Historic Preservation Commission Meeting

Historic Preservation 02/02/16 738 CITY OF ESCONDIDO MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE ESCONDIDO HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 2, 2016 The regular meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was called to order at 3:01 p.m. by Chair Rea in City Council Chambers, 201 North Broadway, Escondido, California. Commissioners present: Chair Rea, Commissioner Danskin, Commissioner Lee, Commissioner Correll, Vice-chair Spann and Commissioner Taylor. Commissioners absent: Commissioner Breitenfeld Staff present: Rozanne Cherry, Principal Planner; Paul Bingham, Assistant Planner II; and Ty Paulson, Minutes Clerk. MINUTES: Moved by Vice-chair Spann, seconded by Chair Rea, to approve the minutes of the .-=--. " October 6, 2015, meeting. Commissioner Taylor abstained. Motion carried. (4-0-1) WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS: Received. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None. Commissioner Danskin arrived at 3:03 p.m. CURRENT BUSINESS: 1. NOMINATIONS FOR UPCOMING PRESERVATION AWARDS Recommendation: Choose a "most intact block with historic character" and/or property owner(s) to receive award(s) in May 2016 Chair Rea expressed her view that the area of 6th Avenue between Kalmia and Broadway had an amazing collection of historic homes with the exception of a few homes needing work. She then referenced Councilmember Diaz' comments regarding mid-century homes and felt there was an opportunity to educate the public about these homes. 739 Historic Preservation 02/02/16 Vice-chair Spann noted there were several blocks deserving the award but noted that it would be difficult to provide it to the homeowners of properties not keeping up their property. He recommended the Warren building or Mitsubishi building on Valley Parkway and Escondido Boulevard as good examples of mid-century commercial. Chair Rea felt there were many great examples of mid-century commercial buildings. Discussion ensued regarding giving an award to the block as a whole and then one to the individual homeowners. Additional discussion ensued regarding the purpose of the awards and types of awards. Commissioner Taylor stated the goal was to encourage responsible upkeep and restoration. Chair Rea provided some background history for the historic awards program. She felt that mid-century was of interest at this time and suggested targeting mid- century and commercial structures with varying styles. Commissioner Correll suggested Grey's Ranch. Mrs. Cherry noted that the awards needed to go to properties within the City limits. The consensus of the Commission was that the theme would be mid-century, focusing on educating the public on a wide range of commercial and residential structures. Potential structures included the following: The Warren building at West Valley Parkway and North Escondido Blvd, Union Bank at West Second Avenue and South Escondido Blvd, Cute Cakes building on West Grand Avenue, Frank Lloyd Wright House on East Grape Street, and the house at 3110 Reed Road. Vice-chair Spann suggested presenting the Classical Academy charter high school on East Valley Parkway with an adaptive reuse award. Chair Rea volunteered to do the presentation. The Commission was to send more exact property addresses of each building nominated to staff. An ad hoc work group was created to review potential awards and was comprised of Chair Rea, Commissioner Correll, and Commissioner Danskin. Historic Preservation 02/02/16 740 Commissioner Taylor felt the certificate should be displayed on a visible place on the property. 2. REMINDER: THREE COMMISSIONERS' TERMS DUE FOR RENEWAL: Rozanne Cherry, Principal Planner, noted that Commissioners Taylor, Breitenfeld, and Chair Rea terms were up this year. She noted that applications were due by February 12th. 3. REVIEW OF 2014-2015 CLG ANNUAL REPORT Rozanne Cherry, Principal Planner, and Paul Bingham, Assistant Planner II, referenced the report and noted that staff recommended approval of the 2014- 2015 CLG Annual Report. MOTION: Moved by Vice-chair Spann, seconded by Chair Rea, to approve the 2014-2015 CLG Annual Report. Commissioner Danskin referenced Page 15, Section 7g, and felt work needed to be done in the way of preserving streetscapes in public right-of-ways. Mrs. Cherry noted that the Commission had created street and curb preservation standards in the past and City Engineering was implementing said standards. Commissioner Danskin felt it would be beneficial to do training exercises regarding preservation bodies being trained in the area of public right-of-way preservation for streetscapes. Chair Rea noted that the Old Escondido Neighborhood had been pushing for street lighting. Mr. Bingham referenced a list of webinars, noting that one on energy efficiency and restoration of historic lighting fixtures was available on May 4th. Discussion ensued regarding establishing guidelines for public right-of-way lighting. Mrs. Cherry offered to bring up street lighting in the Old Escondido Neighborhood Historic District as a discussion item with the City's Appearance committee. ACTION ON MOTION: Motion carried unanimously (6-0-0) to approve the 2014- 2015 CLG Annual Report. 741 Historic Preservation 02/0 2 /16 4. DISCUSSION OF HPC 1-YEAR AND 5-YEAR PLANS Rozanne Cherry, Principal Planner, referenced the staff report and requested input. After discussion staff Items 1-3 were slated for 2016, Item 4 would begin in 2017, Item 5 would begin in 2016, and Item 6 would be ongoing. Discussion ensued regarding the funding sources and methods for conducting surveys. Additional discussion ensued regarding further investigating Items 5a and b. Staff was to revise the goal list. 5. UPDATE ON COUNCIL COMMENTS AND DISCUSSION ON MID- CENTURY PROPERTIES Rozanne Cherry, Principal Planner, and Paul Bingham, Assistant Planner II, referenced the staff report and noted that City Council was concerned with the amount of potential mid-century homes that could come forward. Mr. Bingham noted that very few Mills Act Contracts were awarded each year, noting that the City currently has 84. Chair Rea felt criteria needed to be established for mid-century homes applying for Mills Act Contracts. Mr. Bingham noted that some jurisdictions had a cap on the number of Mills Act mid-century homes allowed per year. Commissioner Danskin stated that historic preservation preserves the story, noting that in his view, even later additions add to a property's story. Chair Rea noted that mid-century homes were indicative of being constructed after the war years, noting there were thousands of potential homes in Escondido. Commissioner Danskin questioned limiting the number of mid-century Mills Act applications, feeling the benefits of Mills Act properties included increasing property values and neighborhood aesthetics. He also felt each property would have to stand on its own merits. Chair Rea felt careful consideration needed to be given to how altered a property was. Historic Preservation 02/02/16 742 The consensus of the Commission was that each mid-century property would be considered on a case-by-case basis. 6. DISCUSS ATTENDING UPCOMING WEBINAR Paul Bingham, Planner II, provided an overview of the upcoming webinar on how designers are using the Historic Building Code to save properties. He noted that attending this webinar would count toward every commissioner's required annual CLG training. Commissioners Danskin, Lee, Rea, Spann, and Correll noted they would attend. 7. AD HOC WORK GROUP REPORT ON MILLS ACT VISITS Chair Rea noted that she had not been contacted by any of the Mills Act property owners. Mr. Bingham noted that staff would be sending out the second letter. Chair Rea asked staff to look into some formal identification or business cards for the commissioners. Commissioner Danskin suggested that the business cards reference the City staff for contact. 4.•••••• 8. AD HOC WORK GROUP REPORT ON UPDATING THE CITY'S HISTORIC GUIDELINES Chair Rea noted that they were making progress and moving ahead with using the Fort Lauderdale, Florida format for the guidelines. She noted that the work group would be meeting later this month. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - None. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: Commissioner Danskin and Chair Rea discussed the home tour and promoting historic preservation through photographs of Grand Avenue and Escondido at Cruising Grand or in storefronts. Chair Rea noted she was working on providing information regarding Escondido's history to the Visitors Center. Discussion ensued regarding the structure on 4th Avenue that was struck by the tree during the recent storms. Chair Rea noted she would do a press release if approved by the owners. 743 Historic Preservation 02/02/16 ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 pm. The next regular meeting was scheduled for April 5, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. Rozartr ie Cherry, Principal P nner P ulson, Minutes Clerk ri