motion for the approval of the minutes for the September eleventh, twenty twenty-five historic preservation commission meeting. I'll make that motion. Any uh changes need to be made. I was absent from that meeting. Yes. Can't be both then so Jonathan will take note of that. And if we have to make that change I'll just do the minor um there were maybe's that should have been M A Y space B E. Where's that? Um sorry that's not this one. Sorry. Um maybe control F to see if that was in there. Sorry. It's under discussion uh second line the House may be yes that's it thank you um I'm being shown as present and absent as well oh dear under roll call that's hard to do which one were you were you present or absent oh I was I was absent okay he was recuperating yeah changes noted uh suppose we should do a uh we have a motion a second we're just looking for a vote it should do a vote we had a second they were right back to next to each other so we have to vote vote yes okay vote call okay uh commissioner derrick yes commissioner failing yes commissioner olson yes commissioner mapp yes commissioner schmid yes commissioner scholars yes and chairman border yes uh chair's comments uh commissioner schmidt and I had a meeting today with Jacob Said is that is correct and he's with the uh he's a consultant with the uh organization is doing a uh study with the village he wanted to meet with uh two members of the Historic Preservation Commission so we had a Zoom meeting today and kind of introduced ourselves the commission and to him and uh they're going to be working with the village for the next 18 months or so on um comprehensive plan and uh incorporation of various things we didn't get into a lot of detail I told him if he wanted to come to an LDDC meeting or an HPC meeting let Jonathan know we'd be happy to work with him. David was there I was there separately and uh he seemed to be um happy with everything that turned out so yeah they're they're especially um focusing on the zoning ordinance trying to get they're called it a unified zoning uh yeah operations or something um anyway um I think it would be helpful if everybody on this commission could look at the um zoning ordinance as it pertains to the HPC and see things that we could we're supposed to be giving them like recommendations that we feel like could maybe streamline our process or make it more clear um but just take a look at it and we can all like let them know so I invited him to a LDDC meeting sometime or an HBC meeting I also sent him um a copy of tonight's nomination and he's been looking at the website for the Historic Preservation Commission and what we've been doing uh told him about the ARCA search study that was done in 2004 five uh so he was uh quite uh helpful and uh I think we'll be fine with him and I told him if he wanted to uh meet with us uh would have to be either with two or if he wanted to come and meet with everybody it would be a meeting like LDDC to contact Jonathan so something can be set up any other comments any commissioner comments okay public comments one thing where do we see the zoning ordinance as it pertains to us do we it is it a long big document or is it a one page um yes and thank you Mr. Uh currently we have two different codes, and there's some overlap and an opportunity for um disagreement, like landscaping, for example. We might have some landscaping provisions in the zoning code and some landscaping provisions in the subdivision code. So when we combine them, it's you know nice and easy to have one spot. The historic preservation ordinance is a section of the zoning code, and I would be happy to email that as a hyperlink. It's uh referenced from the village's website. We have a third party uh codifier that manages our code, so that any time we pass an ordinance to amend a provision of the code, they automatically incorporate it. Um so I'll send that link around. It's uh it has multiple provisions, you know, it's what sets forth um the duties of the historic preservation commission uh are noticing how we notice for public hearings for landmark nomination nominations and things. Uh it has the criteria um that we consider uh nominations for uh regulates the certificates of appropriateness, the certificate of economic hardship, uh things of that nature. So it's um you know it started off um as probably a model ordinance or when the commission was first started in 2004. Um was incorporated into the um uh zoning code when we adopted that in 2006 and we made a few modifications. I think we adjusted the notice provisions. Uh we had a category for minor work for COAs so that certain things don't have to come to the full commission, but by and large I'd say the historic preservation ordinances as it was uh when we originally adopted it about 20 years ago.
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