HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-09-2008 HPC Minutes
City of Saratoga
H ERITAGE P RESERVATION C OMMISSION
MINUTES
Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 - 8:30 a.m.
Place: Regular Meeting – Please meet in the parking lot in front of the
Warner Hutton House at 8:30 a.m. and Staff will provide
transportation to the site visit under New Business and return to
Warner Hutton House by 9:15 a.m.
1. Routine Organization
A. Roll Call
PRESENT – Commissioners Koepernik, McCarty, Tai, Vice Chair Marra, and
Chair Kellond
STAFF – Senior Planner Christopher Riordan, Assistant Planner Cindy
McCormick, and Assistant Planner Michael Fossati
GUESTS – Roger Griffin, Kirsten Jensen, Ann Waltonsmith, Kathryn
Mathewson, Jenni Taylor, Betty Peck, and Kathleen Casey
B. Approval of minutes from November 12, 2008 meeting – Approved with no
modifications 5-0
C. Posting of Agenda – Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, the
agenda was posted on December 5, 2008 – Senior Planner Christopher
Riordan announced this item.
D. Oral & Written Communication - Any member of the public may address the
Commission about any matter not on the agenda for this meeting for up to
three minutes. Commissioners may not comment on the matter but may
choose to place the topic on a future agenda. - Ms. Waltonsmith handed
Senior Planner Chris Riordan a letter and proceeded to read the following: I
am here to talk about the Oak Tree that was to be moved from the Historical
Orchard to WVC and to let you know of my change of attitude and actions.
As I understand it, some HPC members and some other HPC supporters
were working behind the scenes, going to the WVC Board Meeting and
insisting that they refuse the City’s gift of the tree. I am shocked that some of
you would support an effort to put the City Council and the WVC back on a
collision course again after we worked so hard to build a good relationship out
of the ashes of the stadium issue. As you may know, I was one of the
Council negotiators that ended the long standing stadium issue and ushered
in the era of cooperation. I am disappointed in your actions and plan not to do
anything further on the project. I truly believe that leaving so many oak trees
in the orchard will ultimately kill the orchard. It really hurts my soul to be
around the orchard and watch it die. I fear that your actions leave the orchard
vulnerable in many ways. You have chosen oaks over orchard trees. They do
not coexist together. Oaks kill off Orchard trees. In addition, I seem to be
arguing with the HPC on many other issues too. 1) The HPC fought putting in
trails that people and groups would use and enjoy and also learn to love the
orchard. The HPC does not seem to be interested in leading the effort on
education. 2) The HPC has not lead the effort to get Matt Novakovitch to take
care of the orchard like he takes care of his own. Ours is very shabby. He
makes a lot of money on the job but short changes it. The HPC seems to
want to defend him versus deal with the reality of the situation. Either he
should do the job right or the City should get another vendor. 3) There
seems to be a “dog in the manger” quality to the HPC defense of the orchard
rather than throw it open to use by the citizens who own it. That is the only
way, in my mind, that the future generations will want to defend it. My request
to have the PRC included in the management of the orchard was
stonewalled. The PRC is interested in educational activities and increasing
use of parks and specialty parks like the orchard. The HPC says it is but
does not focus on it. 4) The large orchard sign that HPC designed was
another problem. I was shocked that it is to be built out of fake rocks versus
using the rocks that come out of the orchard and are piled in the back of the
orchard. Where is the “historic” in fake rocks? So rather than argue with the
HPC about saving the orchard and because of the latest attempt to get WVC
and the City sideways with one another again, I plan to not be involved in
saving the orchard anymore. It makes me sad but I do not want to continue
to argue with a Commission that I do care about nor do I want to watch as the
orchard goes downhill and becomes vulnerable to dissolution. Good luck and
for the sake of the Orchard I hope you are correct in your judgments. Ms.
Casey said that she agreed with what was just said about the sign and that
that it should be made from rocks from the local creek and that the proposed
costs were too expensive, the current 7:00 A.M. meeting time of the HPC was
at a bad time which make attending it less accessible to the public and that
there would be more public involvement if the meeting time was moved to the
evening, she was going to contact the state so they could teach classes to the
HPC, the Heritage Orchard should be preserved and the Oak trees should not
be relocated to the West Valley College, volunteers could go into the orchard
to eliminate the oxalis and plant mustard plants, would like to preserve the
orchard and not sell off the orchard assets, public access to the Heritage
Orchard should be increased. Ms. Taylor said that it was commendable that
the City of Saratoga and West Valley College now get along and have built a
fine accord and also would like a later start time for the HPC meetings, the
HPC vote on the Oak tree was a breach of procedures since there was not
enough public notice, Oak trees should be located in orchards as they provide
shade for the workers and they are a distinguishing feature, it is a beautiful
mature tree and a improper process has been followed, the Heritage Orchard
is a cornerstone and an important feature for the City, Matt Ivancovich has
been a professional steward of the orchard, public education of the Heritage
Orchard could be improved and the public could help pick the fruit and then
buy some in Matt Ivancovich’s fruit stand. Ms. Mathewson from the Secret
Garden said that he family has lived in Saratoga since 1950 and that the
Heritage Orchard is part of the City’s history and part of the cultural
landscape, the purpose of a Heritage Orchard is to save trees, native trees
such as the Oak in the Heritage Orchard attract beneficial insects and help
improve the health of the orchard, she questioned the choice of the location
for the Oak at West Valley College since the proposed location would get to
much water and Oak trees do not live a lot of water, an relocated Oak tree
that is located about a 1,000 feet away from the proposed location of the Oak
from the Heritage Orchard had died, the College can get a boxed Oak tree
from anywhere, the Valley Oak is the symbol of West Valley College and not
a Quercus Agrifolia (Coast Live Oak), the movement of the tree to the West
Valley Campus will kill the tree and the HPC should rethink its decision to
recommend approval, the West Valley College Board has heard all of these
things and are rethinking their decision to relocate the tree. Ms. Peck said that
her Husband, Willis Peck was born in Saratoga and is the City’s historian,
there is a need for a liaison between Matt Ivancovich and the public, she went
to his farm as a child and picked fruit, and would like to see the Heritage
Orchard preserved.
E. Oral Communications –Instruction to staff regarding actions on current Oral
Communications. - None
2. Old Business
A. Discuss National Registry & Saratoga Landmark Plaques. Item Discussed.
Chair Kellond said that the plaques should be presented to the recipients all
at the same time at a Council meeting and that this presentation should
include photos of each house and directed Senior Planner Christopher
Riordan to email the list of plaque recipients to the Commission.
B. Staff Discussion of HPC’s November 12, 2008 review of the project at 20365
Williams Avenue. – Senior Planner Christopher Riordan told the Commission
that the project at 20365 Williams Avenue added to the Heritage Resource
Inventory at the November 12, 2008 was done in error as the project should
not have been routed to the HPC for review in the first place. The
architectural addition could be approved by Planning Staff “Over the Counter”
since the project only requires a building permit and therefore is exempt from
Design Review. The requirement for Historic Review is only applicable to
discretionary projects requiring Design Review. Commissioner Koepernik said
that he was surprised by this and wondered how it could be changed. Senior
Planner Christopher Riordan said that the City would have to lower the
threshold so that more projects would require Design Review and therefore
reducing the types of projects that could be approved “Over the Counter”.
3. New Business
A. 8:30 a.m. Site Visit – 14890 Montalvo Road – Determination of whether the
existing one story structure is historically significant and review plans for a
proposed addition. – Site visit completed. Item discussed. Mr. Griffin said that
the project would be the fourth remodel for the house and that each time the
intent has been to maintain the presence, architectural properties, and
materials of the existing home, it is a quintessential home with an east coast
style. Commissioner Koepernik said that it was a beautiful home and was not
an historic resource, he could support the proposed design, and the proposed
project was being sensitive to the existing structure. Chair Kellond said that
he agreed with the comments made by Commissioner Koepernik and cannot
make the findings to classify the home as an historic resource. Motion by
Commissioner Koepernik and seconded by Commissioner Tai to recommend
approval of the project as proposed and that the finding to classify the house
as a historic resource could not be made. Carried on a 5-0 vote.
B. 8:50 a.m. Site Visit – 14660 Quito Road – Determination of whether the
one story existing structure is historically significant and review plans for a
proposed addition. Site visit completed. Item discussed. Vice Chair Marra
said that he did not know the history of the property and that the property may
originally part of a larger estate that was historic however the house on the
subject property is not historic. Assistant Planner Fossati said that the project
has had numerous code enforcement issues in the past and that his research
has shown that the property was subdivided from a larger parcel sometime in
the past and that the applicant had not provided much background
information about the property. Commissioner Koepernik said that the house
was not historic but the landscaping definitely had historic character and that
the rock walls indicate that the property was once part of a larger estate, he
would be interested in learning the history of the site and that it is likely that
that the building was the caretakers house for the larger Spanish styled house
above, the project can be supported and that it appears to be a nice project.
Chair Kellond agreed with Commissioner Koepernik that the site was
probably once part of a large estate but the house that was located on the
subject site did not possess historic qualities and was not significant, the
existing walls and paths are a nice feature of the property and also agreed
that the house was most likely a caretakers house of a larger estate, the trees
are a significant features and recommends that all of the trees be saved.
Commissioner Koepernik agreed with Chair Kellond that the trees add to the
ambience of the site and should be saved. Motion by Vice Chair Marra and
seconded by Commissioner Marra that the findings could not be made to
classify the existing house as historic, the Oaks and the Sycamore trees
should be saved, preserve the rock walls and the rock bridge if it is
determined that the bridge is on the property, and that the landscape setting
of the site is historic and should be preserved. Carried on a 5-0 vote.
4. Pending Items
A. Update the Heritage Resources Inventory List – Not Discussed.
B. National Register Applications – Not Discussed.
5. Adjournment
Adjourn to 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 13, 2009, Warner Hutton House, 13777
Fruitvale Avenue.