SAN Historic Policy Update Effort
Professional Services -
Appropriation and Agreement
CITY City Council
January 21, 2025
CALIFORNIA Zachary Dahl, Director
Manira Sandhir, Planning Manager
Community Development Department
Presentation
Overview
• Historic Policy Effort
Background
• Consultant Selection Process
(RFP)
• Rincon Consulting -
Introduction and Presentation
• Options for Council
Consideration
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Background - General Plan Adoption
• General Plan 2040 adopted March 2024
• Includes Community Design and Historic Resources Element • Goal CD-5 - Preserve historic and culturally important resources to maintain San Mateo's special identity and
continuity with the past.
• 7 policies and 6 actions to support this goal
• Significant community Interest and comments on historic CHAPTER 5 Community Design and Historic
policies during adoption process Resources Element
• Focus on how districts designated and definition of contributor TRIVE SAN MATEC resources
• Baywood Historic District Nomination submitted to State Office of Historic Preservation in October 2023
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Background - Historic Policies and Actions
Policy CD 5.1 - Comprehensive Approach to Historic Preservation.
Implement a comprehensive approach to historic preservation based on community input and best practices from State and federal agencies, to find an appropriate balance between preservation with other important priorities, such as affordable housing production and supporting local businesses.
Action CD 5.8 - Historic Preservation Ordinance.
Update the City's Historic Preservation Ordinance to create a framework for the designation of historic resources and districts, establish review and permitting procedures for historic alterations, demolitions or relocations, be consistent with federal and State standards and guidelines, and align with the other goals and policies outlined in this Element.
Action CD 5.9 - Historic Resources Context Statements.
Prepare a citywide historic context statement to guide future historic resource survey efforts to identify individually eligible resources and historic districts. If a neighborhood is identified as a historic district, prepare a more detailed historic context statement for that individual neighborhood. (Scope of work does not address second sentence) 4 of 23
CALIPORNIN
Background - Definitions
• Historic Preservation Ordinance - A local statute that provides regulations to applicable historic properties.
• San Mateo Municipal Code Chapter 27.66
• Ordinance last updated in 1993/1995
• Does not align with current standards and best practices; lacks definitions and clear processes
• Historic Context Statement - A written document to organize information on the history of an area, commonly organized by theme, place, or time. • Historic Resources Survey - A process for identifying, recording, and evaluating historic properties within a community, project area (neighborhood), or region through the physical search for and recording of historic resources on the ground.
5 CAKIPOKHI
Background - City Council Study Session
• City Council Historic Policy Study Session - June 17, 2024 • Considered three options
• Option 1: Prioritize Implementation of Citywide Historic Policy Update • Option 2: Update Internal Historic Review Processes
• Option 3: Maintain Current Prioritization (approx. five years out) • Directed staff to proceed with Option 1
• Update Historic Preservation Ordinance and prepare a Citywide Historic Context Statement (Actions CD 5.8 and CD 5.9) with robust community outreach and engagement • Includes retention of a qualified historic consultant to support effort • Bring back implementation plan for Council consideration 6 of 23
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Consultant Selection Process
• August 2024 - Request for Proposals (RFP) published through OpenBid • September 2024 - 7 proposals received, reviewed against 5 criteria
1. Quality/ Responsiveness of Proposal;
Experience with Similar Engagements;
City of San Mateo
Request for Proposals for
3. Professional Experience Historic Preservation Services
4. Approach and Methodology; and
5. Cost herber 13, 202
• October 2024 - Interviewed top 2 consultants
• Rincon Consulting identified as best proposal to support City effort • Based on overall professional experience, quality of proposal, responses to interview questions, composition of the consultant team, and total cost • January 2025 - City Council consideration of Consultant Agreement 7 of 23
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Options for City Council Consideration
• Option 1 - Approve a Resolution to appropriate $328,743 from the Advance Planning Fund to the Historic Policy Update project; approve an agreement with Rincon Consultants for community outreach, historic policy and code amendment technical support; and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
• Option 2 - Approve a Resolution to appropriate $394,450 from the Advance Planning Fund to the Historic Policy Update project; approve an agreement with Rincon Consultants for community outreach, historic policy and code amendment technical support; and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
• Option 3 - Do not approve an appropriation Resolution or an agreement with Rincon Consultants and vote not to proceed with the historic policy update effort at this time.
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CALIFORNIA
Introduction to Rincon
Consultants, Inc
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CALITOR SAN
CELEBRA
rIncon
30%
YEARS
RINCON CONSULTANTS, INC. SINCE 1994
Historic Preservation
Policy Services
rincon
Topics of Discussion
• Overview of Rincon
• Project Scope Review
• Preservation Ordinance vs.
Historic Context Statement SAN MATEO, CALIF
• Project Sequence Options Greetings
• Schedule From
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 11 rincon
About Rincon
30 Years in Business
13 Offices in California Sacramento
Oakland
San Jose
400 + Project Awards
Fresno
Monterey
San Luis Obispo
Santa Barbara Los Angeles
Ventura (HQ) Riverside
Palm Springs
Carlsbad
San Diego
Project or Client Name 1/23/2025 12
rincon
Our Team
Margo Nayyar JulieAnn Murphy Kassandra Gale, AICP Steven Treffers Cultural Resources Senior Architectural Community Engagement Senior Architectural Principal Historian/PM Program Manager Historian
James Williams Michelle Ashley Losco Josh Bevan
Architectural Anderson Architectural Architectural
Historian Architectural Historian Historian
Historian
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 13 rincon
Relevant Experience
• Santa Clara County Parks Unused
Structures Project
• Agoura Hills Historic Survey and
Cultural Heritage Ordinance
• City of Riverside's Latino Historic
Context
• City of Long Beach Citywide
Historic Context Statement
• Bakersfield RISE 2045
Community Engagement Program
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 14 rincon
Project Scope:
Preservation Ordinance
• Understand existing conditions
• Conduct research and analysıs
• Provide information on owner consent
provisions
• Establish clear nomination and review
process
• Identify if historic policy documents
would be appropriate
• Provide options and recommendations
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 15 rincon
Project Scope:
Citywide Historic Context Statement
• Identify relevant historical and
architectural themes at a citywide level
• Provide framework for a living
document to grow with the City
• Use the framework to write the context
• Roadmap for future work
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 16 rincon
Project Scope:
Community Outreach and Engagement
• Outreach and Engagement Strategy and Delivery
• Focus groups
Community
• Community meetings
Profile
• Study session
• Results summary Measuring
Reach
Participatory Engagement
Methods
Ecosystem
Mutual Learning
Reciprocal & Awareness
Community
Partnerships
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 17 rincon
Project Scope:
OFFICIAL MAP
Implementation Plan SANMEO
Clifornia:
• Document implementation goals
• Identify strategies to achieve goals
• Outline timelines for enacting each strategy
• Define roles and responsibilities for each
stage of implementation
• Develop trainings and materials for City staff
to ensure successful administration PACIFIC
1894 Map of San Mateo County
Source: Library of Congress
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 18 rincon
Preservation Ordinance vs. Historic Context Statement
• Preservation ordinances typically include:
• A provision for a reviewing body
• An explanation of the designation criteria
• A provision for granting economic hardship
HOTEL
waiver BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
• Guidelines for maintenance
3rd Avenue, 1948 Source: Online Archive of California
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Preservation Ordinance vs. Historic Context Statement
• Historic context statements:
• Highlight trends and patterns critical to the
understanding the built environment
• Provide framework/consistency for evaluating a
property for historic significance and integrity
• Organized into a series of contexts and
themes/subthemes
• Context → Theme → Sub-theme → Associated Property Type → Registration requirements
• They do not:
• Evaluate individual or groups of properties an Mateo Library Under Construction, 1962 Source: Online Archive of Californi:
• Result in changes to the historic resources inventory • Include an in-depth survey effort
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 20 rincon
Project Sequence
• Concurrent Work • Successive Work
• Allows for efficiencies • Recommend ordinance before HCS • Allows for a more holistic approach • Integrate information from updated ordinance into HCS
• Avoids community input fatigue
• Avoids confusion • Would result in longer project timeline and increased project costs
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 21 rincon
Project Schedule
Months After NTP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Task 1 - Kickoff and Project Management Kickoff at 2 Weeks - Ongoing Task 2 - Ordinance and HCS Research and Analysis 1-3 Mo.
Task 3 - Community Outreach and Engagement 1-10 Mo.
Task 4 - Odinance and HCS Development 3-11 Mo.
6-12 Mo.
Task 5 - Commission/City Council Hearings
6-14 Mo.
Task 6 - Implementation Plan
Months After NTP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Task 1 - Kickoff and Project Management Kickoff at 2 Weeks - Ongoing Task 2 - Ordinance Research and Analysis 12 Mo.
Task 3 - Community Outreach and Engagement 1-8 Mo. 10-17 Mo.
Task 4 - Odinance Development 2-9 Mo.
5-8 Mo. 14-17 Mo.
Task 5 - Commission/City Council Hearings
Task 6 - HCS Research and Analysis 10-11 Mo.
Task 7 - HCS Development 11-17Mo.
Task 8 - Implementation Plan 5-19 Mo.
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 22 rincon
Budget
• Concurrent Work • Successive Work
• Proposed budget - $285,843 • Estimated budget - $343,000 • 15% contingency - $328,743 • 15% contingency - $394,450 • 20% increase
• Increased project management time
• Additional outreach activities
• Rate increases for new fiscal year
Rincon Consultants, Inc. • Celebrating 30 Years 1/23/2025 23 Options for City Council Consideration
• Option 1 - Approve a Resolution to appropriate $328,743 from the Advance Planning Fund to the Historic Policy Update project; approve an agreement with Rincon Consultants for community outreach, historic policy and code amendment technical support; and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
• Option 2 - Approve a Resolution to appropriate $394,450 from the Advance Planning Fund to the Historic Policy Update project; approve an agreement with Rincon Consultants for community outreach, historic policy and code amendment technical support; and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
• Option 3 - Do not approve an appropriation Resolution or an agreement with Rincon Consultants and vote not to proceed with the historic policy update effort at this time.
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CALIFORNIA