HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RES 2013-28RESOLUTION NO. 2013-28
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM
DESERT APPROVING HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION FOR
SANDPIPER CONDOMINIUMS CIRCLES 11 & 12 LOCATED ON EL
PASEO, AS A LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT. CASE NO. CRPC 13-01
WHEREAS, on April 30, 2013, the Cultural Resource Preservation Committee
conducted a public hearing to consider initiation of Historic District Designation for
Sandpiper Condominiums Circles 11 & 12 located on El Paseo, Assessor's Parcel
No's. 640-200-006, 640-200-005, 640-200-002, 640-200-001, 640-200-003,
640-200-004, 640-200-007, 640-200-008, 640-200-11, 640-200-012, 640-200-
015, 640-200-016, 640-200-014, 640-200-013, 640-200-010, 640-200-009, 640-
200-017, 640-210-001, 640-210-002, 640-210-003, 640-210-004, 640-210-005,
640-210-006, 640-210-007, 640-210-008, 640-210-009, 640-210-010, 640-210-
011, 640-210-012, 640-210-013, 640-210-014, 640-210-015, 640-210-016, 640-
210-017, as a historic district pursuant to Section 29.50 of the Palm Desert
Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee has considered all of the
evidence submitted into the administrative record which includes, but not limited to:
1. Agenda reports were prepared by the Department of Building and Safety.
2. Staff presentation at a workshop held on March 26, 2013 before the Cultural
Resources Preservation Committee.
3. Staff presentation at a meeting and subsequent public hearing held on April 30,
2013 before the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee.
4. The City of Palm Desert, Cultural Resources Ordinance No. 1168, and all other
applicable regulations and codes.
5. Public comments, both written and oral, received and/or submitted at or prior to the
meeting, supporting and/or opposing the applicant's request.
6. Testimony and/or comments from the applicant and its representatives submitted to
the City in both written and oral form at or prior to the meeting.
7. All related documents received and/or submitted at or prior to the meeting.
WHEREAS, based on the forgoing evidence, the Cultural Resources Preservation
Committee finds that:
1. A request for Historic District Designation for the Sandpiper Condominiums Circles
11 & 12 located on El Paseo was made on January 6, 2013, to designate the
Sandpiper Condominiums Circles 11 & 12 as an historic district.
2. Notice of the April 30, 2013, Cultural Resources Preservation Committee meeting
was posted in the Desert Sun and at City Hall.
3. Notice of the April 30, 2013 Cultural Resources Preservation Committee was
provided to the affected property owner as shown on the latest Riverside County
assessment role. Owner was notified by telephone and by first class mail.
4. Notice of the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee meeting included the
notice requirements set forth in Califomia Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Resolution No. 2013-28
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WHEREAS, based on the Cultural Resources Ordinance 1168, the Cultural Resources
Preservation Committee concludes the following:
1. Palm Deserts' character and history are reflected in its cultural, historical, and
architectural heritage, and
2. Palm Deserts' historical foundations should be preserved as living parts of the
community life and development in order to foster an understanding of the City's
past so that future generations may have a genuine opportunity to appreciate,
enjoy, and understand Palm Deserts' heritage, and
3. The Cultural Resources Preservation Committee has reviewed this site and
determined it to be historically significant and could contribute to the economic and
cultural revival of the City.
WHEREAS, in view of all the evidence and based on the forgoing designation criterion,
the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee concludes as follows:
Sandpiper Condominiums Circles 11 and 12, completed in 1965 by the Los Angeles -
based architectural firm of Palmer & Krisel, exhibit numerous stylistic markers that
place them directly in the historic context of Palm Desert's Modern Period. Further,
Circles 11 and 12 are an excellent example of multi -family residential development in
Palm Desert in the mid-1960s. The 32 units and 16 buildings that comprise Circles 11
and 12 reflect a coherent vision of modernist architecture rarely found anywhere else in
the United States. The siting of the buildings in Circles 11 and 12, and the landscape
architecture further reinforce a coherent modernist architectural vision that successfully
created a leisure lifestyle of "carefree desert living."
The site planning at Sandpiper is a pin- wheel configuration around a central hub (in
this case the pool) and its greenbelt concept draws from 19th century British planner
Ebenezer Howard's Garden City. Howard's concept envisioned a world where the
best of city and rural life is combined to create a utopian environment. He espoused
the need for green belts, in an effort to reduce congestion and to create a healthy
environment in which to live.
Palmer & Krisel expands Howard's tenet by creating an environment free from cars, a
popular symbol of urban distress. Their site planning re-examines not only urban but
suburban living. Palmer & Krisel deftly sited all vehicular roads and carports on the
perimeter of each circle. Their buildings turn their "fronts" away from the street. The
"front porch" no longer faces the street but is moved to look onto the green belt. In this,
the pool becomes the "new streetscape": the new social gathering place for the
complex.
Palm Desert, along with neighboring Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, are together
internationally -known as a center of important midcentury architecture. The buildings
and site that constitute Sandpiper Condominium Circles 11 and 12 represent an
excellent intact example of American Modernist architecture. This midcentury
architecture may therefore be viewed as an important component of the historic trend
that has come to define the Coachella Valley and one that exemplifies a particular
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..r
Resolution No. 9013-28
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period of the nation, state, or local history.
The Sandpiper Condominiums Circles 11 & 12 located on El Paseo, meets the following
designation criterion as contained in the City's Cultural Resources Ordinance, and is
hereby worthy of preservation and designation as a Local Historic District.
A. Exemplifies or reflects special elements of cultural, social, economic,
political, aesthetic, engineering, architectural, or natural history;
E. Reflects distinctive examples of community planning or significant
development patterns, including those associated with different eras of
settlement and growth, agriculture, or transportation.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM
DESERT DOES HEREBY DESIGNATE SANDPIPER CONDOMINIUMS CIRCLES 11
& 12, LOCATED ON EL PASEO AND WILLOW STREETS, AS A LOCAL HISTORIC
DISTRICT
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Palm Desert,
California at its regular meeting held this 23rd day of May , 2013, by the following vote,
to wit:
AYES: BENSON, SPIEGEL, TANNER, WEBER, and HARNIK
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ATTEST:
sii;e4t /./ ,a./24._
C. HARNIK, MAYOR
HELLE D. KLASSEIg, CITY CLERK
CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA
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