HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-28-2015 CHC Item 2 (ARCH-0896-2015 -- 1005 Islay St.)
CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE AGENDA REPORT
SUBJECT: Construction of a new accessory structure (a two-car garage with workspace
above) on property designated as a contributing historic resource and located
within the Old Town Historic District
ADDRESS: 1005 Islay St BY: Walter Oetzell, Assistant Planner
Phone: 781-7593
E-mail: woetzell@slocity.org
FILE #: ARCH-0896-2015 FROM: Brian Leveille, Senior Planner
RECOMMENDATION: Adopt the Draft Resolution (Attachment 1), recommending that the
Director grant final approval of the project, based on findings.
SITE DATA
Applicant Cynthia Becker
Representative John J. Bellisario, LEED AP
Submittal Date February 4, 2015
Complete Date June 6, 2015
General Plan Medium High Density
Residential
Zoning R-3-H (Medium-High Density
Residential with Historic
Overlay)
Site Area 7,044 square feet
Historic Status Contributing List Resource
Environmental
Status
Categorically Exempt
(CEQA Guidelines §15303:
New Construction of Small
Structures)
SUMMARY
The applicant has submitted an application for architectural review of a new two-story accessory
structure proposed to be built behind an existing residence at 1005 Islay Street. The structure
contains a two-car garage on the ground level and storage space on the second level. The
property is developed with a Contributing List Resource in the Old Town Historic District.
COMMITTEE’S PURVIEW
The Committee’s role is to provide a recommendation to the Community Development Director
Meeting Date: September 28, 2015
Item Number: 2
CHC2 - 1
ARCH-0896-2015 (1005 Islay)
Page 2
on the application of historic preservation standards and guidelines.1
PROJECT INFORMATION
Site Information
Table 1: Site Information
The site is located at the southeast corner of Osos and Islay Streets, in the Old Town Historic
District. The project site is level, just over 7,000 square feet in area, and developed with the
Contributing Historic Lauritzen House, estimated to have been built in 1899. The surrounding
neighborhood is characterized by single-family residences with historical character. At least 15
Contributing Historic Resources are located on the 1000 block of Islay Street, and neighboring
properties along Osos Street (1541, 1542, and 1609 Osos) are also Contributing List Resources.
Single-story residences in a Neo-Classical Rowhouse style predominate on Islay. At the corner
with Osos are two examples of residences in a Plains Cottage style. . West and south of the site
on Osos Street are commercial buildings and an apartment building, exhibiting a mixture of
styles transitioning to the Railroad Historic District. Businesses in this area include Faces a la
Mode Spa and Salon, Kyle Roofing, and Gus’s Grocery.
1 Historic Preservation Ordinance § 14.01.030(B)(4) and (B)(5))
Access Osos Street
Site Dimensions
(approx.)
Area: 7,044 square feet; Width: 50 feet; Depth: min. 140 ft., max. 170 ft.
Street Frontage: 50 feet (Islay)
Topography Slope: Flat
Natural Features: Several small trees and one large White Oak tree on site,
all to be retained; Adjacent to Fixlini-Lizzi Creek
Present Use &
Development
Single-family residence (3-BR); Dilapidated accessory structure in rear yard
Surrounding Use /
Zoning
Single-family dwellings (R-2-H) and (R-3-H)
Commercial and Multiple-Family Residential (R-3-H) and (C-N-H)
Figure 1: Historical residences in vicinity
CHC2 - 2
ARCH-0896-2015 (1005 Islay)
Page 3
A tall fence surrounds the rear portion of the site, and a
driveway provides access to the site from Osos Street
through a gate in the fence (though the condition of the
site suggests that this access has not been in regular
use within the recent past). This part of the sidewalk
has granite curbing, and the City’s Engineering
Standards call for the retention of unique or historical
sidewalk features (see Condition of Approval #5).
Fixlini-Lizzi creek runs through an underground
culvert from under Osos Street and behind the
property, to the south. There are no heritage trees on
the site. One large White Oak tree will be retained
along with all other smaller trees and tree clusters on the site. No trees are proposed to be
removed.
Project Description
The project consists of the construction of a two-story accessory structure: a 2-car garage with
437 square feet of accessory space above, to be used as an artist’s workspace. A small existing
wood-sided accessory structure currently located behind the main residence will be demolished.
The access driveway will be improved and new pervious paving installed. A turnaround area will
be provided to allow vehicles to exit the site in a forward direction. Any approval should be
subject to the protection of granite curbing adjacent to the project (see draft resolution, condition
#5). Two new street trees will be planted along the Osos Street frontage. No modifications will
be made to remainder of the site or the existing residence.
EVALUATION
Evaluation of this project is focused on determining whether the new accessory structure is
consistent with the Historic Preservation Guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards
for the Treatment of Historic Properties (“Secretary of the Interior’s Standards”).
This project is located in the Old Town Historic District, one of the City’s oldest residential
neighborhoods, built up historically around the turn of the 20th Century. Common site features
Figure 2: 1005 Islay
Figure 3: Proposed accessory structure
CHC2 - 3
ARCH-0896-2015 (1005 Islay)
Page 4
and architectural characteristics within the district are summarized in Table 2.2 Projects
involving new construction in historic districts should be architecturally compatible with the
historical character of the district; should not detract from historically designated structures
adjacent to the property; and, accessory structures and additions on properties with historic
resources should complement the primary structure’s historic character. 3
Table 2: Old Town Historic District
Site Features and Characteristics Predominant Architectural Features
Prominent street yard setbacks of 20 ft. or more
Coach barn (garage) recessed into rear yard
Finish floors raised 2-3 feet above finish grade
Front building facades oriented parallel to
street
Front entries oriented toward street, with
prominent walk, stairs and porch
Two- and rarely three-story houses
Mostly gable and hip roof types
Highly ornamented roof features, including prominent fascias,
bargeboards, gable end treatments, decorative shingles,
prominent pediments or cornices
Traditional fenestration, such as double-hung, wood sash
windows, divided light windows, ornamental front doors, wood
screen doors
Painted wood surface material, including siding and decorative
moldings
Historic Preservation Guidelines
Residence style, siting, and detail. The primary residence on the site is a single-story house on a
raised foundation, in a “workingman’s Queen Anne Cottage” style, sheathed in wood shiplap
siding, and with a vertical wood board skirt around the base.4 It has a steeply pitched multi-
hipped, multi-gabled roof of composition shingles. Rectangular windows are grouped in pairs
along the Osos frontage.
At the rear of the residence is a rectangular flat-roofed building section, of the same exterior
siding, but with a seam line that gives the appearance of a later addition. The building is set back
2 Historic Preservation Program Guidelines § 5.2.1
3 Historic Preservation Program Guidelines § § 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.4.1(c)
4 Description provided in the historical property information file (“yellow file”) for 1005 Islay, maintained by the
Community Development Department.
Figure 4: Window pattern (primary residence)
CHC2 - 4
ARCH-0896-2015 (1005 Islay)
Page 5
about 20 feet from the Islay Street sidewalk and 15 feet from Osos Street. The entry is on Islay
Street, through a raised wooden porch with wood railings of turned balusters and decorated
above with spindle and spool detail.
Staff Analysis: The Historic Preservation Program Guidelines require that new structures be
designed to be architecturally compatible with the prevailing historic character of the historic
district “as measured by their consistency with the scale, massing, rhythm, signature architectural
elements, exterior materials, siting and street yard setbacks of the district’s historic structures,…”
(§ 3.2.1) and architecturally compatible with nearby historic resources:
New development should not sharply contrast with, significantly block public
views of, or visually detract from, the historic architectural character of
historically designated structures… (HPPG § 3.2.2)
New accessory structures should complement the primary structure’s historic
character through compatibility with its form, massing, color, and materials.
(HPPG § 3.4.1(c))
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties also provide
guidance for designing new construction adjacent to historic buildings:
New additions, exterior alterations, and related new construction will not destroy
historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the
property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and will be
compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and
massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment.
(Standards for Rehabilitation, #9)
Scale, form, and siting. As an accessory structure that is six feet shorter than the main residence
and less than half of the residence’s building footprint area, the building’s form and scale is in
keeping with the primary residence on the site and with other residences and buildings in the
vicinity. The new structure is proposed to be located at the rear of the site, behind the primary
residence, typical of the coach barn (garage) structures developed during this time period. The
location of the addition would not obstruct public views of the primary historic residence. The
proposed structure is lower in scale (both in size and height) than the primary residence. A gable
roof form is used to minimize the height of the building. It echoes the pitched roof forms of the
primary residence but presents a more rectangular building shape to Osos Street. This roofline
provides a visual transition from structures along Osos Street, which have flatter roof lines, to the
historic residences along Islay with their characteristic pitched rooflines.
Materials and architectural elements. The exterior walls are proposed to be sided with Hardie
cement-fiber board lap siding (7 ¼”), painted Tahoe Snow, a very light blue-grey color, and
accented with a wood “belly-band,” white in color. The texture and appearance of this type of
siding is compatible with the light grey shiplap wood siding on the residence. Rectangular
windows, “one-over-one” and divided in form, are grouped in a pattern that is harmonious with
the pattern of grouped pairs of “one-over-one” and divided windows on the main residence.
Wood trim is proposed to be painted to match the treatment on the house.
CHC2 - 5
ARCH-0896-2015 (1005 Islay)
Page 6
Detailing is restrained, limited to wood fascia board, undecorated roof trim and a “belly band”
accenting the exterior between floors. The roofline itself has been lowered by incorporation of
dormers so that while its pitch echoes that of the residence, it is lower and less steep than the roof
of the residence. No attempt is made to mimic distinctive features of the residence, such as the
board skirt, shingle siding, spindle and spool porch decoration. In this way, the accessory
structure has been designed to be compatible with, but differentiated from the primary residence
so that it does not compete with the character-defining details of the historic house.
Existing accessory structure. City records5 acknowledge the presence of “a small detached
1-story structure in the back yard” but do not discuss any accessory building of architectural or
historical significance on the property. Older Sanborn Maps indicate that an accessory structure
was originally located in the southeast rear corner of the property, but the existing accessory
structure is in the middle of the rear yard. The existing building does not appear to be
contemporary with the historic residence and lacks decoration or detailing that is characteristic of
the style of the residence, and it is in a highly dilapidated condition. Aluminum sliding windows
and exterior siding of varying orientation and appearance indicate that it has been extensively
modified. Under these circumstances, this structure would not meet criteria used to evaluate
architectural or historical significance. Its demolition would not degrade the historical
significance of the property, which is derived from the character of the primary residence.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA). It consists of the minor alteration of an existing structure, with addition of less than
10,000 square feet of floor area, as described in CEQA Guidelines § 15301(e)(2) (Existing
Facilities). Public services and facilities are available, and the project is not located within an
environmentally sensitive area.
RECOMMENDATION
Based on this evaluation, staff recommends that the Committee adopt the draft resolution
recommending that the Director approve this project, based on findings and subject to conditions
as described in the resolution.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Continue the project with direction to the applicant and staff on pertinent issues.
2. Deny the project based on findings of inconsistency with the General Plan, Historic
Preservation Ordinance, or Historic Preservation Program Guidelines.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Resolution
2. Vicinity map
3. Project plans (reduced size)
5 Historical property information file (“yellow file”) for 1005 Islay, maintained by the Community Development
Department.
CHC2 - 6
CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE
RESOLUTION NO. XXXX-15
A RESOLUTION OF THE SAN LUIS OBISPO CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDING APPROVAL TO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTOR OF AN ACCESSORY STRUCTURE (2-CAR GARAGE WITH
ACCESSORY SPACE ABOVE) LOCATED BEHIND A CONTRIBUTING LIST
HISTORIC RESOURCE IN THE MEDIUM-HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL (R-3-H)
ZONE WITH HISTORICAL PRESERVATION OVERLAY,
LOCATED AT 1005 ISLAY STREET (ARCH-1170-2015)
WHEREAS, the applicant, Cynthia Becker, filed an application on February 4, 2015, for
review of a proposed accessory structure (a two-car garage with accessory space above) at the
rear of the lot at 1005 Islay; and
WHEREAS, the Cultural Heritage Committee of the City of San Luis Obispo conducted
a public hearing in the Council Hearing Room of City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo,
California, on September 28, 2015, for the purpose of reviewing the proposed accessory structure
at the rear of the lot at 1005 Islay; and
WHEREAS, notices of said public hearings were made at the time and in the manner
required by law; and
WHEREAS, the Cultural Heritage Committee has duly considered all evidence, including
the testimony of the applicants, interested parties, and the evaluation and recommendations by
staff, presented at said hearing.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Cultural Heritage Committee of the
City of San Luis Obispo as follows:
Section 1. Findings. Based upon all the evidence, the Cultural Heritage Committee
makes the following findings:
1. The project is consistent with the Historic Preservation Program Guidelines. The
project is architecturally compatible with the historic character of the Old Town
Historic District area, does not sharply contrast with, block public views of, or
visually detract from the historic architectural character of historically designated
structures, and retains and preserves character-defining features of historically
listed buildings.
2. The project is consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Guidelines for the
Treatment of Historic Properties. The property continues to be used for its
historical use, and the project retains and preserves the distinctive materials,
features, and finishes that define the property’s historical character.
ATTACHMENT 1
CHC2 - 7
Resolution No. CHC-XXXX-15
1005 Islay Street (ARCH-0896-2015)
Page 2
3. The project is consistent with goals and policies of the General Plan’s
Conservation and Open Space Policies. The new structure is designed in a manner
that protects the historical character of the property and the neighborhood.
Section 2. Environmental Review. This project is Categorically Exempt from the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as described in §15303 of the CEQA Guidelines
(New Construction of Small Structures).The project consists of the construction of an accessory
structure (a two-car garage with 437 square feet of accessory space above).
Section 3. Action. The Cultural Heritage Committee does hereby recommend approval
of the proposed accessory structure at the rear of the property, including the demolition of an
existing accessory structure, at 1005 Islay to the Community Development Director, subject to
the following condition:
1. Conformance to Approved Plans: Final project design and construction drawings
submitted for construction permits will be in substantial compliance with the plans
approved by this application, and with all conditions of approval. A separate full-
size sheet will be included in plans submitted for construction permits listing all
conditions of project approval. Reference will be made in the margin of listed items
as to where in plans requirements are addressed.
2. Colors and Materials: Plans submitted for construction permits will clearly indicate
the colors and materials of all building surfaces and site improvements. Any change
to approved design, colors, or materials or other conditions of approval must be
reviewed and approved by the Community Development Director.
3. Exterior Lighting: Plans submitted for construction permits will clearly depict all
exterior lighting. Exterior lighting will be oriented, recessed, and shielded as
necessary in order to comply with the Night Sky Preservation regulations set forth
in Chapter 17.23 of the San Luis Obispo Municipal Code.
4. Window Details: Plans submitted for a building permit shall include window details
indicating the type of materials for the window frames and mullions, their
dimensions, and colors. Plans shall include the materials and dimensions of all
lintels, sills, surrounds, recesses, and other related window features.
5. Granite Curb. The historic granite curb shall be protected in place. Alternatively a
removal and protection plan can be created for storing and reinstalling the historic
section of curb. Special requirements for any sidewalk underdrain installation will
be required to the satisfaction of the City Engineer and Public Works Director.
On motion by Committee Member ________, seconded by Committee Member , and
on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Committee Members
NOES: Committee Members
CHC2 - 8
Resolution No. CHC-XXXX-15
1005 Islay Street (ARCH-0896-2015)
Page 3
REFRAIN:
ABSENT:
The foregoing resolution was passed and adopted this 28th day of September, 2015.
________________________
Brian Leveille, Secretary
Cultural Heritage Committee
CHC2 - 9
R-3-H
R-3-H
R-3-H
R-2-H
C-N-H
O
S
O
S
ISLAY
VICINITY MAP PC 9/23/151005 Islay ¯
ATTACHMENT 2
CHC2 - 10
ATTACHMENT 3
CHC2 - 11
CHC2 - 12
CHC2 - 13
CHC2 - 14
CHC2 - 15
CHC2 - 16