A city commissioner at the Historic Landmarks Commission meeting raised concerns that the City of The Dalles’ First Street streetscape final design would remove historic walls on the Chinatown block, which the commissioner said are contributing elements to the National Register District. The commissioner asked why the project had not been presented for local landmarks review by the commission.

Eric Gleeson, a commissioner, said the final design calls for removal of the historic walls and that he was concerned the item had not come before the HLC as a public hearing. “The city’s pretty much gotten to the final design review. And the final design calls for the removal of the historic walls on the Chinatown block, which are part of the historic landscape features of that area that have been determined significant contributions to the National Register District,” Gleeson said. He asked staff why the item had not been brought to the commission.

Sandy Freund, senior planner and HLC coordinator, responded that the streetscape project was undergoing review by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and characterized that SHPO review as separate from local HLC review. Freund said the project fell under SHPO review and that previous similar reviews had followed that path, though commissioners noted the local commission had not been consulted and suggested local review may be appropriate when contributing features are affected.

Commissioners discussed the scope and limits of the commission’s review authority and asked staff to clarify where the commission’s review would apply when projects affect contributing features within the district. No formal motion or action was taken during the meeting on the streetscape plan; the matter remained a discussion and request for staff follow‑up.

Staff later told commissioners the commission should anticipate further applications and that several projects are in progress; staff said it expected to return to the commission for possible review in coming months. The transcript records the concern, staff’s explanation of concurrent SHPO review, and commissioners’ request for clearer delineation of when local HLC review will occur for projects that remove or alter contributing historic features.