Design Review Subcommittee Regular Meeting Minutes October 26, 2022 Page 1
CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE
DESIGN REVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE
OCTOBER 26, 2022
Subcommittee Members Present: Chair Steven Camp, Bart Crandell, Cameron Cosgrove
Subcommittee Members Absent: None
Staff Present: Adam Atamian, Deputy Community Development Director Sara Toma, Senior Planner, David Carrillo, Assistant Planner
1. MINUTES
The Subcommittee decided that, due to not having a quorum to approve the minutes, they will vote to approve the October 12, 2022 minutes at the next DRSC meeting of November 9, 2022.
2. ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
A. HPPA 22-297, 212 Rosa Mills Act Agreement, 212 Avenida Rosa (Carrillo) A request for a Mills Act agreement between the City and the owners of a historic private residence at 212 Avenida Rosa.
David Carrillo, Assistant Planner, summarized the staff report and shared the subject property owner’s request to add language to item #8 from the work list, to only require roof work recommended from inspection findings.
Chair Camp opened the item for public comments. Larry Culbertson of the San Clemente Historical Society generally spoke in favor of the application.
The Design Review Subcommittee (DRSC) discussed the project, and made the following comments either individually or as a group:
Agreed with the work list and supported the property owner’s request to modify item #8, to only require roof work recommended from inspection findings. Commended staff on the staff report’s format, and encouraged staff to continue using the format for future projects.
The Subcommittee supported moving the application forward to the City Council for consideration.
B. HPPA 22-338, 217 Esplanade Mills Act Agreement, 217 Esplanade (Carrillo) A request to for a Mills Act agreement between the City and the owners of a historic private residence at 217 Esplanade.
Design Review Subcommittee Regular Meeting Minutes October 26, 2022 Page 2 David Carrillo, Assistant Planner, summarized the staff report. The property owner, Christian Wach, was also present.
Chair Camp opened the item for public comments. Christian Wach, property owner, provided additional information on the property’s history and expressed support of the work list. Mr. Wach requested completing item #3 related to drainage in 2024, instead of in 2023.
The Design Review Subcommittee (DRSC) discussed the project, and made the following comments either individually or as a group:
Agreed with the work list and supported the property owner’s request to complete item #3 related to drainage in 2024, instead of in 2023.
The Subcommittee supported moving the application forward to the City Council for consideration.
C. Ordinance Update: Urban Lot Split and Two-Unit Project (SB 9) (Toma) A request to review the revised draft Amendment to Chapter 16.50 and Chapter 17.86 of the San Clemente Municipal Code to establish objective design standards, development and subdivision standards regulating urban lot spits and two-unit housing projects in accordance with California Senate Bill 9 (SB9).
Sara Toma, Senior Planner, summarized the staff report.
Chair Camp opened the item for public comments. Staff stated no public comments were received.
The Design Review Subcommittee (DRSC) discussed the project, and made the following comments either individually or as a group:
Staff provided a short oral presentation detailing the changes to the Zoning Code for Chapter 16.50 and Chapter 17.86. The changes to the Ordinance reflect the subcommittee’s recommendation from the September 28, 2022 meeting.
Section G. (Architecture), Walkway, modify the section to include the following “a walkway/pedestrian pathway shall be provided to access front doors to all units.”
Revise section F to removed 30 feet requirement, and rely on the underlining setback of the zone.
Remove section E, direct line of site, the issue is being addressed in Item F. Section H, pedestrian access is a matter of safety, and shared drive way can cause issues for pedestrian access.
Design Review Subcommittee Regular Meeting Minutes October 26, 2022 Page 3 Refuse storage areas, will need to provide each unit a designated area. Design standards; include language for exterior staircase to be located interior of the structure and away from public view.
The Subcommittee was in support of staff changes and moved it to the Planning Commission.
3. NEW BUSINESS
None
4. OLD BUSINESS
None
5. ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
None
ADJOURNMENT
Adjourned to the November 9, 2022 DRSC meeting at 3:00 p.m., San Clemente City Hall, First Floor Community Room, 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, CA.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________________
M. Steve Camp, Chair
Attest:
_______________________________
Deputy Community Development Director Adam Atamian
AGENDA ITEM: 2-B
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Cultural Heritage Subcommittee (CHSC)
Meeting Date: October 26, 2022
PLANNER: David Carrillo, Assistant Planner
SUBJECT: Historic Property Preservation Agreement (HPPA) 22-338, 217 Esplanade HPPA, a request for a Mills Act agreement between the City and the owners of a historic private residence at 217 Esplanade.
BACKGROUND:
Site Data
The site is a 10,500 square-foot lot and was developed in 1927 with a two-story, singlefamily residence. An attached one-car garage was constructed sometime between 1938 and 1942. Refer to Attachment 7 for the site’s permit history. For information on the historical significance of the property, please refer to the 2006 State Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Survey Form, provided as Attachment 1. The site is in the Residential Low Zoning District and Coastal Zone Overlay Zone (RL-CZ). Refer to Attachment 2 for a location map.
Mills Act
Enacted in 1972, the Mills Act legislation grants participating local governments the authority to enter into contracts with owners of qualified historic properties who actively participate in the restoration and maintenance of their historic properties while receiving property tax relief.
In San Clemente, a “qualified” property is any property on the City’s designated list of historic structures. See Attachment 3 for additional Mills Act details. Mills Act participants may realize substantial property tax savings of between 40% and 70% each year. The estimated annual tax savings for the subject property would be $26,188 per the Orange County Assessor’s office. The contract carries a minimum ten-year commitment. Either party may choose to end the automatic annual renewal of the contract; however, there is a significant financial penalty to the property owner if the City cancels the contract due to noncompliance with the terms.
Why is DRSC Review Required?
The Design Review Subcommittee (DRSC) serves as the Cultural Heritage Subcommittee (CHSC) for review of Historic Property Preservation Agreements. The Subcommittee shall consider the proposed list of improvements, may make recommendations for amendments to said list, and shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding approval or denial of the Agreement together with the proposed list of improvements.
HPPA 22-338, 217 Esplanade Page 2
ANALYSIS:
Site Visit & Proposed Work List
Planning staff and the City’s historic preservation consultant, GPA Consulting (GPA), conducted a site visit of the property on September 23, 2022. The purpose of the site visit was to evaluate the condition of the historic resource and determine if any improvements are necessary to preserve the historic resource. Based on the site visit, staff and GPA developed a list of prioritized work, provided as Attachment 4, for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the property. Staff recommends requiring these improvements as conditions of the HPPA to help protect, preserve, and enhance the historic resource. The list is ordered by priority level of the restoration task. The proposed completion dates attempt to divide the work by related tasks and are separated to spread out the expenses over the preliminary ten years of the contract timeline. An annotated version of the work list is provided as Attachment 5.
Please note that the approval of the HPPA does not constitute a permit for individual work list items. The property owner would need to apply for the appropriate permits at the time that work is proposed. For instance, a window change out will require a Staff Waiver of a Minor Cultural Heritage Permit. The property owner would need to provide relevant information on the proposed style of window replacement, consistent with the HPPA requirements, at that time. Attachment 6 details the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. These guidelines are incorporated into the HPPA contract, and all future repairs and improvements – whether delineated in this work list or otherwise – must be consistent with these guidelines.
RECOMMENDATION
The recommended rehabilitation and maintenance tasks will restore the historic house and be architecturally compatible with the existing development. Staff seeks DRSC concurrence with the recommended work list and timeline (Attachment 4) for the subject property.
Following DRSC review, staff will schedule the HPPA for a City Council hearing in December. It is staff’s goal to have the contract recorded prior to December 31, 2022 so the County can assess the property in 2023 based on the Mills Act restricted valuation of the property.
Attachments:
1. 2006 DPR Survey Form
2. Location Map
3. Mills Act Background Information
4. Recommended List of Prioritized Work
5. Annotated Photographs of Proposed Improvement Timeline
6. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards
7. Building Permit History
8. Site Photographs