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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Phase I Report 3745 Sueldo StA-0 PHASE I ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT: 3745 SUELDO STREET, SAN LUIS OBISBO, SAN LUIS OBISBO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA APNs: 053-251-083 and 053-251-084 Lead Agency: City of San Luis Obispo Community Development 919 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Prepared by: Brent Leftwich, Ph.D., R.P.A. 7396 Elmhurst Place, Unit A Goleta, CA 93117 brent@leftwicharchaeology.com 805-964-5529 Prepared for: Darme Holding Co, Inc Theodore Crocker 7036 Valley Greens Circle Carmel, CA 93923 monterey3252@gmail.com 831-582-7352 February 2023 USGS Quad: San Luis Obispo A-1 RE: Phase I Archaeological Assessment, 3745 Sueldo St, San Luis Obispo, CA Negative Findings for Cultural Resources To Whom It May Concern: Please be advised that a Phase I pedestrian survey has been conducted on the above referenced project. It has been determined that there are no cultural resources on this property. The project has been plotted on the attached USGS 7.5-minute topographical map for your information. County: San Luis Obispo USGS 7.5’ Quad: San Luis Obispo Date: Revised 2023 Township: 31S Range: 13E Address: 3745 Sueldo Street, San Luis Obispo, CA APNs: 053-251-083 and 053-251-084 Survey Type: Intensive Pedestrian Date of Survey: December 12, 2023 Field Crew: Brent Leftwich, PhD, RPA PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project area is located at 3745 Sueldo Street, San Luis Obispo, California (Figures 1 and 2). Surrounding land use is a mixture of agricultural, industrial, and commercial. The project area is bounded by newly extended Sueldo Street to the west, the intersection of Vanguard Way and Innovation Way to the south, the remnants of the former Union Oil Company Tank Farm to the east, and commercial buildings to the north. Tank Farm Road lies approximately 680 feet to the south. The 133,431-square foot (3.06-acre) project area consist of two parcels, 053-251-083 and 053-251-084, creating a long rectangle oriented north to south. The project area has a long history of agricultural use, but it currently lies vacant and undeveloped. Infrastructure on the property is limited to sidewalks running along Sueldo Street and Vanguard Way, various manholes, and a concrete overflow associated with a long sewer line. Chain link fencing runs along the eastern and northern perimeters. Vegetation consists primarily of various nonnative grasses, weeds, and forbs. Patches of thicker brush grow along the northern boundary and portions of the eastern boundary. The entire project area appears to have been previously graded and modified. Prior ground disturbance is most notable along the northern and eastern boundaries, but evidence of grading existing throughout the properties. The proposed project will substantially alter the current project area (Figure 3). The client proposes to construct a new self storage facility consisting of two one-story buildings, three two-story buildings, and a one-story managers office. These will total 114,347 square feet of building area. This development will include 935 individual self storage units, as well as a 1,167-square foot office. The proposed project also includes 1 A-2 new hardscape and parking areas, new landscaping, new fencing, and new utility infrastructure. A lot line adjustment will result in the merger of the two project parcels. Dr. Brent Leftwich, R.P.A., was contracted to assess the project area and to verify whether archaeological resources are present or not likely to be present. DOCUMENT REVIEW AND IDENTIFICATION OF PREVIOUSLY RECORDED RESOURCES Leftwich Archaeology conducted an archaeological records search at the California OHP designated record repository, the Central Coast Information Center (CCIC), housed at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on November 17, 2023. It included a review for known archaeological sites, previously undertaken cultural resource surveys, and any sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), California Historical Monuments (CHL), or local monuments occurring within the project area. This review covered a search radius of 0.25-miles (Appendix B). There are no previously documented archaeological sites that occur within the project area, and no cultural resources within the project area are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), California Historical Monuments (CHL), or local monuments list. Three previously documented archaeological site lies within 0.25-miles of the project area: SLO-124 is described as a small, low prehistoric shell mound first recorded by UCLA in 1952. The site record is very scant, and the only associated artifacts listed are scrapers. The site had been plowed, and at the time its possibility of destruction is labeled as “distinct.” The exact location of this site remains ambiguous, but the CCIC GIS database shows its estimated location as approximately 0.25 miles to the south, outside of the city limits. It will not be impacted by the proposed project. SLO-2329 is a small, low density prehistoric site mixed with historic components. Originally recorded by Thor Conway in 2005, the site lies in the vicinity of Margarita Avenue approximately 0.25 miles north of the project area. It consists of a light spread of Pismo clam and fire affected rock. Early 20th century bottle glass was also observed. It will not be impacted by the proposed project. SLO-2617H is a very large historic site corresponding to the Union Oil Company Tank Farm industrial complex constructed in 1919. The 340-acre site contains six decommissioned oil reservoirs, nine storage tank remains, 57 trash scatters, the 2 A-3 Company Tank Farm, worker camp remains, and 279 historic isolates. The site also contains eight prehistoric isolates. The site was set ablaze in 1926 when a lightning strike ignited stored crude oil. The site has undergone extensive Phase II and Phase III testing by Padre and Associates and Garcia and Associates. It is cross listed with P-40-041195, designating the remains of historic architecture. While SLO-2617H abuts the eastern edge of the current project area, no significant elements of the site are expected to intrude. The boundary of SLO-2617H is well defined in this location, and recent ground disturbing activity would have destroyed any cultural resources on the project parcels. It will not be impacted by the proposed project. In addition, two historic structures lie within 0.25-miles of the project area: P-40-041164 is a small, saltbox house at 408 Prado Road, also known as the Samuel Terra Property. It was originally constructed between 1910 and 1920. The house’s condition is listed as poor. It will not be impacted by the proposed project. P-40-041316 is the San Luis Obispo Water Recovery Facility at 35 Prado Road. The original facility was established in 1917, although it has grown over the subsequent decades. It will not be impacted by the proposed project. No previous cultural resources studies have occurred in the project area. Fifteen previous studies have been conducted within 0.25-miles of the project area: TABLE 1 PREVIOUS STUDIES WITHIN 0.25-MILES OF PROJECT AREA Report No. Author (Year) Report Title SL-00140 Hoover (1979) Archaeological Reconnaissance, Cheapskate Hill Subdivision, City of SLO SL-00339 Gibson (1981) Archaeological Element of Environmental Impact Report for the San Luis Obispo Creek Modification Study SL-00719 Brock and Wall (1986) A Cultural Resources Assessment of Selected Study Areas within the City of San Luis Obispo SL-01305 Singer and Atwood (1989) Cultural Resources Survey and Impact Assessment for the City of San Luis Obispo Wastewater Plant, San Luis Obispo County, California SL-01686 Dill (1990) Archaeological Potential of Parcel at Prado Road and Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo SL-02363 Gibson (1993) Inventory of Cultural Resources for the Water Reclamation Project, City of San Luis Obispo, CA SL-03931 Conway (1999) Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Farm Supply Annexation, Tank Farm Road, San Luis Obispo, CA SL-05410 Conway (2004) An Archaeological Survey of 7.2 Acres at Tank Farm Road, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California SL-05589 Conway (2005) An Archaeological Survey of the Long-Bonetti Ranch Commercial Project, Tank Farm Road, San Luis Obispo County, California 3 A-4 Report No. Author (Year) Report Title SL-05729 Gibson (2005) Archaeological Survey Report for the Bob Jones City to the Sea Bike Trail Segment 3 Project in the City of San Luis Obispo Area, San Luis Obispo County, CA SL-06154 Conway (2008) An Archaeological Surface Survey at the Unocal San Luis Obispo Tank Farm, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California SL-07099 Haas et al. (2016) City of San Luis Obispo Water Resource Recovery Facility Project: Phase I Cultural Resources Study SL-07136 Denardo and Greenlee (2012) Archaeological Survey Report: Five Acres in the Quarry Area, San Luis Obispo SL-07344 Haas and Duran (2017) San Luis Obispo Regional Trust Authority Coordinated Transit Maintenance and Dispatch Facility Project, San Luis Obispo County, California SL-07483 Haas et al. (2016) Phase I Cultural Resources Study for the Water Resource Recovery Facility Project, San Luis Obispo County, California The parcels have a long, continuous history of agricultural use, dating back before 1900, interrupted only by short fallow periods. Leftwich Archaeology analyzed historic aerial photos of the property from 1939 to the present. No structures are ever visible in the project area, although the ground surface has been plowed, graded, and modified numerous times. An irrigation well was inserted in the northeast corner of the project area between 1949 and 1959. In 2009, a sewer lift station was constructed on Tank Farm Road, approximately 600 feet to the south. A main sewer line ran north from this lift station along the eastern edge of the project area. It also crosses the southern third of the parcels and continues north along Sueldo Street. Aerial photos from 2009 show that construction of this line caused substantial ground disturbance along its route. Further, aerial photos from 2020 show the construction of Sueldo Street, Vanguard Way, and Innovation Way along the western and southern edges of the parcels. This contributed to additional ground disturbances and modifications to the project area. PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY Leftwich Archaeology conducted a Phase I cultural resources survey on December 12, 2023. The project area is undeveloped and fallow. Given its small size, the entire project area was surveyed using 5-meter transects. Overall visibility proved patchy, varying from fair to good (~15-25%). Pick scrapes were utilized as necessary to improve visibility to acceptable levels in areas of thicker vegetation. Patches of exposed soil offered 100% visibility. Rodent tailings and furrows, which are prevalent, were inspected for the presence of buried deposits. The entire project area appears to have been previously graded and disturbed. Soil modifications appear most evident along the eastern edge of the parcels. Bulldozer tracks were observed in the center and southern portions of the properties. The project area is dominated by early succession plant species, indicating that grading had occurred within the last few months. 4 A-5 No cultural materials were observed in the project area. The area contains a low amount of modern trash and debris typical of a large, vacant property in a suburban setting. This debris includes bottle glass fragments, aluminum cans, food wrappers and containers, plastics, plastic bags, decaying paper, bicycle parts, Styrofoam, discarded batteries, microplastics, hardware (e.g., nails, washers, screws, wire), concrete fragments, decaying clothing, unidentifiable metal fragments, and windblown debris. No Native American monitor was present, as a Phase I survey does not entail subsurface disturbance. An Extended Phase I was not undertaken as no cultural materials were observed, no previously recorded cultural resources exist within the project area, and the potential for buried cultural deposits is low. POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES No cultural resources were observed during intensive archaeological investigations. Although the project area abuts SLO-2617H, the former Union Oil Company Tank Farm, on its eastern side, that boundaries of that site are defined by the property boundary and any significant features or materials from that site are unlikely to extend onto the project properties. The project area has been either fallow or used for agricultural production for over a century. No structures, infrastructure, or features are likely to be present that would be considered a significant historic resource. No previously recorded prehistoric resources are known to exist in the project area. Further, historic aerial photos show that the project area has experienced multiple of episodes of previous ground disturbance. It is unlikely that the proposed project would encounter any intact soils. The likelihood of undiscovered, significant cultural resources existing in the project areas is very low. No additional archaeological monitoring or additional cultural resource testing is recommended. However, in the event unanticipated cultural deposits are encountered during construction, Dr. Leftwich recommends the following standard mitigation measures: Unanticipated Archaeological Resources Discovery. If archaeological resources are discovered during earth moving activities, all construction activities within 50 feet of the find shall cease until a City of San Luis Obispo approved archaeologist evaluates the significance of the resource. In the absence of a determination, all archaeological resources shall be considered significant. If the resource is determined to be significant, the archaeologist shall prepare a research design for recovery of the resources in accordance with state CEQA guidelines. The archaeologist shall complete a report of the excavations and findings and shall submit the report upon completion to the City of San Luis Obispo and the Central Coast Information Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara. 5 A-6 Unanticipated Discovery of Human Remains. In the unlikely event human remains are encountered, construction in the area of the finding will cease and the San Luis Obispo County Coroner will be contacted to determine the origin of the remains. In the event the remains are Native American in origin, the NAHC will be contacted to determine necessary procedures for protection and preservation of the remains, including reburial, as provided in the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15064.5(e), “CEQA and Archaeological Resources,” CEQA Technical Advisory Series. Sincerely, Brent Leftwich, PhD, RPA Principal Investigator and Owner Leftwich Archaeology Attachments: Appendix A: Figures Appendix B: Central Coast Information Center Appendix C: Photos 6 A-7 APPENDIX A FIGURES 7 8 9 Figure 3. Project Site Plan 10 B-0 APPENDIX B RECORD SEARCH FROM SOUTH CENTRAL COAST INFORMATION CENTER 11 Central Coast Information Center Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 2559 Puesta del Sol Santa Barbara, CA 93105 PHONE (805) 682-4711 ext. 181 FAX (805) 682-3170 EMAIL ccic@sbnature2.org 11/17/2023 Records Search #: 23-259b To Whom It May Concern: On the above date, Brent Leftwich performed a records search on behalf of Leftwich Archaeology for the 3745 Sueldo St. project in Santa Barbara County. If you have any questions about this project, please contact me. Sincerely, Yoly Cohen Assistant Coordinator 12 B-1 APPENDIX C PHOTOS 13 Photo 1. Northeast Corner of Project Area, Facing West. Photo 2. Northeast Corner of Project Area, Facing South. 14 Photo 3. Southeast Corner of Project Area, Facing North. Photo 4. Southeast Corner of Project Area, Facing West. 15 Photo 5. Southwest Corner of Project Area, Facing East. Photo 6. Southwest Corner of Project Area, Facing North. 16