Historic Preservation Commission Meeting

DocuSign Envelope ID: 82FBDD27-821A-4370-9979-2E3717C23DDE MINUTES HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Thursday, September 12, 2019 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM 580 PACIFIC STREET, COUNCIL CHAMBERS MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Members Present: Dawson, Napoli, Barlow, Collum, O’Brien, O’Neil, Smith-Crivello Members Absent: None Staff Members Present: Housing and Community Development Manager Caraker, Principal Planner Flower, Administrative Assistant Salameh 1. Meeting Procedures CALL TO ORDER Chair Dawson called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. CONSENT ITEMS Approval of Minutes 2. August 8, 2019 Action: Approved as submitted. On a motion by Commissioner Collum, seconded by Commissioner O’Neil, and carried by the following vote, the Historic Preservation Commission approved the August 8, 2019 minutes as submitted. AYES: 7 MEMBERS: Dawson, Napoli, Barlow, Collum, O’Brien, O’Neil, Smith-Crivello NOES: 0 MEMBERS: None ABSENT: 0 MEMBERS: None ABSTAIN: 0 MEMBERS: None RECUSED: 0 MEMBERS: None PUBLIC COMMENTS None. PUBLIC APPEARANCE 3. Approve 603-605 Hoffman Avenue; Application TM-18-0208 for Mills Act Contract and H-2 Historic Zoning; Applicant Susana DeFatima Silva; Owner Test of Tyme LLC; R-3-5 Zoning District; Exempt from CEQA per Article 19, Section 15305, Class 5, and Section 15331, Class 31 Heard first on the agenda. Action: Approved 603-605 Hoffman Avenue; application TM-18-0208 for Mills Act DocuSign Envelope ID: 82FBDD27-821A-4370-9979-2E3717C23DDE Architectural Review Committee Minutes Wednesday, June 19, 2019 Contract and H-2 historic zoning. Staff Presentation/Commissioner Questions Principal Planner Flower presented images of the subject site and took Commissioners’ questions. Commissioner Smith-Crivello asked about the evaluation of the subject site in the New Monterey reconnaissance survey and Ms. Flower explained the evaluation process and necessary steps to obtain an intensive survey. Commissioner Smith-Crivello asked if criteria existed in order to recommend approval of a Mills Act contract for the property, and Ms. Flower replied that the HPC would need to find the property eligible and recommend it to be designated as historic. Commissioner O’Neil asked if the chimney was seismically sound. Ms. Flower replied that the applicant would be amenable to a chimney inspection, but that it had not been determined if the chimney was seismically sound at this time. Commissioner O’Neil asked about the proposed maintenance on the area under the staircase, which was estimated to cost $1500. Ms. Flower deferred to the property owner. Public Comments Applicant Don Whitaker said that he recognized the uniqueness of the building and said that his goal is to restore it in historically-accurate fashion. Commissioner O’Neil asked about maintenance for the storage area under the staircase. Mr. Whitaker replied that because moisture seeps downhill and into the staircase area, he would be working to maintain the integrity of the staircase. He said that his objective was to turn the property into a single family dwelling in the future. Chair Dawson said that there were no original windows and asked if Mr. Whitaker had photos of the original windows. Mr. Whitaker said that the windows were very similar to those of the City Council Chambers. Chair Dawson asked if the doors were original and Mr. Whitaker said that the front doors would require replacement. Chair Dawson asked if the garage door was original, to which Mr. Whitaker replied that it was not. He said that at one point, the garage may not have had a door. Chair Dawson noted that the porch was not original and said that she understood it had been removed without a permit. Mr. Whitaker explained that he had wanted to replace the porch because it was unsafe. He tried to repair it, but as they took it apart, it crumbled. Chair Dawson asked about the original location of the house and Mr. Seavey replied that it was perhaps relocated from the Oak Grove neighborhood, but that he was unsure. 2 DocuSign Envelope ID: 82FBDD27-821A-4370-9979-2E3717C23DDE Architectural Review Committee Minutes Wednesday, June 19, 2019 Commissioner Smith-Crivello asked about the supports underneath the porch and Mr. Whitaker said that they were braces placed for safety purposes. Kent Seavey said that a photograph had been taken of the façade and that the original porch was built on soil, but that the new structure was rebuilt to the exact dimensions of the original. Commissioner Smith-Crivello asked Mr. Seavey to present a report on the subject site. Mr. Seavey spoke about the home’s designer, Douglas Knox Frasier, and addressed the Queen Anne Cottage style of the home, which possibly originated in Oak Grove and then shifted to New Monterey as working class housing. He said that in the mid twentieth century, Sears sold aluminum siding, which had been applied over the original siding of the house. He noted that the original siding was preserved due to the application process. He said that at least a half dozen original Douglas Knox Frasier Queen Anne Cottages still existed in Oak Grove, for reference. He said that by the end of the project, a gem would sit on the subject site that would be a testament to the Mills Act contract benefits. Commissioner Smith-Crivello said that she could see nothing of the original redwood siding and was unsure of its condition, and whether it was viable. Mr. Seavey said that the condition of the redwood was fine, as indicated by exploratory work at the rear of the building. Commissioner Smith-Crivello expressed concern regarding the windows, doors, and the porch. Mr. Seavey said that the pierced work above the posts on the porch was original and addressed concerns regarding doors and windows. Commissioner Smith-Crivello said that she did not see much to indicate the site retained its original materials and asked if the chimney would be maintained. Mr. Seavey said the chimney would be maintained. He said that two windshield surveys had been conducted by the City and that by investigation and discovery, the original building did exist. Commissioner Smith-Crivello noted different instances in which properties had been either approved or denied Mills Acts. She asked if they were committed to retaining the chimney, as well as the windows and the doors, to which Mr. Seavey said yes. Commissioner Comments Commissioner O’Neil moved to approve the project as submitted and Commissioner Collum seconded. Commissioner Barlow raised the topic of whether only pristine properties should receive Mills Acts and gave San Francisco as an example. He said that through the Mills Act process, a layer of protection could be added that would not otherwise exist. Chair Dawson said that there were many features of the property that were not original, such as façade, siding, doors and windows. She expressed concerns about the garage door, shingles, front porch, downspouts, that the house had been changed from a single family dwelling to a duplex, and that the house had been moved from its original location. She 3 DocuSign Envelope ID: 82FBDD27-821A-4370-9979-2E3717C23DDE Architectural Review Committee Minutes Wednesday, June 19, 2019 added that she felt this would end up a reproduction rather than a historic property. Mr. Seavey said that over time, these things gained historical significance and that the changes occurred well within the 50-year mark. Commissioner O’Neil said that it retained its form and resembled a Queen Anne of its period. She said that she struggled with windows often because they were a major component in determining the historic accuracy of structures, adding that windows can be replaced and a structure could still remain on the National Register. She said that if the home was removed from the reconnaissance survey list, it could be potentially demolished. She said she felt the original could be revealed and recovered. Commissioner Barlow said that while there were many imperfections, yet it was still a Douglas Knox Frasier house. He likened the subject site to considering a Frank Lloyd Wright house that had been modified. Chair Dawson asked about wood rather than composition shingles for roof replacement. Mr. Seavey said that insurance standards had changed due to the high fire hazard of the area and that he was not sure about shingle material. Commissioner Smith-Crivello said that she came into the project with serious doubts, but that she was hopeful for the preservation of the house. She said that she looked forward to seeing the restoration of the property. On a motion by Commissioner O’Neil, seconded by Commissioner Collum, and carried by the following vote, the Historic Preservation Commission approved 603-605 Hoffman Avenue; application TM-18-0208 for Mills Act Contract and H-2 historic zoning. AYES: 6 MEMBERS: Napoli, Barlow, Collum, O’Brien, O’Neil, Smith- Crivello NOES: 1 MEMBERS: Dawson ABSENT: 0 MEMBERS: None ABSTAIN: 0 MEMBERS: None RECUSED: 0 MEMBERS: None COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner O’Neil asked if the HPC could get more information on events in the City that are history-related. Ms. Caraker replied that the item could be added to the Planning Office Update. Commissioner O’Neil gave an update on tours at the Naval Facility at Point Sur. Commissioner Smith-Crivello said that she would not be at the meeting in October and said that she would like a Mills Act list of buildings, to which Ms. Caraker replied that the list was almost complete. Commissioner Smith-Crivello said that the recent Festa Italia was wonderful and that she appreciated those that worked on it and similar events. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & STAFF COMMENTS 4. Planning Office Update 4 DocuSign Envelope ID: 82FBDD27-821A-4370-9979-2E3717C23DDE Architectural Review Committee Minutes Wednesday, June 19, 2019  Update received. Ms. Caraker said that a number of items would most likely be on the November Agenda and gave an update on the Historic Ordinance. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Elizabeth Caraker, AICP Chair Housing & Community Development Manager Architectural Review Committee 5