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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009/02/11 - Agenda Packet THE CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA ' h HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Lt AGENDA RANCHO CUCAMONGA FEBRUARY 11 , 2009 - 7:00 PM Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center Council Chambers 10500 Civic Center Drive Rancho Cucamonga, California , I. CALL To ORDER Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call Chairman Fletcher Vice Chairman Munoz • Stewart _ Howdyshell _ Wimberly II. ANNOUNCEMENTS III.. APPROVAL OF MINUTES January 28, 2009 IV. DIRECTOR'S REPORTS A. REVIEW OF CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT CERTIFICATION APPLICATION AND ATTACHMENTS FOR SUBMITTAL TO THE STATE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION - -DRC2008-00928 - CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA V. PUBLIC COMMENTS This is the time and place for the general public to address the commission. Items to be discussed here are those that do not already appear on this agenda. • I • VI. COMMISSION BUSINESS/COMMENTS ,h HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION III gits AGENDA bi- RA NCHO FEBRUARY 11 , 2009 RA CUCAMONGA Page 2 IVII. ADJOURNMENT I, Lois J. Schrader, Planning Commission Secretary of the City of Rancho Cucamonga, or my designee, hereby certify that a true, accurate copy of the foregoing agenda was posted on February 5, 2009, at least 72 hours prior to the meeting per Government Code Section 54964.2 at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga. / i Please turn off all cellular phones and pagers while the meeting is in session. Copies of the Planning Commission agendas and minutes can be found at http://www.ci.rancho-cucamonga.ca.us • • If you need special assistance or accommodations to participate in this meeting, • please contact the Planning Department at (909) 477-2750. Notification of 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility. Listening devices are available for the hearing impaired. STAFF REPORT PLANNING DEPARTMENT Date: February 11, 2009 RANCHO CUCAMONGA To: Chairman and Members of the Historic Preservation Commission From: James R. Troyer, AICP, Planning Director By: Mayuko Nakajima, Assistant Planner • Subject: REVIEW OF CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT CERTIFICATION APPLICATION AND ATTACHMENTS FOR SUBMITTAL TO THE STATE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION — DRC2008-00928 — CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA. BACKGROUND: On November 19, 2008, City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the submittal of an application, DRC2008-00928, to the State of California requesting the City of Rancho Cucamonga be a certified local government for the purposes of historic preservation. The City Council directed staff to move forward with the application. GENERAL: Staff completed the application to be submitted to the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) with the following attachments: 1. CLG Certification application form • 2. Signed resolution adopted by the elected officials authorizing application for Certified Local Government status 3. Completed CLG certification application form and CLG Certification Application Attachments with Exhibits 4. Copies of relevant preservation publications, activities, programs, and projects the City of Rancho Cucamonga is currently sponsoring 5. Resumes for each member of the Historic Preservation Commission (5 resumes) . 6. Contact information and resumes of staff members responsible for administration of the Historic Preservation Program 7. Organization charts for local government and for the department that administers the Historic Preservation Program 8. Evidence of cultural resources survey(s) performed in the community 9. Copy of the local Historic Preservation Ordinance 10. Copy of the local Historic Preservation Plan or element of the General Plan Staff has attached Item No. 3, CLG Certification Application Attachments, (Exhibit A) to this staff report for final review by the Commission. When the OHP receives the application, they will respond within 45 days and then • forward an OHP recommendation for certification to the National Park Service (NPS) who makes the final certification decision. After the NPS agrees with the OHP's Item A • HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION STAFF REPORT . DRC2008-00928 February 11 , 2009 Page 2 • recommendation, a certification agreement will be prepared and signed by both the OHP and the local government, at which time the local government is considered formally certified. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission review the attachments and file for future reference. Respectfully submitted, 2s R. Jac/ R. Troyer, AICP Planning Director JRT:MN\ge Attachments: Exhibit A - CLG Certification Application Attachments • • A-2 J • CLG Certification Application Attachments City of Rancho Cucamonga 10500 Civic Center Drive Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 1. Provide a narrative summary describing past and current Historic Resource Survey activities, including type of survey (Reconnaissance or Intensive) and percentage of coverage of local jurisdiction. Additionally, provide information regarding future survey plans and how they will conform to the State and Federal standards for surveys. In the late 1980's, efforts of volunteers, members of the Historic Preservation Commission, and City staff members completed Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) forms for hundreds of properties that seemed eligible for listing. Some properties have been individually designated, and some areas were identified as future historic districts. Results from findings of properties are compiled into a local inventory called the "Designated and Potential Historic Site List." Currently, the City has 79 separate local landmarks, 30 properties designated as "historic points of interest," over 100 properties as designated potential local landmarks, and over 150 properties as requiring additional investigation. Additionally, throughout the years, as new resources were discovered that may have been missed during the first initial survey, the site list was updated and DPR forms were completed by staff. During the early 1990's, City staff members focused on developing a "Neighborhood Plan" for the Old Alta Loma area, a sleepy "downtown" that needs attention and revitalization. Evidence of this attempt is attached as Exhibit A (in Tab 8), which consisted of the following methodology: • Surveying the entire area, street by street; documentation; determining which properties contribute to the historic character of the community; establishing design guidelines for alterations or new construction; public participation by advertising; and conducting neighborhood meetings, resulting in high turnouts. Despite the time and effort put into this project, financial constraints and lay-offs during the early 1990's put the Old Alta Loma project on hold until further notice. The City would like to revisit this opportunity again in the near future as staff and funds become available. •The estimated percentage of historic resources that have been documented within the City is approximately 30 percent. Efforts of identifying historical resources consisted of many reconnaissance surveys: Based on these "windshield" type surveys, individual properties would be examined closely for historical significance as set forth in Section 2.24.090 (Landmark Designation review criteria) of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, on a case-by-case basis. The current survey codes do not conform to State survey guidelines. However, the City is undergoing a General Plan Update, and as part of that effort, professional Historic Preservation consultants will be surveying more properties with an undetermined status code and will be conducting surveys that conform to State and Federal standards. Many of the City's historic resources are the result of specific development patterns. Specifically, the consultants have targeted areas to be surveyed based on historic contexts identified such as water, railroads, agriculture, grapes and citrus, Route 66, and the three communities: Alta Loma, Cucamonga, and Etiwanda. New and old identified historic resources will be associated with a "theme." They have identified these target areas by examining old archival maps, Geographical Information Systems technology, and previously surveyed properties. The criteria to evaluate these properties will be based on National/California Register criteria and if the resource(s) possess a certain degree of integrity. Integrity has never been a measurement tool for evaluating significance in this City, but • will be included in the future as a requirement in the Historic Preservation Ordinance Update. • EXHIBIT A A-3 2. Provide a narrative summary of current Historic Preservation Program activities performed by the local government. For example: Local Designation Programs, • Educational/Outreach Programs, Design Review, etc. Upon the adoption of the City's first Historic Preservation Ordinance in 1979, the Historic Preservation Commission reviews local landmark designations, alterations to landmarks, Mills Act agreements, demolition of potential historic resources, and other historic preservation-related activities as necessary. The City is currently in the process of updating its General Plan. The three major and new themes to be woven into the document are Sustainability, Healthy Communities, and Historic Preservation. As part of developing a long-term strategy and up-to-date policies, the City has hired a professional team of Historic Preservation consultants to perform a city-wide survey to identify historic contexts, themes, and unidentified resources. The General Plan team conducted stakeholder interviews in February and March of 2008 as pad of the City of Rancho Cucamonga General Plan Update Program to identify concerns and input from the Community. One of the topics covered was "Resource Conservation - Historic Preservation". Exhibit B summarizes the results of the stakeholder interviews conducted for that portion of the General Plan. In conjunction, the City is also updating its Historic Preservation Ordinance to be consistent with case law and in conformance with State and Federal standards. Staff has compiled a stakeholder group for the purposes of reviewing and identifying potential issues or regulations that may be necessary in the update. As of today, the City has conducted two stakeholder meetings for the purposes of the Ordinance update. Summaries of the meetings are attached as Exhibit C. A first draft will be completed within the next several months, reviewed by the City Attorney, and presented to the Historic Preservation Commission for initial feedback and comments. A detailed work plan is attached as Exhibit•D and the draft ordinance is attached as Exhibit E. As the City • grew and developed, community concerns and the awareness of the importance of its surviving historic resources, policies and procedures were written but never fully adopted and enforced. Within the Ordinance Update, the City plans to have up-to-date, firm policies in place. Other Historic Preservation activities: • • Archives Management — The City has an extensive list of archival materials stored at a • • professional archival management facility. All of the items are safely kept in fire-safe vaults and the list is managed by City staff. • The Oral History Program was first initiated in 1991 with an objective to examine the citrus areas and the viticulture heritage. Some of these oral histories were conducted as part of mitigation for projects. As funds became available, the Oral History Program was updated in 1994 and 2001. The program consists of an Oral History Respondent List of potential people to interview. They were contacted and interviewed with different consultants taking on the project. Through the years, 35 interviews have been conducted and transcribed into recorded documentation. The oral history process includes a pre-interview consultant with research time of 19 hours per interview and an average interview of one hour per individual. The interviews are recorded, which is then transferred to a digital format and duplicate copy on CD for inclusion in the City Archives. The finished product includes a bound and edited transcription of each interview. Interviewees sign the interview and the photograph release forms, so that the interviews conducted are made available online, on the City's website, and in audio or transcribed format for the public to view. Oral histories have been a great way to capture the essence of significant areas of the City. • City of Rancho Cucamonga — CLG Certification Qp4nlication Attachments 2 • The Historic Plaque Program was initiated in 1991, and was created to identify historic • properties throughout the City with the placement of a bronze plaque, usually in the front yard. This allows other city residents identify designated historic properties in the neighborhood, making them curious about the City's rich history. This program provides outreach to the community and promotes historic preservation through awareness. • Staff plans to not only update the historic preservation portion of the City website, but incorporate design, illustrations, photos, and other features to create a user-friendly, informative, and interesting website for the public. Some ideas for the new website include a gallery of before and after photos of successful rehabilitation projects, an interactive map of historic landmarks throughout the City, forums, etc. • Staff is in regular contact with local Historical Preservation Societies within the area. The Societies are notified of any historic preservation-related iteni on the Historic Preservation Commission agendas. • The City celebrated its first National Historic Preservation Month in May 2008; the nationwide preservation celebration was originally created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. May was the "kick-off' month to create awareness that "Preservation Matters." With the help of local Historical Societies and interested Community members, the events. held at City Hall and the library were a great beginning to a series of"Preservation Months" to come. • Participation in the annual Grape Harvest Festival in November. The Spirit of the Grape Harvest Festival dates back over 200 years to the planting of the first grapes at the Mission San Gabriel Archangel. As Rancho Cucamonga grew throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, each of the individual wineries and the various Catholic churches in the area held their own version of a Grape Harvest Festival, celebrating the end of the harvest season and • comparing the fruits of their labor, but in 1939, citizens of the Alta Loma, Etiwanda, and Cucamonga areas decided to officially recognize the 100th anniversary of the planting of the "Mother Vineyard" with the first "Wine and Grape Festival," a celebration that soon became a local yearly tradition. • 3. Provide a narrative summary explaining any new or additional Historic Preservation Program activities that will be carried out as a result of becoming aCLG: .• • • . . . In.conjunction, and with the assistance of the State Historic Preservatidn`Officef (SHPO),. • the City anticipates updating the Historic Preservation Ordinance and upcoming surveys to conform to State and Federal standards. Technical assistance from the SHPO will be helpful to City staff in . preparing these updates. Preservation can be expensive and time-consuming. Grant opportunities would help turn some of these goals into reality. If granted CLG status, the City will apply for grants to further its historic preservation goals with opportunities to update the following potential activities: • Preparation of paperwork to nominate properties to the National Register. The City currently has only two properties listed on the National Register, but have found properties throughout the City that appear eligible for listing. • Another potential activity is the development of an updated inventory system for the City's historic resources. The California Historical Resources Inventory Database (CHRID) would be a phenomenal way to start organizing the City's resources and take advantage of this technology. Currently, photos, maps, or any historical information pertaining to a property are • all in file cabinets. With an easy-to-access database like CHRID, anyone from City of Rancho Cucamonga — CLG Certification/5oplication Attachments 3 Commissioners, staff, or the public can utilize the database to find fast information regarding a • specific property. • As the City moves closer to updating the Ordinance to include language to create Historic Districts, development of design guidelines for these future Historic Districts would become necessary. Clear, established guidelines will help streamline the design review process, benefit the public, and potentially minimize the chance for inappropriate alterations. • Commission and staff training would help ensure appropriate decision-making. Informational conferences held by organizations such as the California Preservation Foundation, the National Trust, or local organizations that offer classes and workshops would help train Commissioners and Historic Preservation staff about preservation law, procedures, decision- making skills, and new ideas or concepts in preservation culture. • With the completion of several phases to the City's Oral History Program, there are additional citizens in the Community that may possess useful and interesting historic information pertinent to a specific area. Conducting another series of oral histories is a potential activity in the near future. 4. Provide a narrative summary which explains the current functions, responsibilities, and authority of the local review commission/board. The Historic Preservation Commission meets twice a month and holds open meetings to encourage public participation. Even if there are no items agendized, every Historic Preservation Commission meeting is open for public comment. Per Section 2.24.070 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, the Commission has the power and duty to: • Administer the provisions of the chapter (Ordinance). • Perform such other advisory functions as may be delegated from time-to-time to the Historic Preservation Commission by the City Council. • Cause to be maintained a current register of landmark designations for public use and information. • • Recommends to the• City Council the designation (or rescinding) of landmarks and points of interest. • The Historic Preservation Commission also reviews and comments on demolition requests of properties that may possess historic significance, reviews alterations to landmarks, and recommends approval to the City Council for Mills Act agreements. As of 1993, the City Council designated the Planning Commission as the Historic Preservation Commission and vested all of the functions, rights, powers, and duties of the Historic Preservation Commission in the members of the Planning Commission. Although the Planning and Historic Preservation Commission are combined into one body, the current Commissioners have a deep interest in preserving the Community's character. Most of them are long-time residents and have seen the changes occur in this fast-developing city. The Commission's overall prioritization of the Preservation Work Program has increased in response to growing community concerns and with preservation being one of the main themes in the General Plan Update. The Commissioners and staff members attend a variety of workshops and conferences to • further their knowledge on planning and historic preservation-related subjects. The most recent City of Rancho Cucamonga— CLG Certification 4\g6ilication Attachments 4 conferences attended by Commissioners and/or staff are as follows: The National American • Planning Association (APA) in Las Vegas (2008), League of California Cities Planning Institute Conference in Sacramento (2008), the UCLA Extension Public Policy Program Planning Commissioners Training Seminars (2008), State APA Conference in San Jose (2007), California Preservation Foundation Conference and workshops in Ventura (2008) and Hollywood (2007). Furthermore, if granted CLG status, the Commissioners would be required to attend at least one preservation-related workshop each year. This requirement would enrich their knowledge and further their skills as a decision-making body for historic preservation. 5. Provide a narrative summary describing economic incentive or other behefits offered by the local government to owners of historic properties. Current Incentives • The Mills Act Program is the most utilized incentive in the City at this time. Currently, the City has 35 active Mills Act agreements with individual property owners. The annual inspection results show that about 90 percent of the homes have been complying with their agreement. The annual inspection also gives opportunity for staff to make direct contact with the property owner and maintain a healthy relationship between local government and private home owners dedicated to preserving their historic properties. • The City of Rancho Cucamonga Development Code (Section 17.08.030) recognizes that existing historical landmarks shall be enhanced through physical improvements. Per the Code, these historical landmarks within Residential Districts may be used other than residential uses with the approval of a Conditional Use Permit. Conditions of Approval for the • permit include fully improved landscaping, parking, new exterior building materials such as roofs, siding, painting, walls or fences, street improvements, drainage facilities, etc. This incentive benefits both the property owner and the City; it gives the property owner benefits otherwise not available, as well as restoring a historic home that the City can be proud of. • The Historic Plaque Program was created to identify designated historic resources throughout the City. This first phase of the program used large bronze plaques that were mounted onto boulders. The program was updated in 2000 and again in 2004, to give more owners the opportunity to participate in the program to identify their historic properties. The new program • did not mount the plaques onto boulders, but placed the bronze plaque onto a Victorian Style mailbox. The most recent phase was completed in 2007, when approximately 26 plaques were installed. The program remains voluntary and there is no cost to the property owner. Costs were supplied through Redevelopment Agency funds. • When rehabilitating, restoring, and/or preserving a qualified historic property in California, they may take advantage of the State Historic Building Code (SHBC). The SHBC is flexible and is intended to facilitate the necessary alterations to the resource so as to preserve their original or restored elements and features. Potential Incentives to be Included within the Ordinance Update • The City currently only has one zoning development code provision whereas a historic residence may be converted into a commercial use upon an approved Conditional Use Permit. There are other similar incentives that may be included such as reduction in parking • requirements, setback reductions, sign regulation waiver for historic signs, allowing increased density, etc. City of Rancho Cucamonga — CLG Certificatiog.pplication Attachments 5 • Maintaining historic properties can be time consuming and expensive. As a type of • compensation, owners could benefit from a waiver or relief from fees incurred from permits, applications, design review, plan checks, business licenses, etc. • In addition to fee waivers, streamlining the permit process for individual historic property owners may be beneficial. Recent stakeholder meetings revealed that the process for applying for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is difficult and hard to manage. Currently, CUP's are reviewed by the Planning Commission. As an incentive to historic property owners only, the City can review these CUP's at staff level instead of at the Commission level. Reviewing an application administratively is more time-efficient, less complicated, less expensive, and less stress for the applicant. Staff could process these applications with more assistance and guidance. • Expedited review for projects involving historic properties. • Creation of a Historic Preservation Trust fund. Funds generated through mitigation, fundraisers, fees, or other preservation-related activities that go into a trust fund could be utilized to support capital improvements relating to the City's historic resources. • Rebate sales tax on building materials. 6. Provide a narrative summary describing how review of projects affecting historical resources in the local government jurisdiction is carried out under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Within the Ordinance Update, designation criteria will mimic the State and Federal criteria to assist with CEQA and Section 106 review. Additionally, the update will include that the Secretary of • the Interior's Standards be used as a "benchmark" as Design Review standards when reviewing alterations to historic resources. Currently (and in the proposed Ordinance), any project that includes resources listed in the California Register, National Register, or Local Register, or any resources that may be eligible for listing are reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission. For demolition requests, we require a consultant (based on qualification standards as stated in the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards) to perform a cultural resource report that includes, but is not limited to:' • Interior/exterior photographs. • Complete DPR523 forms with the National Register, CA Register, and local landmark eligibility evaluation. • Recommendations: Mitigation measures. • Other relevant information discovered. Pursuant to CEQA, below are examples of how past projects that involved impact to significant resources were mitigated: • Requiring of architectural documentation following the guidelines of the Historic American Building Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) drawings. Examples include the Foothill Frostless barn (Well's Barn), the Red Hill Water Tank, Guidera/DiCarlo Homes and Winery (Foothill Marketplace Project), Sam and Alfreda Maloof • Compounds, LaFourcade Store, and the Pearson Garage and Filling Station. • City of Rancho Cucamonga — CLG Certification Apglication Attachments 6 • • Sponsoring a project-specific Oral History Program, targeting those individuals who • contributed to the history of the project and providing the City with transcripts and audios for public use. This has been done with the Foothill Marketplace Project and the Masi Plaza Project. • When appropriate, mandating the relocation of historic buildings, especially residences, as well as significant landscaping elements. The City has a few significant properties that have been relocated such as the Chaffey-Isle House, the Chaffey-Garcia House, the Norton-Fisher House, the Highland Avenue street trees, and with housing tract surrounding the Lord House (landscaping) to name a few. • Requiring the replication of a resource of particular significance. An example is the garage that was constructed to mimic the "Toews House Barn." • Installing a level of interpretive displays, art, and/or artifacts pertinent to the history of that area. Such demonstrations have ranged from a landmark plaque, interpretive walking tours utilizing related artifacts like that completed at the Cucamonga Rancho (Thomas) Winery, and integrated public art that depicts the history of the resource that was conditioned in the Foothill Marketplace Project, Masi Plaza Project, Vineyard Gateway and the Regina Ellena Winery. • Donation of artifacts and materials to the City Archives or to other appropriate historical organizations. There have been instances where artifacts were conditioned to be preserved, such as that of the 100-year-old siding of the Wells Barn and with the Cucamonga Rancho (Thomas) Winery. • Contribution of monetary donation to an organization or historic group that promotes the exhibition and interpretation of history relevant to the impacted resource. Land for the Chaffey-Garcia House relocation site was donated to the City by the developer and the area's • historical society made an agreement with the City to rehabilitate the structure to use as a museum, in exchange for a reasonable rent amount of one dollar per year. The City's mitigation measures for Cultural Resources in the Environmental Checklist Form include: If any prehistoric archaeological resources are encountered before or during grading, the developer will retain a qualified archaeologist to monitor construction activities to take appropriate measures to protect or preserve them for study. With the assistance of the.,archaeologist, the City of Rancho Cucamonga will: • Enact interim measures to protect undesignated sites from demolition or significant modification without an opportunity for the City to establish its archaeological value. • Consider establishing provisions to require incorporation of archaeological sites within new developments, using their special qualities as a theme or focal point. • Pursue educating the public about the archaeological heritage of the area. • Propose mitigation measures and recommend conditions of approval to eliminate adverse project effects on significant, important, and unique prehistoric resources, following appropriate CEQA guidelines. • • Prepare a technical resources management report, documenting the inventory, evaluation, and proposed mitigation of resources within the project area. Submit one copy of the completed report with original illustrations to the San Bernardino County Archaeological • Information Center for permanent archiving. • City of Rancho Cucamonga — CLG Certification Application Attachments 7 A-9 If any paleontological resource (i.e. plant or animal fossils) are encountered before or during • grading, the developer will retain a qualified paleontologist to monitor construction activities to take appropriate measures to protect or preserve them for study. The paleontologist shall submit a report of findings that will also provide specific recommendations regarding further mitigation measures (i.e., paleontological monitoring) that may be appropriate. Where mitigation monitoring is , appropriate, the program must include, but not be limited to, the following measures: • Assign a paleontological monitor, trained and equipped to allow the rapid removal of fossils with minimal construction delay, to the site full-time during the interval of earth-disturbing activities. • Should fossils be found within an area being cleared or graded, divert earth-disturbing activities elsewhere until the monitor has completed salvage. If construction personnel make the discovery, the grading contractor should immediately divert construction and notify the monitor of the find. • Prepare, identify, and curate all recovered fossils for documentation in the summary report and transfer to an appropriate depository(i.e., the San Bernardino County Museum). Currently, the City does not have a specific program in place for a Section 106 consultation, other than through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process requiring a SHPO consultation when Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are used for historic preservation purposes. Currently, the "Pacific Electric Railway Etiwanda .Station" is being rehabilitated through CDBG funds, and staff is working with SHPO to ensure that rehabilitation is being performed using the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. • • • • • City of Rancho Cucamonga — CLG Certification A 10ication Attachments 8