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HomeMy WebLinkAboutREDcashph5RECEWE D SEP 1 6 2010 RED FILE COUNCI L MEETING AGENDA ACM FI DN p R R SLR CITY CLERK DATE9lZ+lo ITEM #771-!S-ATTORNEY FIRE CHIE F 16 September 2010 CLERK/ORIG P W ZI DI R I q D PT HEADS POLICE CH F F3ECDI R To : Mayor Dave Romero and City Council members UT1L DI R HR DI R ts1Eh 17,E1 CbuNUL./VIFrom: Deborah Cash, Executive Director JZ Sic 0111 wa.1 S Re : Historic Preservation Ordinanc e The Board of Directors of the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association has reviewe d and discussed the most recent draft of the proposed Historic Preservatio n Ordinance and based on reasons outlined below believes adoption of the ordinanc e by the City Council will be beneficial for the community . The Board, at it s September 14 meeting, declared unanimous support for the ordinance howeve r voiced the following concerns: 1.The Board would like to see further development of provisions for financia l assistance to current owners of historic properties (or those who inherit histori c properties) who may be financially unable to comply with the ordinance . As much consideration as possible should be given to those owners who are on fixed incomes o r are `at risk' of falling into noncompliance due to financial circumstances in the areas o f grants, matching funds, loans and subsidies once the necessary steps are taken to qualif y the recipient for such assistance . While the goal of the ordinance is preservation o f historic properties and thus preservation of a community's heritage, the propertie s ultimately belong to the property owner and no ordinance should be overly onerous fo r property owners to the community's benefit . 2.The Board feels the fines for noncompliance "up to $5,000" per day seem overl y punitive . Perhaps the amount and/or wording could be refined to reduce the negativ e response that that amount seems to generate . Background and history for this recommendatio n A subcommittee of the Board was formed in early summer to research the draft ordinanc e in detail and make a report and recommendation to the Board . Subcommittee members : ■Pierre Rademaker, Downtown Association Board member and former president , member Economic Activities Committee, Downtown business owner, graphi c designer, Chair of Downtown Design Concept team and historic property owne r ■Alex Gough, Downtown historic property and business owner, member of histori c inventory and guidelines team (1980s), former board member, realtor, membe r Economic Activities Committe e ■George Garcia, architect, member Economic Activities committee, developer an d owner of historic propert y Deborah Cash, Executive Director-Certified Main Street Manage r The Downtown Association, a Main Street@ organization and recipient of the 1999 Grea t American_Main_Street Awar_d_from_theNationaLTrustfor Historic Preser_vation's Mai n Street Program®,is committed to the concept and ideals of historic preservation throug h its participation in the National Trust's Four Point Program of Downtown revitalization . Certainly the Downtown Association has much at stake in wanting to preserve th e historic aspects of the Downtown, develop a sense of place and work with the City t o achieve high standards of preservation. In fact, the basis of the Downtown Association's work plan programs is the Four Point Program of Organization, Economic Revitalization , Promotions and Design . The program was developed with the knowledge tha t downtowns-and the historic properties within them-are worth saving and are vital t o the nation's economy and history ; the four points are the guidelines for the activities a Main Street®organization should follow to restore, rehabilitate and operate histori c downtown areas . In reviewing the draft ordinance, the subcommittee found opportunities to support th e draft recommendations based on the ordinance's compatibility with the Downtow n Association's Strategic Plan as shown : Strategic Goal s 2.4 Encourage additional development and commercial opportunitie s The Association will continue to support infill development that contributes to a dense , cohesive Downtown area . While this particular statement is described in the Plan in terms of mostly new or re-us e development, over the past several years, this has come to include retrofitted propertie s that are maintaining historic elements while going on to satisfy the intent of th e statement . Some examples would be the Warden Building, the proposed Garden Stree t Terraces and Chinatown projects, the Stream Building, the Wineman Hotel . Preservin g the key historic features and turning commercial properties into residences, offices, shop s and restaurants blends historic preservation and economic development principle s perfectly . 3.4 Strengthen tourism attraction As a result of declines in tourism in the early 2000's, the City developed the Touris m Marketing Plan 2003 to increase TOT revenues by improving the City's brand image , encouraging longer stays and developing strategic alliances with destinatio n organizations like the Downtown Association . One of the recommendations of this goa l is to Promote Heritage Tourism: The popularity of Downtown as a tourist destination i s due, in part, to its historic character . Historic architecture, the Mission, the Chinatow n Historic District and the Downtown's designation as a recipient of the National Trust fo r Historic Preservation's Distinctive Destinations in America should be prominentl y featured in all promotional materials . It's not surprising that people visiting Downtown SLO from out of the area are drawn t o view and photograph the historic structures like the Sinsheimer Building, JP Andrew s Building, Sauer Adams Adobe, Carnegie Library, The Creamery and many others . Cl. Support-higher density projects as appropriat e The Downtown Association will monitor and support General Plan policies and propose d zoning changes to increase allowable height-and-intensity-limits-to-encourage-residential and hotel construction . ---------------- ------ Again, given that some of Downtown's historic buildings are in the process of bein g retrofitted, it makes sense to allow increased density that will provide for the return o n the investment of saving an historic building for adaptive reuse as opposed t o demolishing the building . Historic preservation guidelines that allow for this flexibility in order to preserve, rather than lose, the structure are encouraged . 5.1 Maintain high level of cleanliness and maintenanc e A key feature typically linked to restored and preserved structures is their owners an d managers tend to provide a high level of care and maintenance, showing their pride i n their properties and protecting their investments . While the City provides services to th e public areas, business and property owners are encouraged to augment this service wit h ongoing building maintenance ; guidelines for historic preservations enhance th e encouragement for property owners to comply . Further, the City's standards for Missio n Style sidewalks, as suggested in the Measure Y initiative, provide an attractiv e complement to historic properties and should be encouraged in these developments . 5 .5 Protect Downtown's historic resource s San Luis Obispo has a rich cultural heritage and an informal citizenry who value an d protect that heritage. Special interest is focused on the Downtown area . The Downtow n Association recognizes that historic resources ad to the special character that make s Downtown so attractive to shoppers, visitors and investors and will work to protec t historic character . ■Support the Cultural Heritage Commission's (CHC) efforts to update Cit y preservation codes and processes . The Association will provide input a s appropriate . ■Support CHC's efforts to update historic inventories. Most of the City's inventories of historic structures was done in the 1980s . Encourage the City, as appropriate, to update inventories of Downtown properties . ■The Association will support General Plan policies that protect, incorporate o r mitigate the impact of new development on historic resources . ■Promote seismic retrofitting . Eighty-four un reinforced masonry buildings i n Downtown were subject to the City's seismic safety mitigation plan . Thirty-five of ' these buildings are on the Master List of Historic Resources . ■Promote compliance with the Hazard Mitigation Plan in a positive manner t o owners and tenants . 7 .2 Encourage use of City policies that will facilitate post-disaster rebuildin g ■Work with the City to ensure that damage assessment procedures and forms mak e it easy to clearly document damage to the architectural features of Downtown's historic buildings and that appropriate personnel are trained in their use . Revie w California .. Preservations ..Foundation's . model documents. Work-wi-th-the-City-to-ensure-that-any=speei-al-post-disaster-bwi•l ling-repair ordinances include repair standards and design guidelines and a streamline d process for reviewing and approving the increased number of building permits that could result from a disaster . These standards could also streamline th e rebuilding of historic buildings in-kind. 7.4 Include DT business recovery issues in citywide disaster planning activitie s The Downtown Association should have a representative at the City's Emergenc y Operations Center during drills and actual disasters to provide the informatio n contained in the Association's Disaster Plan . Outside of the these compatible objectives, the Downtown Association, as a Certifie d National Trust Main Street program, also believes that precepts in the Main Stree t guideline provide further areas for support: Rehabilitation Tax Credits A tax credit is a dollar for dollar offset against taxes payable . The rehabilitation ta x credits are available in two levels . The historic property tax credit represented 20 percen t of the qualified rehabilitation expenditure if the following tests are met : the property is a n individually listed building in the national Register of Historic Places, or is a contributin g building in a National Register Historic District or is a qualifying local historic district . The total expenditure is the greater of $5,000 or the basis in the building, called th e substantial rehabilitation test, and the work is done in compliance with the Secretary o f the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation . Depreciable properties held for use in trade o r business or as an investment property are eligible . The non historic credit is available for buildings that were constructed before 1937 bu t are not historic properties ; there are no rehabilitation standards and the credit is only available for commercial properties . (From National Main Street Center, Certification Institute in Professional Downtow n Management ) Further, the government's Historic Preservation Services Tax Incentive manual states , "Historic buildings are tangible links with the past . They help give a community a sens e of identity, stability and orientation . The government encourages the preservation o f historic buildings through various means . One of these is the program of Federal tax incentives to support the rehabilitation of historic and older buildings . The Federa l Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program is one of the Federal government's mos t successful and cost-effective community revitalization programs ...rewarding privat e investment in rehabilitating historic properties such as offices, rental housing and retai l stores ." Therefore, City-established guidelines and ordinances that promote eligibility in thes e programs are supported by the Board . The Board applauds the Council's and city staff's dedication to the preservation of historic properties and is hopeful that a final documen t will rely heavily on incentives and positive motivation in ensuring compliance .