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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Historic Preservation Committee 11/28/05CITY OF PALM DESERT BUILDING & SAFETY DEPARTMENT INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM To: Rachelle Klassen, City Clerk From: Mary ?1?a�,Ninistrative Secretary Date: February 9, 2006 Subject: Submission of Approved Minutes for the Historic Preservation Committee Meeting of November 28, 2005 Attached is a copy of November 28, 2005 minutes of the Historic Preservation Committee approved by the Committee on January 30, 2006. Please include on the next City Council agenda. Thank you Attachment G:1BldgSfty\Wry Clark\Word data\Historic Preservation ComrnitteeWinutesWlemo Minutes for City Counal.dot CITY OF PALM DESERT HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 28, 2005 Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Kent Routh called the meeting of the Historic Preservation Committee to order at 10:00 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Jan Holmlund Bonnie Bowie Kent Routh Jim West Kim Housken Bob Pitchford Also Present: Amir Hamidzadeh, Director of Building and Safety Richard Twedt, Public Arts Manager Hal Rover, President Historical Society Debbie LeBlanc, Recording Secretary III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Committee Member Jan Holmlund moved to accept the minutes of the October 31, 2005 meeting with corrected spelling under Subcommittee Report, Item 5. from Hansen to Hanson, and under Old Business, Item C. from ordinance corrected to ordinance revised. Committee Member Kim Housken seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved 4-0. Committee Member Jan Holmlund moved to accept the minutes of the November 4, 2005 Special Meeting with the following corrections: Page 4, add the word The before Mojave; Marmon should be Marman. Committee Member Kim Housken seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved 4-0. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS A. CHAIR REPORT— Kent Routh None G:1BldgSfty\Mary ClarkMord data\Historic Preservation CommitteeWinutes\Minutes112805.doc HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE Minutes NOVEMBER 28, 2005 B. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT 1. Ordinance Subcommittee Report — Committee Member Jan Holmlund said the Ordinance Subcommittee met and recognized all of the matters that need to be added to the ordinance and will be listing those in a presentable form between this meeting and the next meeting. However, it is the conclusion of the Committee that they need the assistance of someone who has actually written a functioning and admirable ordinance. The Subcommittee is recommending that Janet Hansen, LSA Associates, Inc., be employed to rewrite the ordinance. The Committee would like for Ms. Hansen to take their recommendations and write them into a usable form for the City of Palm Desert. Ms. Holmlund said that Ms. Hansen was a Historic Preservation Officer for six years for the City of Riverside; therefore, she has the knowledge of historic preservation and how it functions between the Committee, City Council, and other Departments of the City, which is vital to the Palm Desert Historic Preservation Committee. Action: Committee Member Jan Holmlund moved to recommend that the Committee approve the employment of a consultant for the rewrite of the ordinance, and that Janet Hansen be contacted for this purpose and that it be a one-time specific contract to rewrite the ordinance in a functional way. Chair Kent Routh seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved 4-0. Amir Hamidzadeh, Director of Building and Safety, indicated that he could contact Ms. Hansen to request a schedule of fees; however, we would be required to advertise for a Request for Qualifications. Committee Member Jan Holmlund pointed out that the Ordinance as it stands has a great many benefits to the City. It covers the environment and structures that are not necessarily found on the federal or city register but they are important to the City. C. INDIVIDUAL COMMITTEE MEMBER REPORTS None V. OLD BUSINESS A. Report on Hopalong Cassidy Open House — Committee Member Kim Housken said that the open house was a booming success and there were nearly 600 people that came through in a matter of 2 Y2 hours. She indicated that some of the guests brought along old photos of Hopalong Cassidy. Ms. Housken said that under the General Plan that was adopted a little over a year ago that the Committee is directed to support the efforts of the Palm Desert Historical Society and to educate the public about the City and regions cultural heritage. She felt that that goal was met and the homeowner was GABIdgSfty\Mary Clark\Word data\Historic Preservation CommitteeWinutesWinutes112805.doc HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE Minutes NOVEMBER 28, 2005 wonderful to work with and provided free food and drinks and a movie was shown. Hal Rover, President, Palm Desert Historical Society, thanked the Historic Preservation Committee members for their help. B. Recommendation on Palm Desert Lodge — Chair Kent Routh said that he had two written recommendations from Committee Members Jan Holmlund and Bonnie Bowie. Committee Member Jan Holmlund read the following recommendation: "Recommend to the Palm Desert City Council that a moratoria be placed on any proposed changes, including significant alteration or demolition, to the above named property until the location has been adequately studied and documented. At the current time the site is named for survey on the Committee working list. Although this property is currently under review more information is necessary before a just appraisal can be made. No application for action has yet been filed with the city, and no emergency measures are necessary beyond the timely protection of an interim moratoria." Attached to these minutes is the memo from Committee Member Jan Holmlund to the Palm Desert Historic Preservation Committee, which includes the above recommendation and the reasons for further study. Ms. Holmlund also asked that under Item 2) that (Class 5) be changed to (Class 7). 2. Chair Kent Routh read Committee Member Bonnie Bowie's recommendation as follows: "Recommendation: It is my recommendation that this property has authentic and historic value to its surrounding neighborhood and the community. If the setting, of structures and green space are demolished, the site cannot be restored to its historic nature. I recommend that it be listed by the Historic Preservation Committee as an historic city site. As an original commercial site, with a construction date of 1955, this Lodge fits the Federal guidelines for preservation of commercial properties of 50 years or more and with further definition may be eligible for state listing as well as recommend the property be assigned a Class 7 city site listing under the procedure for designation of historic sites, Chapter 29.05.125, Ordinance 401." Attached to these minutes is the email from Committee Member Bonnie Bowie to the Palm Desert Historic Preservation Committee, which includes additional justification. 3. Chair Kent Routh indicated that he had checked with the Sheriffs Department regarding traffic in that area and there seems to be traffic problems in the area. However, the Sheriffs Department had not given him the actual time and place of the number of accidents at Deep Canyon GABIdgSftyWary ClarklWord data\Historic Preservation CommitteeWinutesWinutes112805.doc HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE Minutes NOVEMBER 28, 2005 and Hwy. 111. Mr. Routh commented that he also checked on disturbance of the peace from the people who tended to be residents of the lodge, and there was no evidence over the past ten or so years of any disturbance of the peace on the part of the lodge. 4. Committee Member Kim Housken indicated that the County Assessor's Office provided the date of 1955 for the original structure, and they had a 1967 building permit to add 15 units and a lobby. The neon sign is shown on postcards dating back to 1957. 5. Committee Member Bob Pitchford pointed out that on the original tract map Deep Canyon Road was originally Deep Canyon Ranch Road and thought that this was probably a little ranch type motel on the corner of Deep Canyon Ranch Road. Committee Member Jan Holmlund commented that there is a landscape overlay in place for the area surrounding Highway 111 for scenic preservation. She said that Mr. Pitchford's comment does get to the heart of the matter that there were several ranches along Highway 111. 6. Committee Member Kim Housken said that she has been researching when other lodges were built on Highway 111, and the Palm Desert Lodge was certainly one of the first, if not the first, and is definitely the last remaining older lodge on Highway 111 in the City of Palm Desert. 7. Tyler Carlson, Project Manager, Evergreen Real Estate Development, thanked the Committee for meeting again, their research on the property, and welcomed any further research from the Committee. Mr. Carlson said the comments addressed in the previous minutes is their same standpoint. Mr. Carlson indicated that they have concerns regarding the divorcement of the historical issues of the existing property from the prospective use. Whether they build a Target, a drugstore, or gas station should not enter into the equation at all. There will be opportunity at future dates for public comment and discussion on the use of the property. Mr. Carlson said that they have not made formal application as of this date because a formal application is a significant and costly process. He 'said they probably would not make application until they see where the Historic Preservation Committee recommendation is going to take them. Mr. Carlson said that he would like more information on the Assessor record of 1955 and the subsequent building permit for 1967. He asked if the 1967 permit replaced whatever was built in 1955 or was an addition, and how does that impact the historical nature. Mr. Carlson said, if they do move forward on this project, they would like to see that the Committee's efforts not stop here and would value the Committee's input further down the line such as preserving the sign on the property. 8. Public Comments: John Boyd, citizen, asked if consideration would be given to the financial situation of the property in deciding the historic value. Committee Member Jan Holmlund said that once the designation is made G:\BldgSfty\Mary Clark\Word data\Historic Preservation CommitteeWlinutesUnutes112805.doc 4 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE Minutes NOVEMBER 28, 2005 for the property then there are several forms of assistance available and can be given information on how to renovate in a historic manner that will make the income of the property better. In addition, there is a State Historic Preservation Officer that offers funding through the Mills Act that could provide about 10 years worth of tax assistance, and the City of Palm Desert has a Redevelopment Agency that might be able to provide assistance. 9. Tyler Carlson, Project Manager, Evergreen Real Estate Development, said in reading through the federal register documents it states that a property cannot be put on the historic register against the property owners will. He was wondering if this would be a case for California state law and how does that issue come into play and can those property rights be taken away from an individual not wanting to participate in the federal register program. Committee Member Jan Holmlund pointed out that a property owner retains the rights to their property even under the federal register. The most protection a property can have is local protection. In other words this City can preserve property to a stronger degree than the federal or state government. That does not mean it excludes the owner from the rights of his property. It just means that there has to be a conciliatory approach so that the owner and the City come to some agreement over that property that is of community interest. Mr. Carlson said that it appears that the way the current ordinance reads that a stay of demolition cannot be issued unless it meets state or national historic register levels. Committee Member Jan Holmlund said that the City Council does have the authority to issue a stay of demolition and that authority is not within the state or federal purview, under Class 5, 6, and 7 in the current ordinance. Action: Committee Member Jan Holmlund moved that there be a moratoria placed on the Palm Desert Lodge until such time as this Committee meets and makes a decision as to what classification they are going to recommend to the City Council at the regular January 30, 2006 meeting. The motion was seconded by Committee Member Kim Housken and received unanimous approval 4-0. VI. NEW BUSINESS See Item 1 under Sub Committee Reports. VII. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA Hal Rover, President, Palm Desert Historical Society, suggested that sometime in the near future that the Historic Preservation Committee consider recognition for people who do good restoration in the City, such as the Cosmopolitan building which was recently remodeled. Chair Kent Routh agreed with Mr. Rover and said that this would be a discussion item for the next regular meeting on January 30, 2006. G:1BldgSfty\Mary ClarklWord datalHistoric Preservation CommitteeWinutesWinutes112805.doc HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE Minutes NOVEMBER 28, 2005 VII1. CONFIRM NEXT MEETING DATE AND ADJOURN The Historic Preservation Committee's next meeting is Monday, January 30, 2006, 10:00 a.m. in the City of Palm Desert Administrative Conference Room. Chair Kent Routh adjourned the meeting at 11:40 a.m. G:\B1dgSfty\Mary Clark\Word data\Historic Preservation CommitteeNinutes\Minutes112805.doc