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CONSIDERATION OF A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS TO A RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE LOCATED AT 415 EAST POPLAR STREET IN THE MAGNOLIA HISTORIC PRESERVATION DISTRICT (P24-0093).
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Cultural Heritage Board adopt a resolution recommending the Director issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for improvements to a residential structure in the Magnolia Historic District, based on the findings and subject to the conditions of approval herein.
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Summary
The property owner, Shaker Ahmed (California ADU/Tiny Homes, LLC), submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness application for exterior improvements to a multi-unit residential building in the Magnolia Historic District (Attachment A - Project Plans), herein referred to as the “project”. The improvements include siding and window replacements.
The project is located at 415 East Poplar Street within the CO (Commercial, Office) Zoning District as shown in the Vicinity Map (Attachment B). The subject structure is a contributing resource structure as identified by the Magnolia Historic District (Attachment C). Staff recommends that the Cultural Heritage Board (CHB) adopt a resolution recommending the Community Development Director issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed project.
DISCUSSION
Background
The project site is located on East Poplar Street approximately 60 feet east of North Sutter Street. The project site is surrounded by residential uses on all four sides. Staff was unable to locate a Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Historic Resource Form to confirm the architectural style and construction date of the building. However, per available city data, the structure is a two-story building with four (4) residential units, constructed approximately in 1903 and was identified as a contributing resource building of the Magnolia Historic District (Attachment C - Magnolia Historic District Expansion, 1984).
The structure’s architectural features include a hip roof, wood siding, bay windows, covered front porches and balcony. The structure’s current conditions can be viewed in the photographs in Attachment D.
To-date, four (4) Certificates of Appropriateness have been issued for this property (Attachment E):
1. CE002-01 - approved March 8, 2001, for fire damage repair to one wall of the garage.
2. CE026-01 - approved November 9, 2001, for repairs to rear porch using materials similar in appearance to the original materials (e.g. tongue-in-groove Douglas fir).
3. CE030-02 - approved December 2, 2002, for the installation of a new exterior staircase at the rear of the building using Douglas fir wood.
4. CE013-03 - approved April 16, 2003, for the installation of a new exterior staircase at the rear of the building. Materials were not documented.
Project Description
The Certificate of Appropriateness application was submitted to the Community Development Department on May 21, 2024, for the improvements consisting of (1) installation of new siding on the south (front) and east elevations and (2) replacement of windows throughout the building, as shown in Attachment A.
Siding replacement
The structure originally consisted of horizontal clapboard siding around the first-floor exterior. The clapboard was applied with a small part of each board overlapping the one below it, creating an angled profile. The upper level consisted of shake siding, including the front porch posts. Due to the work already being performed and existing heavy vegetation, images of the structure are not available, and limited views are available on Google Street View; however, available images are included in Attachment D.
The property owner made exterior improvements, as well as to the interior, due to a fire in the building. As shown in Attachment A, the exterior siding on the south and east elevations have been removed and replaced with knotted flat boards. Patches of the original siding remain on the east elevation. The north elevation and rear of the building shows evidence of modifications with the application of various siding materials. Although the siding replacement is not a direct match, the wood product and application method used in the project is complementary to the neighborhood, as wood (clapboard) is a prevalent exterior material in the Magnolia Historic District.
Window replacements
As mentioned above, images of the structure prior to the work being performed are not available or are limited. The original windows on the building, based on the remaining untouched windows on the building, were wood framed windows with raised grids and decorative window trims. All of the windows, on the south (front), east, and north elevations have been replaced with new vinyl windows. New window trims were installed but are not consistent with the original design. The east and north elevations are not easily visible from the public right-of-way; however, the south elevation is the front and is highly visible. The north elevation is at the rear of the property.
As for the west elevation, at least eight (8) original wood windows and trims have been retained and are not proposed to be removed.
The property owner has agreed to install window vinyl, decal type, grids on the new vinyl windows to resemble and compliment the original window designs.
Staff Analysis
A Certificate of Appropriateness is required in accordance with Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) Section 16.220.060(A)(1) because the rehabilitation consists of an exterior alteration of a structure within a historic preservation district.
The requested Certificate of Appropriateness is subject to the: (a) Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings; and (b) Citywide Design Guidelines Section 3.02.060 Rehabilitation Guidelines
Certificate of Appropriateness
SMC Section 16.220.060(G) requires six (6) findings of fact to grant approval. Each finding and Staff’s analysis are as follows.
The issuance of the Certificate of Appropriateness would:
1. Designate, enhance, preserve, protect, restore, and perpetuate those historic districts, neighborhoods, sites, structures, and zones, which contribute to the aesthetic and cultural benefit of the City.
The alterations, as proposed, will provide for the continued use of the structure and will not adversely detract from the character or the historic district as wood siding is a prevalent feature in the Magnolia Historic District.
2. Encourage public appreciation, knowledge, and understanding of, and a sense of identity with the City’s past.
The proposed project provides maintenance to a structure. The work performed allows the building to maintain a sense of identity related to the current architecture style of the building.
3. Foster civic and neighborhood pride in the accomplishments and beauty of the past.
The proposed work seeks to provide maintenance of a contributing resource structure to avoid further deterioration of the building.
4. Stabilize and improve the economic value of historic districts, neighborhoods, sites, structures, and zones.
The investment into the improvement of the structure’s features improves the value of the property and promotes the economic retention and value of the district.
5. Help preserve the diverse architectural design and styles that reflect phases of the City’s history and encourage complementary design and construction.
The proposed repair work aims to preserve it with minimal intervention to the structural aspects of the structure by matching or complementing the original character of the building.
6. Promote and encourage continued private ownership and utilization of structures currently owned and used.
The project performs improvements to the structure that results in the safe utilization of the structure and continued private ownership.
Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation
The Secretary of Interior’s definition for rehabilitation, as a treatment, is the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values. The Standards are to be applied to specific rehabilitation projects in a reasonable manner, taking into consideration economic and technical feasibility. Staff’s analysis of the Project under each standard is provided in italics below:
1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
The current use of the project site is residential. No change to the use of the structure is proposed.
2. The historic character of the property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
No structural changes are proposed to the structure. Prevalent features such as roof lines, bay windows, porches and patios are preserved. Changes are limited to cosmetic elements.
2. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
The proposed changes do not create a false sense of historical development as the changes are incorporated in a manner that does not disturb the architecture structural style.
4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
The proposed repair work aims to preserve it with minimal intervention to the structural aspects of the structure by matching or complementing the original character of the building.
5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
The proposed changes do not affect distinctive craftsmanship features of the building as the proposed work is limited to siding changes and window changes, and the decorative trims around windows are maintained or replaced.
6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
The replacement materials will be complementary to the existing materials.
7. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
No chemical or physical treatments are proposed.
8. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
To the best of our knowledge, no significant archeological resources have been found on the site. If such resources are found during the course of the project, work shall be stopped, and an archeologist will be consulted (see conditions of approval).
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
The Project does not interfere with, or destroy, the historic integrity of the property and structure as it aims to repair specific elements of the building.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment will be unimpaired.
The project will not impair the form and integrity of the historic property, or the environment as it only concerns existing architectural features.
Citywide Design Guidelines Section 3.020.060 Rehabilitation Guidelines
The Rehabilitation Guidelines apply to efforts within Stockton’s seven (7) special districts and are aimed at protecting the original architectural features of a house that help identify its individual style and thereby contribute to the overall character of the districts. The project is compatible with the Rehabilitation Guidelines.
Public Comments
Per Development Code Section 16.220.060(C)(3) (Noticing for Certificate of Appropriateness), a public notice or hearing shall not be required for the Review Authority’s action on a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Environmental Clearance
The proposed project is a Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15331 (Class 31, Historical Resource Restoration/ Rehabilitation) since it consists of the rehabilitation and restoration of a historical resource in a manner consistent with the Secretary of Interiors Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties.
Attachments
Attachment A - Project Plans
Attachment B - Vicinity Map
Attachment C - Magnolia Historic District Expansion, 1984
Attachment D - Site Photos
Attachment E - Prior Certificates of Appropriateness
This report was prepared by Arturo Carrasco, Associate Planner, 209-937-8955, Arturo.Carrasco@Stocktonca.gov