CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
September 17, 2024 {{section.number}}c
UPDATE ON PUBLIC COMMENT RECEIVED REGARDING THE DRAFT CORONADO
HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT AND CITYWIDE SURVEY, AND TIER MATRIX
ADJUSTMENTS
RECOMMENDATION:
Accept the report, consider public comments on the Draft Coronado Historic Context Statement and Citywide Survey received during the November 2023 through July 2024 comment period, and accept the proposed tier matrix adjustments.
BACKGROUND:
On November 21, 2023, the City Council reviewed the Draft Historic Context Statement and Citywide Survey and directed staff to maintain the established 75-year threshold for Determination of Historic Significance Review, notify property owners in all tiers of their status, to provide an additional public comment period of sixty (60) days and to direct staff to provide a future report on CEQA’s 50-year threshold and on a voluntary versus involuntary review program.
On February 5 and February 16, 2024, staff sent mailed notifications to all property owners at their address of record and at the property address, notifying them of their property’s tier and requesting that any information they wish to share regarding the historic significance of their property be provided within 60 days. The purpose of this update is to provide the City Council with comments received from the public and provide an updated Draft Citywide Survey tier matrix.
The full Draft Historic Context Statement and Citywide Survey can be accessed at this link:
https://www.projectcoronado.org/citywide-historic-resource-survey ANALYSIS:
Staff received public comment from individuals and groups between June 20, 2023, and October 31, 2023, and these comments were provided to the City Council on November 21, 2023. The latest phase of public input gathering included the property-specific notifications, and general intake of comments from the public since November 2023.
Comments received are summarized in a comment and response document included as Attachment 2, and emailed comments are provided in full. Since City Council last reviewed the Draft Citywide Survey, 16 individuals provided public comments. The comments received were largely property-specific, with property owners providing information on construction history or remarking on significance. Some commenters reached out with general questions, and several commenters expressed opinion on the use of the survey to require a historic review process. A tabular list of all of the recommended tier changes as a result of public comments received since June of 2023 are included as Attachment 1.
Tier Matrix Numbers
Since the Draft Coronado Context Statement and Citywide Survey was first introduced to City Council in June of 2023, changes have taken place to the number of properties included in the survey as a result of Determinations of Historic Significance or issuance of demolition permits.
Staff has updated the Draft Tier Matrix to reflect these changes, and to reflect all recommended tier modifications over the last year. Additionally, the number of properties in each tier that fall within the City’s currently adopted 75-years-old-or-more threshold has changed, as a year has passed since the document was first introduced.
The following tiers were established and used to categorize the properties evaluated in association with the Citywide Survey:
Tier 1 - Unaltered or minimally altered from historic condition and potentially eligible for City designation under Criterion C.
Tier 2 - Recognizable as a particular architectural style but based on observation and/or construction history are more than “unaltered or minimally altered” from historic condition and do not appear to be eligible for historic designation under Criterion C.
Tier 3 - Substantially altered properties that retain little to no elements of a particular architectural style and, based on observation and/or construction history, are not eligible for historic designation under Criterion C.
The updated numbers of properties within each tier, and within the 75- year age threshold, are as follows:
Property Age Within Tier Assignment
Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3
1949 & earlier 160 131 1007
1950 to 1970 34 16 660
Total 194 147 1667
Next Steps
A draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was released for a 45-day public review and comment period on August 23, 2024. Staff anticipates that the Historic Context Statement and Survey and EIR will be presented to the City Council for decision in late 2024.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The City Council authorized a contract with Dudek for the completion of the Historic Context Statement and Citywide Survey in amount of $120,780 and has authorized a contract with Project Design Consultants in the amount of $122,205 for completion of the Environmental Impact Report.
Both contracts are within budget.
ALTERNATIVE:
The City Council could direct staff to make changes to the document, perform additional research, and/or return to a future Council meeting for further discussion.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT:
On April 2, 2024, City Council approved a contract with Project Design Consultants to prepare an Environmental Impact Report in order to address the potential loss of resources should Tier 3 properties be excluded from a required Determination of Historic Significance, and to evaluate the City’s age threshold for historic review in association with the survey. The draft EIR was released on August 23, 2024 for a 45-day public review, and staff anticipates bringing this item back in the fall.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
No notice required for the recommended tier matrix adjustments.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Table of proposed tier adjustments
2. All public comments received
Submitted By: Community Development Department / Tricia Olsen