Historic Preservation Commission Meeting

MINUTES HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Thursday, March 5, 2015 SPECIAL MEETING 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm FEW MEMORIAL HALL OF RECORDS COUNCIL CHAMBERS 580 PACIFIC STREET MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Commissioners Present: Barlow, O’Neil, Fletcher, Hawley, O’Brien, Petty (4:01 pm) Commissioners Absent: None Staff Members Present: Principal Planner Caraker, Recording Secretary Leinen CALL TO ORDER Chair Barlow called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. CONSENT ITEMS Vice Chair O’Neil made a motion to approve the Consent Items. Commissioner Hawley seconded the motion. On a motion by Commissioner O'Neil, seconded by Commissioner Hawley, and carried by the following vote, the Historic Preservation Commission approved the CONSENT ITEMS: AYES: 5 COMMISSIONERS: Fletcher, Barlow, Hawley, O'Brien, O'Neil NOES: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: 1 COMMISSIONERS: Petty (arrived after vote on Consent Items) ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None Approval of Minutes 1. January 8, 2015 ACTION: Approved as submitted. ***End of Consent Agenda*** PUBLIC COMMENTS None. PUBLIC APPEARANCE 2. Consider 848 Via Mirada; Historic Permit 15-048 to Allow the Location of a 10' 9" Tall Cistern in the Rear Yard of a Historic Property; Zoning Residential Estate/Historic Overlay; Applicant/Owner Mike Dawson ACTION: Adopted a Resolution approving Historic Permit 15-048 for a 10’ 9” tall cistern in the rear yard of a historic property located at 848 Via Mirada Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 with added Condition of Approval. Staff Presentation/Committee Member Questions Elizabeth Caraker presented the Agenda Report and answered Commissioners’ questions. Applicant Mike Dawson, applicant/owner, said there will be a trellis with vines around the cistern that was not shown on the application. Regarding Chair Barlow’s question, Mr. Dawson said there will be a 22 foot concrete ring, 18 inches wide and two feet deep, with sand and gravel supporting the cistern’s metal frame which will contain a rubber bladder. Mr. Dawson also said there will be a new overflow line from the tank to the existing sump. In response to Commissioner Petty’s question, Mr. Dawson said corrugated metal is used instead of smooth metal because it is stronger. Mr. Dawson also said the cistern will consist of three thicknesses of metal, with the thickest layer at the bottom, and a corrugated metal roof. Mr. Dawson introduced Historic Consultant Kent Seavy and said he is available to answer questions. Carole Dawson said the height of the installed tank will actually only be 6’ 3”. She also said all the neighbors are in support of the cistern and that she has emails of support from the three closest neighbors. Public Comments None. Committee Member Comments Ms. Caraker requested that the HPC add the trellis to the Resolution as a required Condition of Approval. Vice Chair O’Neil made motion to adopt a Resolution approving Historic Permit 15-048 for a 10’ 9” tall cistern in the rear yard of a historic property located at 848 Via Mirada with added Condition of Approval as follows: 4. That the applicant shall provide a trellis and landscaping surrounding the tank for additional screening. Commissioner Petty seconded the motion. On a motion by Commissioner O'Neil, seconded by Commissioner Petty, and carried by the following vote, the Historic Preservation Commission adopt a Resolution approving Historic Permit 15-048 for a 10’ 9” tall cistern in the rear yard of a historic property located at 848 Via Mirada with added Condition of Approval: AYES: 6 COMMISSIONERS: Fletcher, Barlow, Hawley, O'Brien, O'Neil, Petty NOES: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 2  Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 3. Consider 503 Pearl Street; Application 15-013 to Remove a Property from the Downtown Reconnaissance Survey List; Zoning Planned Community - Downtown; Applicant/Owner Patrick McNeil ACTION: No action taken - Property will remain on the Downtown Reconnaissance Survey list as potentially historic. Staff Presentation/Committee Member Questions Ms. Caraker presented the Agenda Report and answered Commissioners’ questions. Applicant Patrick McNeil, applicant, said he and his wife purchased the house two years ago and the changes to the house had already occurred. Mr. McNeil said because they wanted to add a garage to the property, a historian was contacted to determine if the house is historic. The historian was unable to locate any photographic evidence of what the building previously looked like. Mr. McNeil said he fully supports the idea of a Pearl Street Historic district, and plans to leave the appearance of the building facing Pearl and Figueroa Streets the same. He also said he would like to keep the house’s unique character while updating the current living space by adding off-street parking. In response to Commissioner Petty’s question, Mr. McNeil said the current garage is too small to fit a modern car and can only be accessed through an exterior door. He also said he would like to replace the current garage door with a window, and does not plan to un-enclose the enclosed front porch. Public Comments None. Committee Member Comments Vice Chair O’Neil said the term “vernacular” means of the people or a people’s style, and she does not believe all structures need to have gingerbread or wooden ornamentation to be considered vernacular. She also said she has a problem with the application because if the property changes hands in the future and is no longer seen as potentially historic, it could be torn down and replaced. Commissioner O’Brien said it is unfortunate that the applicants are running into problems when they just want to create a habitation for themselves. Commissioner Hawley said the historian’s report mentions a Japanese fisherman, Tajuro Watanabe, as a previous significant owner and this may be a more of a reason to keep the property as potentially historic than the issue of vernacular style. Commissioner Fletcher said he supports staff’s recommendation since so much of the property has been changed and there are no longer character defining features. He also said that keeping everything on the historic list dilutes the most significant properties on the list and that every piece of architecture does not have to be considered historic to make the area historic. In response to Commissioner Hawley’s question, Ms. Caraker said that the Downtown Specific Plan identifies a potential historic district along Pearl Street, but she cannot confirm whether it would qualify as a historic district. Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 3 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 In response to Vice Chair O’Neil’s question, Ms. Caraker said another historic analysis would have to be prepared to determine if a garage could be built on the site that would meet the Secretary of the Interior’s (SOI) Standards. Chair Barlow said he is unsure if the HPC would be in a position to approve a Mills Act application, if presented with one, given all the changes to the property. Commissioner Hawley said if the HPC determines the house to be not historical due to the changes that were made a long time ago, it may set a precedent that only the building that is exactly as it was when it was constructed is important or valuable. In response to Commissioner Petty’s question, Ms. Caraker said if a future garage project for the property could not be administratively approved, it would not be denied, but would come before the HPC for consideration. Commissioner Hawley said the HPC is not allowed to consider things outside the scope of the application, such as the garage. Commissioner O’Brien said the HPC needs to decide whether or not the property is historic. Commissioner Petty acknowledged the applicant’s request to address the Committee. Mr. McNeil said the application became complicated because the garage he would like to build requires modifications to the roof, which caused the Planning Department to run into conflicts with the SOI Standards. Mr. McNeil said the alternative would be to build a new garage, but this would waste space and create an undesirable alley between buildings. Regarding the Mills Act, Mr. McNeil said if the HPC could approve a contract he would be fine with it, and he is looking for a determination from the HPC on whether or not the house is historic. Chair Barlow said the building may not be a pristine example of a historic building, but the HPC is not ready to deem it non-historic. Commissioner Hawley added that if a notable person has lived on the property it is usually considered more important. Commissioner O’Brien made a motion to adopt a Resolution removing the property at 503 Pearl Street from the Downtown Reconnaissance Survey List. Commissioner Fletcher seconded the motion. On a motion by Commissioner O'Brien, seconded by Commissioner Fletcher, and carried by the following vote, the Historic Preservation Commission moved to adopt a Resolution removing the property at 503 Pearl Street from the Downtown Reconnaissance Survey List: AYES: 2 COMMISSIONERS: Fletcher, O'Brien NOES: 4 COMMISSIONERS: Barlow, Hawley, O'Neil, Petty ABSENT: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 4  Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 The motion failed. Commissioner Petty said he voted against the motion because he is not convinced that the house is not a good representation of the neighborhood and the history, and because the owners said they would like to preserve the property, so the changes desired could be made with the SOI Standards in mind. 4. Receive Report on Certified Local Government Annual Report ACTION: Received report and provided edits. Staff Presentation/Committee Member Questions Ms. Caraker presented the Agenda Report and answered Commissioners’ questions. Public Comments None. Committee Member Comments Commissioner Petty said it appears the Commissioners have a high rate of absence due to the HPC only having five meetings in the past 12 months. Ms. Caraker said she will add a note to the report with reference to attendance to clarify the total number of meetings held. Chair Barlow said this year’s report is similar to the report reviewed by the HPC last year. Ms. Caraker requested that the HPC receive the report and provide edits. Commissioner Petty made a motion to receive the Annual Report on Certified Local Government. Commissioner O’Brien seconded the motion. On a motion by Commissioner Petty, seconded by Commissioner O'Brien, and carried by the following vote, the Historic Preservation Commission received the Annual Report on Certified Local Government: AYES: 6 COMMISSIONERS: Fletcher, Barlow, Hawley, O'Brien, O'Neil, Petty NOES: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Vice Chair O’Neil said at the last meeting the HPC requested information about Historic Monterey. Ms. Caraker said she has not received any meeting invitations since the last meeting, but she will forward the invitation for Historic Monterey’s quarterly meeting once she receives it. Commissioner Hawley said she received a phone call from KSBW regarding the restaurant proposed for the Cooper-Molera Adobe and referred it to Ms. Caraker. Ms. Caraker said the HPC is tentatively scheduled to have a special meeting on March 19, 2015 to review the Cooper-Molera Adobe project at either 4:00 pm or 7:00 pm. Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 5 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & STAFF COMMENTS Ms. Caraker gave information regarding the Monterey Bay Planning Symposium and said there is still time for HPC Members to sign up. She also confirmed that the City will pay the cost of registration. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:12 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Elizabeth Caraker Chair Principal Planner Historic Preservation Commission Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 5, 2015 6