Cultural Heritage Committee Action Update

February 27, 2006                      Monday                                5:30p.m.

ROLL CALL:      Chairperson Chuck Crotser, Sandy Baer, Dan Carpenter, Barbara Breska, Robert Pavlik, Lynne Landwehr, and Tom Wheeler  

Committee members Pavlik and Wheeler were absent. 

STAFF:                Jeff Hook, Senior Planner and Arleen Cardenas, Planning Intern 

PUBLIC COMMENT:   

There was no public comment. 

PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS: 

1.   460 Broad Street.  ARC MI 228-05; Review a proposed deconstruction and reconstruction of a Contributing historic house; R-1 zone; Roger Zanetti, applicant.  (Jaime Hill) 

Following lengthy discussion, the Committee voted 5:0 to determine that the proposed project is consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and with the City’s Historic Preservation Program Guidelines, provided that changes are incorporated into the project to maintain its architectural character, detail and compatibility with the Mt. Pleasanton/Anholm neighborhood.  The Committee referred the matter to the Community Development Director with a recommendation to approve the project subject to the following conditions:

Conditions 

A.   Original materials, including the tejas (clay roof tiles) and canales (roof vents) shall be retained and reused. Construction documents shall include an exhibit detailing how the deconstruction will proceed, how and where the salvaged materials will be stored and protected, and how they will be re-installed.

B.  Where new materials are necessary to replace unsalvageable original materials, they shall match the existing in material, color, shape, size, texture and pattern. New materials, such as exterior stucco, windows, doors, and roof tiles shall also be selected to closely match the house’s original materials, colors and textures. Samples of all new materials used on the building façade shall be provided to the Community Development Department and shall be subject to prior approval by the Community Development Director. 

C.  The Hollywood driveway shall be maintained. 

D.  Other distinctive features, such the built-in cupboard in the interior wall of the dining room and archways between rooms will be retained if at all feasible. 

E.  The detached garage shall be modified as follows: the metal garage door shall be replaced with a stained wood carriage-style door, roof vents replaced with canales to match those of the dwelling, decorative light fixtures consistent with the Spanish style architecture shall be installed in place of the industrial fixtures, wingwalls shall be removed and parapet lowered to match the original garage elevation as closely as possible, and building trim shall be modified to mirror the beveled stucco detail on the front elevation of the main dwelling, to the approval of the Director.

F.  A Historic Property Preservation Agreement shall be signed by the property owners and recorded on title acknowledging the historical value of the property and accepting the conditions upon which the City has approved the proposed restoration and reconstruction plan, prior to the issuance of any demolition or construction permits, or further modifications to the site.  Owner shall provide a guarantee to the City to ensure that architectural reconstruction is consistent with approved plans.  The guarantee amount shall be based on the Contractor’s estimate to deconstruct and reinstall the house’s original architectural elements.  

On a 5:0 vote, the Committee also recommended that the City Council remove 460 Broad Street from the Contributing Properties List, based on the findings that: 

A.  The property was included in the Contributing Properties List due to its architectural contribution to and compatibility with the Mt. Pleasanton/Anholm neighborhood, rather than for unique aesthetic value, design or historic significance with regard to historic persons, context or events.  

B. The house’s architectural and structural integrity, for which the property was historically listed, have been irreversibly compromised and it is physically infeasible to rehabilitate the house at 460 Broad Street. 

C.  The property is not located within a Historic District which could otherwise be adversely affected by the removal of the original house. 

D.  With the incorporation of conditions of approval, those physical characteristics which led to the property’s designation as a Contributing Structure will not be adversely impacted and architectural compatibility with the neighborhood will be maintained through deconstruction, reconstruction to closely match the original structure and through reuse of original materials. 

E.  Conditions of CHC approval will be included in the final environmental document as mitigation measures and included as conditions of architectural review approval. By complying with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitation, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings the project can be considered mitigated to a level of less than significant impact on the historic resource.

DISCUSSION ITEM: 

2.   Citywide.  CHC 94-04; Consideration of properties for possible historic nomination; Cultural Heritage Committee, applicant.  (Arleen Cardenas) 

City Planning Intern Arleen Cardenas presented slides showing 36 individual properties in the “East Railroad Area”, roughly bounded by the railroad right of way, Johnson Avenue, and Terrace Hill.  The Committee carefully reviewed the age, architectural style and integrity, and architectural character in relation to the neighborhood for each property and determined the following properties had potential architectural significance and should be considered as candidates for nomination to the City’s Inventory of Historic Resources: 

1342 Breck, 1672 Fairview, 1140 Iris, 1136 Iris, 1139 Iris, 1043 George, 1127 George, 1240 Ella (coach barn facing George), 1205 George, 1215 George, 1204 Iris, 1908 Ruth, 1240 Ella, 1985 Johnson, 2015 Ella, 2056 Rachel, 2006 Swazey, 2033 Swazey, and 2105 Johnson.   

The Committee asked staff to provide additional information on the following properties:  1156 Iris, 1026 George, 1063 George, 1234 George, 1236 George, 1013 Jennifer, 2027 Swazey, 1255 Ella, and 1265 Ella. 

 Committee members also asked staff to “sweep” the neighborhood to make sure that all potentially significant properties had been photographed, including the former “Hathway House” (Housing Authority housing development on Ella) and the houses on west Terrace Hill overlooking the railroad tracks.  

3.        Communications 

a.  Agenda Forecast – staff.  Staff provided a brief agenda forecast. 

b.  Committee.  None. 

ADJOURN to the next regular meeting on Monday, March 27, 2006 at 5:30 p.m., in the Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.