HomeMy WebLinkAbout101-City Council - Staff Report on Heritage Resource Inventory Update.pdf 1
SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL
MEETING DATE: December 16, 2009 AGENDA ITEM:
DEPARTMENT: Community Development CITY MANAGER: Dave Anderson
PREPARED BY: Michael Fossati DIRECTOR: John F. Livingstone, AICP
SUBJECT: Heritage Resources Inventory Update
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Direct staff accordingly
REPORT SUMMARY:
In January 2009, City Council directed the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) to prepare
an update to the City’s Historic Resources Inventory (the Inventory). The primary purpose of
the update was to:
• Visit each property on the Inventory to confirm the existence of the resource;
• Update the historic documentation for each resource to be compliant with current
California historic preservation planning standards.
BACKGROUND:
Originally created in 1988, the Inventory is an official listing of properties identified by the HPC
as having heritage value and character. Historic resources of the City provide special character
and cultural depth while providing tangible links to Saratoga’s rich historic and cultural heritage.
Each historic structure or property represents an investment that must be preserved. Maintaining
and rehabilitating older buildings can result in savings of energy, time, money and resources.
There is a growing recognition by community groups and citizens of Saratoga that the City’s
historic resources have multiple values and should be retained as a functional part of modern life.
This is the reason that the Inventory has increased in number throughout the years. As of 2009,
the Inventory included 110 individual properties with 20 of those properties being designated as
Saratoga Landmarks.
DISCUSSION:
As directed by City Council in early 2009, the Inventory (Attachment A) was to be updated by
an Architectural Historian (Consultant) with guidance by the HPC. The existing Inventory was
out-of-date with properties that could have been demolished or modified in a manner that could
potentially affect their historic integrity. The goal was to identify and record the present status
of properties on the Inventory. Through the use of best practices, the Consultant worked with
HPC, local historic professionals, and community members to determine the present status of
properties on the Inventory. The update was not intended to add any new properties, but rather
record the 111 resources currently on file. Along with updating the Inventory, a report
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documenting the history of Saratoga was completed. This report can be used by the existing
(and future) HPC and community members as a guide on preserving historical resources within
the City.
The new inventory records 98 existing properties with 20 designated as Landmark Structures.
Thirteen of the previous inventory resources have been demolished and no longer exist. The
majority of these projects were approved by the HPC in the mid to late 90’s. A summary of
these properties is included as Attachment B.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
A budget of $25,000 was funded to complete the Heritage Inventory project. The project
remained on budget.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED ACTION:
None
ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
None
FOLLOW UP ACTION:
None
ADVERTISING, NOTICING AND PUBLIC CONTACT:
Notice of this meeting was properly posted.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Heritage Resource Inventory, dated December 2009.
B. Summary of properties removed off the list, dated December 2009.
C. Resolution of the Heritage Preservation Commission adoption of the Heritage Resource
Inventory.