Planning and Building Agency
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Planning Commission Staff Report
September 28, 2026
Topic: HRCA No. 2026-9, HRC No. 2026-5, HPPA No. 2026-5 – The Markel House (915 W. Riviera Drive)
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
1. Adopt a resolution approving Historic Resources Commission Application No. 2025-9 and Historic Register Categorization No. 2026-5; and
2. Recommend that the City Council authorize the City Manager and City Clerk to execute the attached Mills Act agreement with Claire Jackson, for the property located at 915 W. Riviera Drive, subject to non-substantive changes approved by the City Manager and City Attorney.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Claire Jackson, Trustee of The Claire Jackson Trust, Dated 8/16/2025, is requesting approval to designate an existing Ranch-style residence located at 915 W. Riviera Drive on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties (“Register”), as well as approval to execute a Mills Act agreement with the City of Santa Ana. The property qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 as an intact example of a Ranch-style house. It is worthy of “Key” categorization for its distinctive architectural style and quality of the Ranch style including the following character-defining features of the house’s original Ranch-style construction: low pitched hipped roof, stucco, shiplap, and slump block brick exterior sidings, wood frame side lite with beveled glass, wood frame sash windows throughout, and garage door.
DISCUSSION
Project Location and Site Description
Located on a mid-block parcel in the West Floral Park neighborhood, the Markel House consists of a one-story, single-family residence and attached garage constructed in the Ranch style. The parcel is bounded on the north, east, and west by private properties and West Riviera Street to the south. The one-story residence has an L-shaped plan and a concrete foundation. Its low pitched hipped roof is clad in composition shingles, and the exterior walls are sheathed in smooth stucco and slump block brick. Facing West Riviera HRCA No. 2026-9, HRC No. 2026-5, HPPA No. 2026-5 – The Markel House (915 W.
Riviera Drive)
September 28, 2026
Drive to the south, the asymmetrical main façade is characterized by a flush wood front door with a wood framed beveled side lite sited under the primary roofline and flanked by vertical wood shiplap siding. The entrance is accessible by concrete and brick lined steps.
To the east and west of the front door are paired one-over-one and two-over-two single hung wood sash windows. The entrance to the attached garage is also located on the south façade. It features the original wood paneled, tilt-up door. Between the roofline of the residence and the roofline of the garage is an original interior ridge brick chimney.
The north elevation faces the rear of the property and features a recessed covered porch with square wood posts and three secondary entrances. Two of the entrances are under the covered porch: one is a floor-to-ceiling aluminum-framed sliding glass door flanked by floor-to-ceiling fixed pane windows, and the other entrance is a glazed wood framed door. The third entrance is sited on the west side of the façade with an aluminum-framed sliding glass door. The windows throughout the north elevation are original two-over-two wood frame sash windows, aluminum vertical sliding sash, or one-over-one sash windows added in 2019. The garage has a non-original secondary entrance on the north façade with a roll-up door.
The west elevation faces an adjacent property and features replacement wood frame oneover-one sash windows. The east elevation of the garage is devoid of architectural elaborations.
The front of the property is set back from West Riviera Drive with a grassy lawn, ornamental plantings, concrete walkways, and a concrete driveway. The rear yard has a concrete patio, pool, detached pool house, grassy lawn, and mature trees.
Analysis of the Issues
Historical Listing
In March 1999, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. NS-2363, establishing the Historic Resources Commission (HRC) and the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties (“Register”). For more than 25 years, the HRC served as the City’s review authority for matters involving the designation and categorization of historic properties and other historic preservation applications pursuant to Chapter 30 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC).
On July 7, 2026, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. NS-3097, which dissolved the HRC and transferred its historic preservation powers and duties to the Planning Commission. Ordinance No. NS-3097 became effective on August 6, 2026. As a result, the Planning Commission now serves as the City’s review authority for historic preservation matters previously considered by the HRC, including applications to designate and categorize properties for inclusion on the Register.
HRCA No. 2026-9, HRC No. 2026-5, HPPA No. 2026-5 – The Markel House (915 W.
Riviera Drive)
September 28, 2026
Accordingly, the Planning Commission is considering Historic Resources Commission Application No. 2026-9 and Historic Register Categorization No. 2026-5 pursuant to the applicable provisions of Chapter 30 of the SAMC. The applications require the Planning Commission to apply the selection and categorization criteria established in Chapter 30 to determine whether the Markel House is eligible for designation and listing on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties and, if eligible, the appropriate historic categorization. The first criterion for selection requires that a structure be 50 or more years old.
The structure identified meets the selection criteria for inclusion on the Register pursuant to criteria contained in Section 30-2 of the SAMC, as the structure is 73 years old and is a sound example of period architecture. No known code violations exist on record for this property.
The Markel House is architecturally significant as an intact example of a Ranch-style house in Santa Ana. The original building permit indicates the property was constructed in 1953 as a single-family residence and detached garage at a cost of $18,500 for and by Walter J. Markel. According to a 1953 The Register newspaper article, the building permit was issued to Lloyd Westlake, who worked for Mr. Markel at Walter J. Markel Construction Company; the largest permit issued that week in November 1953 (The Register 1953; Santa Ana City Directory 1954). Mr. Markel was a contractor and listed the Riviera Drive property as his place of business (The Register 1954). The home was host to many events in Santa Ana: bridal showers, engagement parties, garden parties for the Federated Republican Women of Santa Ana. Walter and his wife Bernadine lived at the property from 1953 to circa 1961.
Walter was born in New Orleans in 1910, and he and his family moved to Santa Ana by the 1920s when Walter was listed in newspaper articles for participating in school plays and concerts (The Register 1922). In the 1930 U.S. Census, Walter’s father, Julien, was listed as a building contractor, and Walter was listed as a cement finisher, likely working for Julien (Ancestry.com 2002). Walter went on to form his own contracting company, mostly laying foundations and other concrete work. Walter was a founding member of the Santa Ana Chapter of the Knights of Columbus (The Register 1934). Bernadine Ashen Markel was born in 1913 in Colorado, though research did not identify when Bernadine moved to California. She was a member of several clubs in Santa Ana include the St.
Joseph’s Parish, Capistrano Y.L.I. and the Federated Republican Women of Santa Ana.
Walter passed away in 1988 and Bernadine in 1997, owning and occupying the residence until each of them passed away.
The Markel House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 as an intact example of a Ranch-style home in Santa Ana. Located in West Floral Park, the house was constructed in 1953. The recommended categorization is “Key” for its distinctive architectural style and quality of the Ranch style (Santa Ana HRCA No. 2026-9, HRC No. 2026-5, HPPA No. 2026-5 – The Markel House (915 W.
Riviera Drive)
September 28, 2026
Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). Character-defining features of the house’s original Ranch-style construction include, but are not necessarily limited to, low pitched hipped roof, stucco, shiplap, and slump block brick exterior sidings, wood frame side lite with beveled glass, wood frame sash windows throughout, and garage door.
Mills Act Agreement
Ordinance No. NS-2382 established the City’s Historic Property Preservation Agreement (HPPA) program, commonly known as the Mills Act program, for eligible historic properties. Historically, the Historic Resources Commission served as the review authority for Mills Act agreements. However, on July 7, 2026, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. NS-3097, which dissolved the Historic Resources Commission and transferred its historic preservation powers and duties to the Planning Commission.
Accordingly, the Planning Commission now reviews Mills Act applications and makes a recommendation to the City Council regarding approval of the agreement.
To be eligible for a Mills Act agreement, a property must be listed on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties. The Historic Resources Commission Application and Historic Register Categorization actions proposed for this site would designate and categorize the property for inclusion on the local register, thereby establishing its eligibility for a Mills Act agreement. The agreement provides monetary incentives to the property owner in the form of a property tax reduction in exchange for the owner’s voluntary commitment to maintain and preserve the property in a good state of repair and in a manner that maintains its historic character and appearance.
Once recorded, the agreement provides for an alternative method of determining the property’s assessed value, which may result in property tax savings for the owner. In addition to potential tax savings, the benefits of a Mills Act agreement include:
• Long term preservation of the property and visual improvement to the neighborhood • A mechanism to provide for property rehabilitation
• Incentives for potential buyers to purchase historic structures • Discouraging inappropriate alterations to the property The property has no identified unauthorized modifications. Upon consideration of the application, it is recommended that the City enter into a Historic Property Preservation Agreement subject to a completion of future improvements as described in an attached Work Plan.
Overall, future improvements (Work Plan) proposed by the homeowner and Planning Division staff during the initial ten years of the Mills Act Agreement include the following:
1) repair or replace front door in-kind with staff approval; 2) repair garage door in-kind with staff approval; 3) assess all siding (stucco, slump block brick, and shiplap) for HRCA No. 2026-9, HRC No. 2026-5, HPPA No. 2026-5 – The Markel House (915 W.
Riviera Drive)
September 28, 2026
cracking and other damage; replace or repair in-kind with staff approval; 4) assess condition of windows; replace in-kind, as necessary with staff approval; 5) assess condition of roofing (composition shingles) and fascia and repair or replace in-kind, as necessary with staff approval; 6) assess condition of exterior brick chimney and repair or replace in-kind, as necessary with staff approval; and 7) assess hardscaping, including driveway, walkways, and porch/patio steps and flooring, throughout the residence and repair or replace in-kind, as necessary and with staff approval.
As part of the Mills Act approval process, staff will work with the applicant to ensure that a bronze plaque is installed honoring and recognizing the structure. The plaque will include the historic name, address, year built, and local historic register designation.
Lastly, the site will be subject to general maintenance and upkeep requirements including, but not limited to, replacement or restoration of damaged character-defining features, landscaping upkeep, and painting. Upon consideration of the application, it is recommended that the City enter into a Historic Property Preservation Agreement to enable the Mills Act.
Public Notification
The subject site is located within the West Floral Park Neighborhood Association. The president of this Neighborhood Association was notified by mail 10 days prior to this public hearing. In addition, the project site was posted with a notice advertising this public hearing, a notice was published in the Orange County Reporter and mailed notices were sent to all property owners within 500 feet of the project site. At the time of this printing, no correspondence, either written or electronic, has been received from any members of the public.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, the project is exempt from further review pursuant to Section 15331 of the CEQA Guidelines (Class 31 – Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation) as these actions are designed to preserve historic resources. Based on this analysis, a Notice of Exemption, Environmental Review No. 2026-057, will be filed for this project.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Historic Property Preservation Agreement will reduce the Property Tax revenue account 01102002-50011 to the City by an estimated $1,077.70 annually, for a period of not less than ten years.
HRCA No. 2026-9, HRC No. 2026-5, HPPA No. 2026-5 – The Markel House (915 W.
Riviera Drive)
September 28, 2026
EXHIBITS
1. Resolution
2. Mills Act Agreement – 915 W. Riviera Drive
3. 500-Foot Radius Map – 915 W. Riviera Drive
4. Copy of Public Notice – 915 W. Riviera Drive
Submitted By: Pedro Gomez, AICP, Principal Planner
Approved By: Ali Pezeshkpour, AICP, Executive Director of the Planning and Building Agency