Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: May 28, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: David Sanchez, Community Development Director Subject: Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation
BACKGROUND
The applicant is requesting a historic landmark designation for the Scholle Farmhouse, in accordance with Mitigation Measure (MM) 3.4-2b in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Springville Specific Plan Amendment (SCH Number 2003091105).
On their meeting of May 6, 2025, the Landmark Committee recommended approval of the historic landmark designation. Pursuant to Camarillo Municipal Code (CMC) Section
16.42.060, the City Council must approve or deny the recommendation.
Applicant: Rancho (Camarillo) Associates, 434 Park Cottage Place, Camarillo, CA 93012 Property Owner: Lennar Homes of California, Inc., 515 Marin Street, Suite 322, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Address: 650 Edward Scholle Drive, Camarillo, CA 93010 (Project Site) Assessor’s Parcel Number: 157-0-290-775
General Plan Designation: Low-Medium Density Residential (5.1-10 dwelling units per acre)
Specific Plan Designation: Springville Specific Plan
Springville Specific Plan Designation: Low-Medium Density Residential (up to 10 dwelling units per acre)
Zoning Designation: Residential Planned Development, eight units per acre (RPD-8U)
Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation
May 28, 2025
2 5
2 0
PUBLIC NOTICE
A Notice of Public Hearing has been advertised for the City Council meeting of May 28, 2025, with notices mailed to all property owners and residential occupants within a 600- foot radius of the Project Site, posted at Camarillo City Hall, on the City’s website (www.cityofcamarillo.org), and published in a newspaper of general circulation within the area (Camarillo Acorn). Additionally, an on-site sign advertising the meeting has been placed on the project site. Notice was provided to the San Buenaventura Conservancy and Pleasant Valley Historical Society via email.
DISCUSSION
In 2008, the City of Camarillo approved the Springville Specific Plan and certified the associated EIR. The EIR determined that two buildings within the Project Site, the Scholle Farmhouse and an associated packing house, qualified as historical resources pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The EIR noted that the project will result in a potentially significant impact to historical resources and identified mitigation measures to reduce the impact to less than significant (PBS&J 2008).
In 2021, the Planning Commission approved an application from Lennar Homes for a Residential Planned Development (RPD-195) to construct 158 single-family detached residential units on a portion of the Springville Specific Plan area containing the Scholle Farmhouse. A supplemental EIR for the Springville Specific Plan (2020 Supplemental
Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation
May 28, 2025
2 5
2 0
EIR) was prepared to analyze the potential impacts to the Scholle Farmhouse associated with the proposed residential development, the relocation of the Scholle Farmhouse within the Project Site, and its rehabilitation.
The Cultural Resources Assessment prepared as part of the 2020 Supplemental EIR, Historic Resource Assessment Report for Scholle Farm - APN 157-0-020-210 - Terminus of Ponderosa Drive at Springville Drive Camarillo, Ventura County, CA (Daly & Associates; Attachment 4) affirmed the historical significance and eligibility of the Scholle Farmhouse for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), and as a City of Camarillo historic landmark.
The 2020 Supplemental EIR included several mitigation measures to minimize impacts to the Scholle Farmhouse, including the following:
•MM 3.4-1b: Prior to the issuance of grading permits, the project proponents shall retain the services of a historic architect who meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Professionals, and has at least 10 years’ experience with using the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards (SOIS) for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, & Reconstructing Historic Buildings (Kay D. Weeks and Anne E. Grimmer, revised 2017) to develop the plan for moving and rehabilitating the Scholle Farm House.
Using a historic architect who has experience working with the SOIS will ensure the move and rehabilitation plans meet the requirements of CEQA. •MM 3.4-1d: Prior to the relocation of the Scholle Farm House, a Historic Structures Report (HSR) shall be prepared to document current conditions. (See National Park Service, Preservation Brief #43) A HSR serves to be a working guide for the project applicant and rehabilitation team. The HSR can provide a range of rehabilitation concepts (and their costs) that meets SOIS, Historic Building Code, and other life and safety issues based on the building’s current conditions. •MM 3.4-2b: Prior to the issuance of occupancy permits for the rehabilitated Scholle Farm House, the project proponents shall submit an application for listing the Scholle Farm House as a Historic Landmark in the City of Camarillo.
As part of ongoing construction within the Springville Specific Plan area site, the Scholle Farmhouse was relocated in 2022-2023. In preparation for its rehabilitation and in compliance with Mitigation Measures 3.4-1b and 3.4-1d, Page & Turnbull, a firm qualified in historic architecture, prepared rehabilitation designs and an HSR for the Scholle Farmhouse in late 2024 (Attachments 5 and 6).The rehabilitation designs and HSR were reviewed by City staff with support provided by Rincon Consultants, Inc. (Rincon) to ensure that the recommendations included in the HSR and reflected in the rehabilitation designs are in compliance with the SOI Standards. The review concluded that the proposed schematic designs and the recommendations included in the HSR are in compliance with the SOI Standards (Rincon 2025; Attachment 7).
The HSR recommended rehabilitation as the appropriate treatment for the Scholle Farmhouse. The Secretary of the Interior defines rehabilitation as: the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation
May 28, 2025
2 5
2 0
while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.
The Secretary of the Interior provides Rehabilitation Standards with requirements to ensure that the historic character of a property will be retained and preserved, including any changes since the original construction that have acquired historic significance in their own right. The property must be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal changes to its distinctive features. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features that characterize the property must be avoided.
Deteriorated historic features must be repaired rather than replaced, and if repair is not possible, the replacement must replicate the design, color, texture, and, where possible, materials.
Resource Description
The Scholle Farmhouse is a one-story, Italianate style single-family residence built in the 1870s. It is sited within the former Scholle Farm, near the intersection of West Ponderosa Drive and Springville Drive. Currently, the site is under construction by Lennar Homes for the development of 158 single-family homes, consistent with RPD-195. The Scholle Farmhouse is the only remaining of several historic-period buildings that formerly occupied the site. The 1870s house is believed to have been moved to the site prior to 1903 by members of the Scholle and Borchard families. It is the last remaining historic structure on the 170-acre former agricultural property that once featured barns, outbuildings, and a packing house supporting agricultural operations.
According to the Cultural Resources Assessment prepared for the 2020 Supplemental EIR, the Scholle Farmhouse is eligible for designation as a Camarillo Landmark due to its association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history and cultural heritage in Ventura County, California, and the United States, in particular, the agricultural development of the Springville area (City of Camarillo Landmark Criterion 1). Additionally, the building is a rare example of a late-19th century Italianate cottage directly associated with the agricultural history of Ventura County and the immigrant German community in the Springville and Pleasant Valley areas (City of Camarillo Landmark Criteria 2 and 3).The period of significance for the Scholle Farmhouse spans from the time of its construction, in the 1870s, to 1930, when the original owners ceased its agricultural use (Page & Turnbull 2024).
According to the National Park Service, “character” refers to all those visual aspects and physical features that comprise the appearance of a historic building (National Park Service n.d.). Character-defining features may include the overall shape of a building, its materials, craftsmanship, decorative details, interior spaces and features, as well as the various aspects of its site and environment. The Scholle Farmhouse’s character-defining features convey its association with the early agricultural development of the region and include its form and much of its architectural detailing:
•One-story massing,
•Pyramidal hipped roof with flat top,
Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation
May 28, 2025
2 5
2 0
•Overhanging eaves with triple wood brackets,
•Central, partial-width front porch, including:
•Gable-on-hip roof
oTuscan wood columns
oTurned wood balustrade,
•Horizontal V-groove shiplap wood siding,
•Fenestration pattern, including bay window on the east façade, •Wood sash windows and window surrounds,
•Doorways and wood door surrounds at the primary, rear, and east side façades, •Enclosed east side porch,
•Interior wood window and door surrounds (Page and Turnbull 2024).
STAFF REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION
Mitigation Measure 3.4-2b of the 2020 Supplemental EIR required the applicant to submit an application for listing the Scholle Farm House as a Historic Landmark in the City of Camarillo. CMC Section 16.42.060 outlines the criteria for the designation of a City of Camarillo Landmark, as follows:
B. Criteria. A historic resource may be designated as a landmark if it meets one or more of the following criteria:
1. It is associated with persons or events significant in local, state, or national history; or
2. It reflects or exemplifies a particular period of national, state, or local history; or
3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, style, period of architecture, or method of construction.
According to the Cultural Resources Assessment prepared in support of the 2020 Supplemental EIR, the Scholle Farmhouse is eligible for designation as a Camarillo Landmark for its association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history and cultural heritage in Ventura County, California, and the United States, in particular the agricultural development of the Springville area (City of Camarillo Landmark Criterion 1) and as a rare example of a late-19th century Italianate cottage directly associated with the agricultural history of Ventura County and the German community in the Springville and Pleasant Valley areas (City of Camarillo Landmark Criteria 2 and 3).
Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation
May 28, 2025
2 5
2 0
Additionally, in compliance with the CMC Section 16.42.060 and the requirements of the 2020 Supplemental EIR Mitigation Measure 3.4-2b, the Scholle Farmhouse will be rehabilitated in compliance with the SOI Standards, following the schematic designs and recommendations included in the HSR. The applicant must also provide ongoing monitoring by an architect who meets the Secretary of the Interior Professional Qualification Standards (SOI PQS) in historic architecture during the construction process to ensure adherence to preservation standards.
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the historic landmark designation of the Scholle Farmhouse, with the requirement that the applicant record a preservation covenant prior to occupancy in order to maintain the appearance of the exterior of the building.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no budget impact as a result of this action.
CEQA DETERMINATION
The proposed project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15331 (Class 31, Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation) because designating the structure will serve to preserve it.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Find the Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15331 (Class 31, Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation) because designating the structure will serve to preserve it.
2. Adopt a resolution approving a historic landmark designation for the Scholle Farmhouse located at 650 Edward Scholle Drive.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution
2. Location Map
3. Public Hearing Notice
4.Historic Resource Assessment Report for Scholle Farm - APN 157-0-020-210 - Terminus of Ponderosa Drive at Springville Drive Camarillo, Ventura County, CA (Daly & Associates 2019)
5. Rehabilitation Designs (Page & Turnbull 2024)
Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation
May 28, 2025
2 5
2 0
6.Scholle Farm House Historic Structure Report (Page & Turnbull 2024)
7. Scholle House Design Review (Rincon 2025)
8.PC Resolution 2025-04
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL AND ON
THE CITY WEBSITE PENDING PROJECTS PAGE
Cadence Environmental Consultants
2020 Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Springville Specific Plan.
Prepared for the City of Camarillo. October. Available online at:
https://www.ci.camarillo.ca.us/departments/community_development/approv ed_projects_documents_and_guidelines.php (view under “GPA 2018-1, Rancho Associates/Springville Specific Plan)
Daly & Associates
2016Historic Resource Assessment Report for Scholle Farm - APN 157-0-020-210 - Terminus of Ponderosa Drive at Springville Drive Camarillo, Ventura County, CA. Available online at: https://rma.venturacounty.gov/wp- content/uploads/2024/04/scholle-farm-historic-resource-assessment- report.pdf
National Park Service
n.d. Preservation Brief 17 – Architectural Character: Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving their Character. Available online at: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-brief-17-architectural- character.pdf
2017Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
Prepared by Anne E. Grimmer. Available online at:
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/treatment-guidelines-2017-part1- preservation-rehabilitation.pdf
Page & Turnbull
2024Scholle Farm House Historic Structure Report. Prepared for the City of Camarillo. November 13.
https://www.ci.camarillo.ca.us/Attachment%206%20-
%20Scholle%20Farm%20House%20Historic%20Structure%20Report%20( Page%20&%20Turnbull%202024).pdf
PBS&J
2008 Springville Specific Plan Final Environmental Impact Report. Prepared for the City of Camarillo. January 9. Available online at:
Scholle Farmhouse Historic Landmark Designation
May 28, 2025
2 5
2 0
https://www.ci.camarillo.ca.us/Departments/Community%20Development/Ap proved%20Projects/Springville%20Specific%20Plan%20Certified%20Final% 20EIR%202008.pdf
Rincon Consultants, Inc. (Rincon)
2025 Scholle House Design Review. Prepared for the City of Camarillo. January 31. https://www.ci.camarillo.ca.us/Attachment%207%20-
%20Scholle%20House%20Design%20Review%20(Rincon%202025).pdf