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SR-8-A (207) . . LUTM:PPD:PB:SF:AS elemor.word.ppd COUNCIL MEETING: April 9, 1991 J!-A APR 9 1991 Santa Monica, California TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: City Staff SUBJECT: Recommendation to Extend for 45 Days the Emergency Moratorium on the Approval of Development Applications for Any Residentially Zoned Property on lIth street Between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue and Between llD7 and 1115 Arizona Avenue Inclusive. INTRODUCTION This report recommends that the city council extend for an additional 45 days the emergency moratorium on the approval of development applications for residentially zoned parcels on 1lth Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue and between 1107 and IllS Arizona Avenue inclusive. On February 26, 1991 the City Council, upon the recommendation of the Planning Commission, established a 45 day development moratorium in this neighborhood. During the 45 days the council requested that a preliminary eval uation of the neighborhood' s architectural and historical significance be conducted by the City1s Historic Resources Inventory consultant and presented to the Landmarks Commission for their review. The Landmarks Commission's evaluation of the area1s historic merit as well as a recommendation on the appropriateness of long term preservation for the neighborhood would then be forwarded to the City council. - 1 - f--A APR n ;-}~l (~ 1i.J-.. ~ . . BACKGROUND Historic Resources Inventory Process As initiated in 1990 upon direction of the City council, the Historic Resources Inventory project is a multi-phase process to be completed over a two year period. The first phase involves an update of the City's Preliminary Survey, which is a working document that identifies all the structures that will be researched in the Inventory. The next step is to research and document by photograph every building identified in the Preliminary Survey. This research is underway and is being conducted on an area by area basis. The first three neighborhoods to be so documented are Ocean Park, Mid City, and North of Wilshire. As the research for these structures is completed, an Evaluation Committee to be composed of Landmarks Commissioners and preservation professionals will review the material and determine which structures will be included in the final Inventory. It is anticipated that this process will be completed for the Mid City survey area, where the llth Street neighborhood is located, by late Fall 1991. lIth Street Preliminary Evaluation In order to obtain a preliminary evaluation of the lIth street neighborhood prior to the completion of the Inventory for the Mid - 2 - - . City area, the Council requested that the 11th street residents work closely with City staff and the City's Historic Resources Inventory consultant to prepare the research needed for the evaluation. As a result, the consultant conducted two half-day research training sessions specifically designed for the lIth street residents. Five lIth street residents volunteered their time to prepare the necessary research for the consultant1s evaluation. Landmarks Commission Evaluation and Recommendation Given the research timeline established within the constraints of a 45 day moratorium, the Landmarks Commission1s evaluation of the 11th Street research and consultant report is scheduled for the April 8, 1991 commission meeting. Therefore, the Commission's comments and recommendation as of this report's preparation is not known. However, in order to provide the Landmarks Commission with the flexibility to ask additional questions regarding the research and to deliberate on the material prepared, Planning staff believes it is appropriate to extend the moratorium for an additional 45 day period. This would allow the Landmarks Commission, if it deemed necessary, to continue their determination on the lIth street neighborhood I s historic significance until the Commission's May 13th regular meeting. The Commission's recommendation on whether the 11th street neighborhood merits consideration as a historic district will then be forwarded to City Council. - 3 - . . BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT The recommendation presented in this report does not have a budget or fiscal impact. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council extend the lIth street neighborhood moratorium for an additional 45 days in order to provide the Landmarks Commission additional time to consider the research and consultant report. Prepared By: Paul Berlant, Director of LUTM Suzanne Frick, Planning Manager Amanda Schachter, Associate Planner Land Use and Transportation Management Department Program and Policy Development Division Attachments: A. Historic Resources Inventory Consultant Evaluation of the llth street Neighborhood Ordinance to Extend Moratorium B. w/elemor - 4 - APR e: '9: ::=:4 LESLlIIIfUMANN 2~3 937 0:74 . ~~~ A, P.2/4 PRELIMINAR~ EVALUATION 11TH STREET NEIGHBORHOOD REQUEST FOR LANDJIARK DISTRICT DESIGNATION Thi. preliminary Qvaluation of the 11th Str~@t neiohborhood as a potsn~ial landmark dipt~iet Lg ba.ad on ~he preliminary survey of the city of Santa Monica, reoQn~ly updat~, and on the rQ~.aroh of specific bu.lldinqs within the neiqhbOrhood, completed by tha reaidents. It :mUSt be undlU'stood that reg..e.arch of thAa remainder of t.he prelixo.inary survey listingQ halil not yet. bean undertaken, includinq tha~ of buildings within the immediatG vici~ity of 11th St.reet.. The re!leareh provided by the resident."'" has not bean verified, nor nae much biographical informat1on been nad~ available. Also, this evaluation i9 made ~~ the absence of photograph5 of the street. The potent~al dist~ict con5~sts of 10 buildings whiehwere included in the prelimJ.nary survey and one which was nQ'C (llOSo Arizona; altered to the point of non-contribution in its pJ:"esent si:a'te). Of the 10 listed ~u11d1ngs, 8 can be considered architecturally and historically contr1but1nq, while twc are compa~ible but not contributing (125~-llth, built in the rear of 1253, prob~bly in the 1920s, in the colonial Revival style, and 1115 Arizona, built in the rear or 1259-11thl apparently in 1925, in the spaniSh COlonial Revival stylej. The contributing buildings; theretore, are: 1216{lS)-11th, 1 story Craftsman bungalow, built 1913 122l(23)-11th, 1 story Craftsroan bunqalow, bu~lt 1911 1226-11th, 1 story Craftsman bungalow, altered, built 1906 1229-11th, 1 story Craftsman bungalow, built 1911 1233-11th, 1 story Turn of the Century cottage w1th a later Colonial Revival facade, bUllt 1904 1239-11.th, 1 story Turn of the Century cottage, altered, built 1905 1253-11th, 1 story Turn of the Century cottage, built 1904 1259-11th (AKA 1107 Arizona), 1 1/2 story Turn of the Century cottage, built 1906 Architectural Evaluation T;.to architectural themes characterize t..l1e block. The earlier, turn of the century style, is typically modest in scale and p~etensions, ana to one and a half stories, capped by a hiPDed roof, and box- lika 1n proportion3. Oetail~ng t&nds ~o derive from the COlonial Reviva.l in Qarlier examples, and usually includ~A Tuscan porch columna, boxed eaves, Qndboard~, and occasionally d@ntil courses and lGadad glass windows. Later cottage>> exhibited th~ influence of the Cra.ft.sman style, inoorpQ.ra~inCJ Iiuch alQlQants as. Q.xpo~ed rafters and tapered posts. Turn of the cent.ury cott.a;es were cuilt in santa Mon1ca from about 1n9S until around 1908. ThQ d.n.es~ ooncentration of euch. ootta.gQS i~ in the Central 1 B9ach Tract (Waw;l"worth, Fraser, Hart, and OCUilan Park). Craftsman bunqalows began ~o be erected ~n Southern California about 1902. They WQra much more horif:ontal in C!:t'ientation 'than earli$:t" ctyl.. ana APR 01 '9: 1:.:5 LESLlIIIfUMAH~ 2:3 937 0:~4 . P.3/4 8&chewed applied decora.tion and ma.ny hh.t:orieal references in favor ot exposed. structural elements and an undi:!iigui5ed uzse ot l'Iaterials. Gabled roors with deep overhangs and exposed rafters a.nd beams 1 spacious porches with tapered columns and porch walls of brick or stone, ana bands ot windows, orten organized in groups ot three, are typical features of craftsman bungalows. They were built in great numbers well into the 1920S, although later examples tended to reduce the style to a few IJs1qna'turel1 details. The turn of the century and Craftsman homes on 11th Street are typical of the ma~nstream of m~ddle class residential building in Santa Monica and the surrounding commun1ties dur1ng the tirst 15 years of the 20th century. W1th the exception of 1216{~B), they are 1ndividually undistinguished. An example of the Oriental influence on craftsman styling, 1216 displays the characteristic "lift" in its roof design. Although modest in size, the bungalow is a good example of its type and is intact in its exter10r appearance.. aistorical Evaluation The contributing houses on 11th Street were built between 1904 and 1911 and were part of the oriqinal Santa Monica townsite. The propert1€S shared a common history with ~uch of the area in that they were once owned by Arcadia de Baker, widow of Colonel R.S. BakGrl and th@n by Senator John P. Jones. Each of the houses was built for a diff@Tent owner and/or speoulator, with common threads p~ovided by th~ buildQrs. JA~. Rome was the builder of 1221 and 1229 and Waldo K. Cowan was the contractor for 1239 and 1259, with CQwan and Elliot l~s~.d as the con~actor of 1233. Cowan was ~he trealiurer 0: the Santa Monica Board of Trade. No furth~r info:t'tlla.t~on about any of -ehe residentJ;: .u: pr9~.ntly available. Based on what. is ourrently known, it can be sa.i.d that 11th Str..t is repre6ent~t~ve, but PQrhap~ not the be&~ repre~ent~tive, of much of Santa Monica of the period. Contextual Evalua~ion Perh~p~ the greatest strength and the 9rea~e6t weakness of the 11th Street grouping can be 3een in ~erm8 of oontext. Clearly, it ia one of the last rlli'!llllaining cluste.r:!! of hist.oric homee in this section of the city ~nd may be the oldest. However, much more dense concentrations of homes from the perJ.od, l'D.any of them architecturally ~ore notable and aSBociated with prominent architects or residents, are located elsewhere (the palisatle15 Tract, the central eeacn Tractl and portions o~ ocean ?ark). The greates~ detriment to the historic district is the intrusion or apartment houses from the 19506 and 1960S; which impair its visual continuity. Wh1le there are a historial homes on the ~lOOK, there are also B apartment houses. The "sense of time a.nd place" associated w1th historic districts is dlttlcult to esta~~1sh in view of thls pattern of development. Reco~ep.dation While 11th Street is notable for the numher of homes from 1904-1911 which surv1ve, it is not outstandinq in terms of its architecture . APR ~l '9: 1:::5 LESL:4IIJUMANN 2:3 937 ~:74 . P 4/4 or its history, as tar as it is known. While it deserves speoial conliiideration in the plannin9 process, it does not appear to qualify for landmark district desiqnation, except as the last reIilaininq cluster of hOlIes from the period In the neighborhood. ., --+- . . CA:RMM:jld566/hpc/pc city council Meeting 4-9-91 Santa Monica, California ORDINANCE NUMBER l579(CCS) (City Council Series) AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DECLARING A MORATORIUM AND LIMITING DEVELOPMENT ON 11TH STREET BETWEEN WILSHIRE BOULEVARD AND ARI ZONA AVENUE AND ON 1107 THROUGH 1115 ARIZONA AVENUE INCLUSIVE AND DECLARING THE PRESENCE OF AN EMERGENCY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Findings and Purpose. The City Council of the City of Santa Monica finds and declares: (a) Of the approximately thirty (30) residentially zoned parcels located on 11th street between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue and located between 1107 and 1115 Arizona Avenue at least ten (10) are occupied by potentially historic structures. (b) New development projects are either approved or pending review on three of these parcels. (c) The preservation of the City'S historic structures has long been considered vital to the City'S interests and necessary so as not to impair the cultural integrity and character of the city. (d) The current and potential development projects in this area may lead to the demolition of historic structures before a - 1 - , ....>,>'.~. '.-.... ~ -~-.. .-P !!I~,. . ... '".r_ ~ " "'"~...<;-~~~~-~ . final decision can be made on whether these structures should be preserved. (e) The potential for development and demolition of these structures poses a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents, and the approval of permits for developments would result in a threat to public health, safety, or welfare. (f) Research on whether this neighborhood should be considered historic and thereby preserved must be completed before any further development occurs. (g) Pending completion of this research and review of its results it is necessary to halt on an interim basis approval of any new development applications in the affected area, thereby preventing development inconsistent with goals of preservation of potential historic structures. SECTION 2. Interim Zoning. (a) No project shall be approved for any residentially zoned property on 11th Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue and between 1107 through 1115 Arizona Avenue inclusive. (b) This Ordinance shall apply to any application for planning, building, or other City approvals deemed complete on or after February 26, 1991. SECTION 3. Duration. This Ordinance shall be of no further force and effect forty-five (45) days from its adoption, unless prior to that date, after a public hearing, noticed - 2 - ~ . ~ , -::.- --=-~- -~-=--~~~..".~ ... ~-r t -r -..."" - ~.r~.., - -..~~--~."'"-=<;--- ,'- .<C>~~<>-.-""",,"--' ;;<'?~~- . - -. =~ . --~ '~-.- t I , pursuant to Santa Monica Municipal Code section 9131.5, the City council, ~ majority vote, extends the interim ordinance. l' SECTION 4. Emergency. This Ordinance is declared to be an urgency measure adopted pursuant to the provisions of Santa Monica Municipal Code section 9120.6 and Santa Monica Charter Section 615. It is necessary for preserving the public peace, health and safety, and the urgency for its adoption is set forth in the findings above. SECTION 5 . Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices thereto inconsistent wi th the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no further, are hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to affect the provisions of this Ordinance. SECTION 6. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of any competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The Ci ty Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance, and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not - 3 - ,-"'-' ."";. -~ . . declared invalid or unconstitutional without reqard to whether any portion of the Ordinance would be subsequently declared j ~ invalid or unconstitutional. APPROVED AS TO FORM: ,)....r~ ~ ~ ROBERT M. MYERS city Attorney - 4 - ;~.;?-"".:,- . f . ~ , . . Adopted and approved this 9th day of April, 1991. f C)I ~,(, P Mayor 1 I hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. 1579(CCS) was duly and regularly introduced at a meeting of the City Council on the 9th day of April 1991; that the said Ordinance was thereafter duly adopted at a meeting of the City Council on the 9th day of April 1991 by the following Council vote: Ayes: Councilmembers: Genser, Holbrook, Katz, Olsen, Vazquez, Zane, and Mayor Abdo Noes: Councilmembers: None Abstain: Councilmembera.: None Absent: Councilmembers: None ATTEST: Lrf!~ ...--- ...... city Clerk V /'