RESOLUTION NO. 24-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HERCULES FINDING DEMOLITION OF THE QUEEN ANNE HOUSE EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA), AUTHORIZING DEMOLITION OF THE QUEEN ANNE HOUSE, AND AMENDING THE FY 24-25 BUDGET INCREASING ITS APPROPRIATION BY $50,000 WHEREAS, a Queen Anne style house that was built around 1905 as part of the worker village associated with the Hercules Powder Company was identified in 1980 as a contributor to the “Hercules Village” Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and WHEREAS, the structure was once occupied by Eugene (Gene) Woodfield, who served as mayor from 1962-1975 and was instrumental in crafting the City’s first General Plan and creating a blueprint for how the City would evolve following the closure of the Hercules Plant, and for whom the first City park was named; and WHEREAS, the Queen Anne house was removed from its foundation and relocated nearby by a developer in 2002; and WHEREAS, the City purchased the house from its owner in 2010, cut it in half, and moved it to the City’s Corporation Yard, where it remains today; and WHEREAS, envisioned reuse of the house as a City park facility proved infeasible; and WHEREAS, in 2016 the City solicited bids for the removal and renovation of the house at no cost to the City, received one bid, and selected Rockhead and Quarry, LLC to purchase the home with the intent to relocate it outside Hercules and rehabilitate it for residential use; and WHEREAS, in February 2018 the City obtained a Historic Resource Assessment from a qualified consultant, which found that the relocated structure had lost its district-level significance but would retain its individual-level significance if relocated again and rehabilitated; and WHEREAS, in May 2018 the Planning Commission approved a resolution finding that a Categorical Exemption under CEQA Guidelines Section 15331 – Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation was adequate to address the environmental consequences of relocation and rehabilitation of the Queen Anne house, provided it was done in a manner consistent with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties; and WHEREAS, in 2022, the City executed a bill of sale with Rockhead and Quarry, LLC, making the sale contingent upon the removal of the structure pursuant to an encroachment permit issued by the City; and WHEREAS, in January 2024, Rockhead and Quarry removed the roof from the structure in preparation for its planned relocation to Pinole; and WHEREAS, in May 2024, Rockhead and Quarry notified the City that they would not be able to complete the project, thereby voiding the Bill of Sale; and WHEREAS, the structure was largely exposed to the elements from 2010 until 2024, is severely deteriorated, and has been the subject of numerous complaints from Hercules residents due to its dilapidated condition; and WHEREAS, in September 2024, the City received an updated Historic Resource Evaluation focusing on the integrity of the structure, which found that it no longer had sufficient integrity to convey its individual significance and thus no longer constituted a historic resource under the California Environmental Quality Act; and WHEREAS, staff estimates the cost of demolishing the structure under applicable regulations would be less than $50,000.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hercules as follows:
The City Council hereby finds demolition of the Queen Anne house located at the City’s Corporation Yard to be categorically exempt from CEQA in that a Historic Resource Evaluation prepared by a qualified architectural historian found that that (1) the Queen Anne structure no longer retains integrity to support its historic significance with its association with former mayor Eugene Woodfield; (2) that the Queen Anne is therefore no longer eligible as a historic resources in the National Register of Historic Places, and subsequently is no longer eligible as a historic resource within the California Register of Historic Resources; and (3) that the Queen Anne no longer qualifies individually as a historical resource under CEQA Guidelines §15064.5(a)(3).
The City Council hereby authorizes the demolition of the Queen Anne house in accordance with applicable regulations.
The City Council hereby approves an amendment to the City’s FY 24-25 Budget, increasing its appropriation by $50,000 for demolition of the structure.
The foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Hercules held on the 22nd day of October 2024 by the following vote of the Council:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
____________________________
Dan Romero, Mayor
ATTEST:
Eibleis Melendez, City Clerk
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