PC 072413 - Laserfiche WebLink

Commissioner O'Connor noted that the Council did not want a District for residential either. Chair Pearce reiterated that the Council is not supportive of the concept of a District. Commissioner O'Connor inquired if the Council is supportive of preserving older homes or not. Chair Pearce replied that the Council is very supportive of the Task Force and the work that the Task Force has done. She explained that after the Task Force completes its work, it will come before the Commission, and then to the City Council. Commissioner Ritter request confirmation that if someone comes up and wants to develop a property and to tear down this old house, the Planning Commission would use the guidelines that the Task Force has been given before it is sent to the City Council. Chair Pearce deferred to Mr. Dolan for a response. Mr. Dolan stated that there are three very helpful things that the Council asked the Task Force to continue to work on and further develop, and it seemed inclined to adopt them: (1) Decide on a definition of demolition which some of the more senior, or more tenured, Planning Commissioners know was something they have struggled with. (2) Work on some clarifications to the existing language in the Downtown Specific Plan and the Design Guidelines to eliminate some of the spots where the Commission has gotten hung up on before, such as "What makes a house compatible with the neighborhood or the house next door?" (3) The Council is were supportive of spending the money on a survey so that there are less unknowns to people when they purchase a house regarding whether or not it is considered historically significant. He added that there is not the hold up or the expense on doing studies except for additions, when staff may sometimes need an outside expert to determine whether the addition is done the right way in compliance with Secretary of the Interior's standards. Commissioner O'Connor inquired if doing a survey means taking a date and making it older homes or some kind of a heritage home. Mr. Dolan replied that the Council is talking about a date, and each home that is older than that date will be evaluated to determine whether or not it meets the criteria for historical significance. He added that the owners or applicants can always dispute the conclusion with more work on their own dime, but the City will have a default. Commissioner O'Connor inquired, if the date were, say, 1950, and he has a home that was built in 1949, if he can raise his hand and have them look at his home because he does want to be included. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, July 24, 2013 Page 18 of 20