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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.