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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHist Presv Cmte - 10/30/07 � �._.. �'�-� CITY OF PALM DESERT � � BUILDING 8� SAFETY DEPARTMENT INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM To: Rachelle Klassen, City Clerk ,�u�nwa' From: Suzanne Cicchini, Administrative Secretary Date: January 30, 2008 Subject: Submission of Approved Minutes for the Historic Preservation Committee Meeting October 30, 2007 Attached is a copy of October 30, 2007 Minutes of the Historic Preservation Committee approved by the Committee on January 29, 2008. Please include on the next City Council agenda. Thank you Attachment 1:ITY COUNCIL ACTIOr�: ,APPROVED �� DENTED,.�-- RECEIVE� F i ,,,_, �'iH+�R�.,R ......_.-- .�...e............,..F-a.�—__.o,,,...��.�_..,. 1�ETIt1G D�,Tr. �""" �s: ��.���' NoEs; �'� j�iggEA7�r O/1� _. j�iBSTAIN: �'� �,a -"� �E�tI F I ED n Y .,.-------- � '� (�riginal on Fil.e �aitri Ci.ty Glerk' s Offi^E G.\BltlgSfty\Suzanne Cicchini\Word FilesWistonc Preservation CommdteeWlemo-City Clerk-Mmutes tloc CITY OF PALM DESERT �-�--� � � HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES October 30, 2007 Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Kim Housken called the meeting of the Historic Preservation Committee to order at 10:02 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Gale Broeker Kent Routh Vera Handley Kim Housken Jan Holmlund Bob Pitchford Don Graybill, Alternate Also Present: Dan Kaiser, Acting Director of Building and Safety Suzanne Cicchini, Recording Secretary David Firestone, Neil's Building —73790 EI Paseo, Palm Desert Michelle Mitchell, The Desert Sun Newspaper III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Committee Member Jan Holmlund moved to approve the Minutes of the July 31, 2007 meeting. Committee Member Gale Broeker seconded the motion. It received unanimous approval 6-0. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Note: Chair, Kim Housken announced that David Firestone, a member of the public was waiting to speak to the Committee. With Committee concurrence, this item commenced ahead on the agenda before the Chair Report. Please see Agenda Item VI for information regarding this item. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE October 30, 2007 A. CHAIR REPORT 1. Chair Kim Housken reported that the conference in San Diego, California was cancelled due to the fires. Dan Kaiser, Acting Director of Building and Safety is looking into having a conference here. Details are pending. 2. The Historical Society Rummage Sale will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2007. 3. Chair Kim Housken spoke to Jim West and learned that The Palm Springs Museum's Architecture Design Council will be having a Modernism Week. They will be conducting a tour that will include Palm Desert. The theme is Country Club Living. B. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS None C. INDIVIDUAL COMMITTEE MEMBER REPORTS 1. Colleqe of the Desert Campus Chanqes Update — Chair Kim Housken announced that Kent Routh attended the College of the Desert Meeting. No relative information to report. Committee Member Jan Holmlund added that she and Don Graybill stopped by to see the O'Dell House. Alice Neeley and Pat Ross provided her with copies of photographs of it. Committee Members Jan Holmlund and Don Graybill visited on October 8, 2007. Don Graybill photographed the house. The lawn space will be removed for a parking area. Committee Member pon Graybill inquired about storage for the many photos he has taken, Recording Secretary, Suzanne Cicchini will look into that for the Committee. Photographs were also taken of the trees. Committee Member Vera Handley commented that she was told by the Head of the Landscape Department at College of the Desert that the tree the committee was monitoring was a Silk Fir Tree. Committee Member Jan Holmlund took a leaf of that tree and compared it and it matches with the photo in a tree book for a Silk Oak Tree, and was told that it was a Silk Oak Tree, yet it does resemble a fir. 2. Cove Communities Update — Committee Member Jan Holmlund announced that there was no Rancho Mirage Historic Preservation Commission meeting in July, 2007 due to lack of quorum. There was no meeting in August, 2007 and the meeting scheduled for September 11, 2007 was moved to September 25, 2007. While there, she mentioned the Riverside County Symposium on Historic Preservation G:\BldgSfty\Suzanne Cicchini\Word Files\Historic Preservation CommitteeWl�nutes103007.doc. 2 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE October 30, 2007 she was planning to attend. Also, a public auction of The Wacky Wicker Store will be held on November 3, 2007. According to Committee Member Jan Holmlund, it was the first big commercial grocery store in Palm Desert. The building will not be part of the auction. The Annual Meeting of the Indian Wells Historic Preservation Foundation will be held 12/2/07, at the Indian Wells Resort at 2:00 p.m. She has been helping the owners of the Cavanaugh House with their property inventory forms. She discovered that the properties in the 1981 survey will require a new certified survey. Committee Member Jan Holmlund asked Dan Kaiser, Acting Director of Building and Safety if he could provide information about how to do certified surveying. Committee Member pon Graybi!! asked Acting Director of Building and Safety if he did those surveys himself. Dan Kaiser, Acting Director of Building and Safety responded that he had done surveys before, but it was very time consuming. He would find contacts for the Committee when they are ready to do the surveys. 3. Walter White Homes - Chair Kim Housken noted that the Valley Lumber Building, formerly the Maytag Building was done by local community architect, Walter White. Committee Member Bob Pitchford noted that he keeps finding prospective White Buildings, for example, two located on Mountain View in Palm Desert. When Committee Member Bob Pitchford went to Santa Barbara to research Walter White homes the curator gave him some information and asked him to look into those local homes. Committee Member Gale Broeker suggested a resolution to recognize the contributions to local architectural design by the late Walter White. Acting Director of B�ilding and Safety, Dan Kaiser suggested putting together an extensive article that could be published in the newspaper. A discussion commenced about making a motion to recognize the contributions of Walter White. Committee Member Gale Broeker moved that the committee consider a resolution to recognize the signifcant contributlons to the architecture and cityscapes of The City of Palm Desert. Committee Member Jan Holmlund seconded the motion. However, Committee Member Jan Holmlund then moved to amend the motion to strike the word "consider" and actually do it. The motion was seconded by Committee Member Vera Handley and it received unanimous a�proval 6-0. V. OLD BUSINESS A. Ordinance/Mills Act — Dan Kaiser, Acting Director of Building and Safety recommended that the committee provide their comments regarding the draft Ordinance/Mills. One document with all the comments included. Discussion commenced. Committee Member Jan Holmlund has spent a great deal of time reviewing the ordinance and emphasized that the committee read it G:�BIdgSfty\Suzanne C�cchmi\Word FilesWistonc PreservaUon CommitteeUvlmutes103007 doc. 3 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE October 30, 2007 very carefully, and consider the implications. Chair Kim Housken has been comparing the new draft to previous documents and complimented Committee Member Jan Holmlund on the extensive amount of work she did reviewing it. Acting Director of Building and Safety, Dan Kaiser noted that this document was written primarily by the City Attorney and The City Attorney is comfortable with this approach. Rather than trying to do a comparison, perhaps the committee should work with what he's done. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. 73790 EI Paseo (Neil's Buildinq) Northwest Corner of EI Paseo and San Luis Rev. — Chair Kim Housken introduced David Firestone, owner of the Neil's Building. She indicated that Dan Kaiser, Acting Director of Building and Safety thought it would be great if we invited him here today for an exchange of ideas. Chair Kim Housken indicated that she wanted everyone to understand that she did have a conversation with Mr. Firestone on the telephone, and she believed Committee Member Jan Holmlund also received a call. Mr. Firestone began with a clarification. In addition to the Neil's Building, he also owns Neil's Apparel, inside the Neil's Building and the J. Russell Salon. He has owned the building since 2000, which he bought from his Mother and Father-in-Law's Estate after his Father-in-Law, Neil McElrath passed away. He indicated that it is Neil McElrath's name on the building and that he was proud to have it there. He requested that the committee not earmark his building as a historical site. He understands that his building has not officially been designated as a historic site. He has a prospective buyer for the building and is concerned that it will encumber his building or the new buyers efforts to enlarge or change it. Discussion commenced about whether being designated a historic building would encumber his building. Committee Member Jan Holmlund emphasized that there are tax benefits to a historic preservation designation and that his property is significant because it is a William Cody building. Mr. Firestone was emphatic that he is not interested in the tax deductions and does not want his property designated as a historic building. He noted that his realtor is not marketing his property as a William Cody Building. In his opinion, the beauty of EI Paseo is not in having a William Cody building, it's in the new beautiful buildings, and he indicated that he came today to state that. Chair Kim Housken responded that how could his realtor know that it was not a positive selling point if he hadn't even tried marketing it as a William Cody building? Acting Director of Building and Safety Dan Kaiser noted that Mr. Firestone is well aware of all sides of the issues. Mr. Kaiser questioned the committee on how best to serve the public. He requested that the committee members evaluate it overall as to what's best for the town. Chair Kim Housken noted that William Cody is a very significant architect; not just locally. It is the only commercial building in Palm Desert by William Cody G:�BIdgSfty�Suzanne Cicchini\Word Flles\Histonc Preservatlon CommltteeWlinutes103007.doc. 4 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE October 30, 2007 that she was aware of. Mr. Firestone disagreed that William Cody is considered an international designer. Everything he has read indicated that he never really ventured out of the valley. Director of Building and Safety Dan Kaiser inquired whether there was something unique about the structure that no other Cody architecture offers. Committee Member Jan Holmlund noted that it is in the center of Palm Desert, and no other remnants speak architecturally to the early history of EI Paseo and it was their job to look at it as a historic venue. Acting Director of Building and Safety, Dan Kaiser noted that EI Paseo has not been designated as a historic district. He encouraged the committee to see where this structure fits into our current ordinance. He inquired whether the committee is creating a hardship for Mr. Firestone. Committee Member Gale Broeker noted that nothing can be designated for national and state registry without the owner's permission, but that doesn't stop this committee from listing it as a potential historic building. At that point, Mr. Firestone indicated that if he had to approve it and he didn't want to, respectfully he didn't have to. Acting Director of Building and Safety Dan Kaiser just wanted Mr. Firestone to be aware that his building could have very significant historic value to the City and that all the committee is trying to do is just inform him of the possibilities. Acting Director of Building and Safety Dan Kaiser indicated that this committee does not have final approval as to what is or isn't on any designated historical list. The City Council has final approval. This committee makes recommendations to the City Council. Further discussion commenced about the effects of potential remodeling in the future on this building. Committee Member Jan Holmland pointed out that what disturbs her most is that most people assume that historic preservation is going to be a detriment to them and she has lived all over the nation and she has never found that to be true. In her opinion, the realtors of this area could benefit from an understanding of the value of historic preservation. Committee Member Jan Holmlund offered that if Mr. Firestone wanted the committee to help him enjoy the benefits of historic preservation that they would do everything in their power to do so. Mr. Firestone declined that offer and reiterated his request that they remove his building from the unofficial list. At the end of his discussion with the committee he understood that the committee planned to leave the building on the unofficial list. He also suggested that in the future, the committee notify a building owner when their building in placed on the unofficial list so that they didn't have to find out after the fact. He thanked the committee for their time. Discussion commenced and Acting Director of Building and Safety Dan Kaiser pointed out that Mr. Firestone has chosen not to pursue historic designation and he is to be supported in his decision. He cautioned the committee on being overly restrictive. The committee could work with Mr. Firestone to make sure that preservation is maintained, but to perform an evaluation. VII. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA None G:�81dgSfty\Suzanne Cicchini\Word FilesUiistoric Preservation CommitteeWlmutes103007.doc. 5 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE October 30, 2007 VIII. COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS A. Committee Member Jan Holmlund commented on The Riverside County Historic Preservation Symposium she attended. She briefed the committee about some of the handouts she received and the informative classes she attended. She also made some great contacts with people there that will be able to offer this committee help with historic preservation. Committee Member Jan Holmlund will provide an inventory of the handouts and Suzanne Cicchini, Recording Secretary, can provide you with copies of any of the handouts, as needed. Sessions included speakers Casey Tibbet and Erin Gettis, with a session called Your Local Ordinance, Empowering Preservation in Your Community, and Jennifer Vermilliad's session on The Art of the Survey. Ginny Folkers was given an individual award for her work in curating the collections at The Historical Society in Palm Desert. B. Committee Member pon Graybill found the symposium impressive. The speakers were knowledgeable and there were a lot of resources available. C. Committee Member Gale Broeker found in her research work for this committee that the owners of the homes changed frequently and trusts were often utilized. It would make for a good sociological study. IX. CONFIRM NEXT MEETING DATES AND ADJOURN Workshop — Friday, November 16, 2007, 10:00 a.m. — Council Chambers Conference Room. Regular Meeting —Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 10:00 a.m. —Administrative Conference Room. Chair Kim Housken adjourned the meeting at 11:48 a.m. G�BIdgSfty\Suzanne Clcchini\Word F�IesU-listonc PreservaUon CommltteeWlinutes103007.doc. 6