Historic Preservation Commission Meeting

MINUTES HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Thursday, January 14, 2016 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm 580 PACIFIC STREET, COUNCIL CHAMBERS MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Commissioners Present: Barlow, Hawley, O'Brien, O'Neil, Denley, Smith-Crivello Commissioners Absent: Petty Staff Members Present: Principal Planner Caraker, Senior Planner Hopper, Recording Secretary Salameh CALL TO ORDER Chair Barlow called the meeting to order at 4:04 pm. CONSENT ITEMS Approval of Minutes 1. December 10, 2015 ACTION: Approved as submitted. On a motion by Commissioner O'Brien, seconded by Commissioner Smith-Crivello, and carried by the following vote, the Historic Preservation Commission approved the Consent Agenda as submitted. AYES: 6 COMMISSIONERS: Barlow, Hawley, O'Brien, O'Neil, Denley, Smith- Crivello NOES: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: 1 COMMISSIONERS: Petty ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ***End of Consent Agenda*** PUBLIC COMMENTS None. PUBLIC HEARING  Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, January 14, 2016 2. Consider 1320 David Avenue; Historic Permit 15-426 for Removing 1320 David Avenue from the New Monterey Reconnaissance Survey List; Applicant Seth Bergstein; Owner Lynda Gibbons; R-15 Zoning District; CEQA: Exempt per Article 18, Section 15270 ACTION: Continued to February 11, 2016 Historic Preservation Commission Meeting. On a motion by Commissioner O'Neil, seconded by Commissioner Denley, and carried by the following vote, the Historic Preservation Commission continued the Item to the February 11, 2016 Historic Preservation Commission Meeting. AYES: 6 COMMISSIONERS: Barlow, Hawley, O'Brien, O'Neil, Denley, Smith- Crivello NOES: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: 1 COMMISSIONERS: Petty ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None 3. Confirm Annual Appointments for Chair and Vice Chair Principal Planner Caraker explained the process of Chair and Vice Chair confirmations and asked if the HPC would like to wait until City Council confirms new appointments for the HPC to make changes. Chair Barlow said that he thought that confirming new appointments at the current time would be acceptable. Ms. Caraker said that next in succession for Chair would be Vice Chair O’Neil and that Commissioner O’Brien would be next in succession for Vice Chair. Commissioner O’Brien said that she would accept the appointment of Vice Chair, with Commissioner O’Neil as newly-appointed Chair. Ms. Caraker confirmed that the new appointments would officially go into effect at the February 11, 2016 Historic Preservation Commission Meeting. 4. Discuss Historic Ordinance Revisions/Update Senior Planner Hopper presented the Agenda Report and took Commissioners’ questions. Ms. Hopper described the Mills Act Contract section of the City Code. She said that she would make revisions for the HPC to consider that would streamline the general Mills Act Contract procedure for applicants. Commissioner O’Brien asked if staff believes that the public perceives Commissioners’ and staff members’ work as a beneficial or restrictive in terms of purchasing a possibly historic property. Ms. Hopper said that some applicants are fearful of the process because they would like Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, January 14, 2016 2  Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, January 14, 2016 to make modifications to their homes freely, while others want to preserve the historic character of their homes and Monterey. Commissioner Hawley asked if there was a way to document property values in Monterey in correlation with the adoption of the historic ordinance. Ms. Hopper said that it may take a while in order to document a correlation, but that it has been documented on a national level that property values in historic districts are typically higher. Commissioner Hawley said that she is interested to know if people want to buy H-2 designated houses. Ms. Hopper said that for the most part, buyers of historic homes take a lot of pride in their properties and their maintenance. Public Comment Nancy Runyon thanked the HPC and said that she thinks the Commission is extremely valuable. She said that she also appreciates their work, as well as the work of staff and that she hopes that they will review and update the ordinance in order to add more protection for historic properties. She said that she would hate to see the beauty and character of the area lost. Chair Barlow praised the ordinance, but that he would like to see better incentives for homeowners that are interested in historic preservation. He also noted that he would like to see a monetary threshold so that applicants do not have to pay a fee each time they want to make a repair or modification to their property. He said that he is interested in increasing the number of Mills Act applications while reducing fees and the number of steps that applicants have to take in the overall process. Commissioner Hawley noted that excessive fees are daunting and that owning a historic property should be a rewarding, not intimidating, experience. Vice Chair O’Neil noted that it is important to allow those that do not have limitless resources to preserve their homes as well. She suggested that perhaps there is a way the City could finance the cost of Mills Act contracts over a period of years for applicants. STUDY SESSION 5. Webinar on Mills Act Commissioners watched a webinar conducted by the California Preservation Foundation on the Mills Act. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Smith-Crivello said that she drove by the house at 1320 David Street and asked if she could make a comment regarding the item, although it had been removed from the agenda since she would not be able to attend the February 11, 2016 HPC Meeting. Commissioner O’Brien said no. Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, January 14, 2016 3 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, January 14, 2016 Vice Chair O’Neil asked if a link to the Secretary of the Interior Standards could be made available on the website. Ms. Caraker said yes. Vice Chair O’Neil announced that the Museum of Monterey was divesting itself of all artifacts and asked if the City had been made aware. She said that she is constantly asked why the City does not have its own museum and that the City needs a place to showcase its rich history. She said that in the City’s Historic Master Plan from 2000, the Stanton center is suggested as a museum for the City of Monterey. She asked if the City would consider memorializing Virginia McClain and noted that Ms. McClain was a mentor for many and that her contributions to the library and the historic homes of Monterey were great. She asked that a bench or wall plaque be considered to honor Ms. McLane’s memory. Commissioner Smith-Crivello said that she attends meetings for Casa Serrano and said that the Museum of Monterey is not divesting itself of all art according to the information she had received at the latest meeting. Vice Chair O’Neil noted that the Museum of Monterey is not divesting itself of all art, but of all artifacts. Commissioner Denley said that he may not be in attendance at the February 11, 2016 meeting. Chair Barlow said that there will be a Hartnell Gulch restoration meeting on February 4, 2016 at the library at 6:30 pm. Commissioner O’Brien expressed concern that the city is going to lose control of the adobes and that their use is not being brought to the forefront as it should. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & STAFF COMMENTS None. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:55 pm with the webinar portion to follow. Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, January 14, 2016 4 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Thursday, January 14, 2016 Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Elizabeth Caraker, AICP Chair Principal Planner Historic Preservation Commission Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, January 14, 2016 5