O26131
City Council Meeting: August 27, 2019 Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER 2613 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA ADDING SECTION 9.56.330 TO THE SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL
CODE DESIGNATING THE 4TH STREET CORNER HISTORIC DISTRICT
WHEREAS, historic preservation is a defining community value for the City of
Santa Monica (the “City”); and
WHEREAS, the value reflects the community’s consensus that the City’s unique
identity and character springs from its long and rich history; and
WHEREAS, the community’s present and future welfare depend, in part, upon
understanding the City’s history and evolution as a unique community; and
WHEREAS, retention and preservation of historic resources also promotes the
public health, safety and welfare by revitalizing neighborhoods and business districts,
enhancing the City’s economy, improving local aesthetics, and enriching the City’s culture
and aesthetic standing; and
WHEREAS, the City’s Landmark Ordinance was first adopted in 1976 to: protect
improvements and areas that represent elements of the City’s cultural, social, economic,
political and architectural history; safeguard the City’s heritage as it is embodied and
reflected in such improvements and areas; foster civic and community pride; protect and
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enhance aesthetics and attractions; and promote the education, pleasure and welfare of
City residents and visitors alike; and
WHEREAS, the City’s ongoing commitment to historic preservation was reaffirmed
in 2002 when the City Council adopted the Historic Preservation Element of the General
Plan, and again in 2010 when the City adopted the Land Use and Circulation Element o f
the General Plan (“LUCE”); and
WHEREAS, on November 20, 2018, the Santa Monica Conservancy filed an
Historic District application for properties located within the 2500 block of 4th Street and
situated on the corner of 4th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, including 2506-2516,
2518, 2524, 2525, and 2528 4th Street, and 317-321 Ocean Park Boulevard; and
WHEREAS, on January 17, 2019, in accordance with Santa Monica Municipal
Code (“SMMC”) section 9.56.130(B), City Staff conducted a duly-noticed public meeting
to discuss the potential Historic District designation, including, but not limited to, the
designation process, the effect of designation on future property development, and the
benefits of designation; and
WHEREAS, on May 13 and June 10, 2019, in accordance with SMMC Section
9.56.130(F), the City’s Landmarks Commission conducted duly-noticed public hearings
on the Historic District application; and
WHEREAS, the Landmarks Commission failed to act on a recommendation to the
City Council on the Historic District application after two motions failed to receive the
required number votes in favor of or against recommending that the City Council approve
the Historic District application; and
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WHEREAS, on June 27, 2019, the Historic District Application was deemed
disapproved in accordance with SMMC Section 9.56.130(I); and
WHEREAS, on July 8, 2018, the Santa Monica Conservancy filed a timely appeal
of the deemed disapproval in accordance with SMMC Section 9.56.180(A)(6); and
WHEREAS, in order to preserve the historic character and integrity of the District,
and to promote consistency in the review process, until such time as an ordinance is
adopted that specifies the nature of any alteration, restoration, construction, removal,
relocation, or demolition of or to a building or structure within the District that can occur
without prior approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness, the City desires to require that:
any such work require a Certificate of Appropriateness or Certificate of Economic
Hardship from the Landmarks Commission; any such work be exempt from Architectural
Review Board review, provided that a Certificate of Appropriateness is obtained; and all
fees for Certificates of Appropriateness be waived; and
WHEREAS, on July 23 and August 13, 2019, the City Council conducted duly
noticed public hearings on the appeal and the Historic District application.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 9.56.330 is hereby added to the Santa Monica Municipal
Code to read as follows:
9.56.330 The 4th Street Corner Historic District
A. The City Council has reviewed and considered the Historic District
application for the area (the “4th Street Corner Historic District” or “District”) and
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has reviewed and considered the record of proceedings before the Landmarks
Commission.
B. The City Council finds and declares that:
1. The 4th Street Corner Historic District exemplifies, symbolizes, or
manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political or architectural
history of the City. The District is a diverse grouping of buildings spanning the
first third of the twentieth century and manifests the patterns of residential
development that shaped the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica in the
early decades of the twentieth century. Constructed in two of the earliest
subdivisions in Ocean Park, the District exemplifies early twentieth century
residential development in the area, with its variety of architectural styles and
modest scale. All of the properties within the District retain substantial elements
of historic integrity. The District also exemplifies the economic history of the
City, when new transportation infrastructure in Ocean Park created the
framework for residential development. In 1875, when the Town of Santa
Monica was established, Ocean Park was the Lucas Ranch. Early settlement
of Ocean Park was concentrated at the western end close to the beach. The
Lucas family homestead was a grand mansion on what is now Hotchkiss Park
at 4th and Strand Street. This block of Fourth Street extended all the way to Hill
Street, as Central Avenue (which was later renamed Ocean Park Boulevard)
terminated east of 4th Street. Until a major roadway improvement was
launched by the City in 1917, 4th Street was a very long block with sparse
development. Then Central Avenue/Ocean Park Boulevard was opened up
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through 4th Street and extended to the beach. The new thoroughfare reaching
from Los Angeles through the heart of Ocean Park to the ocean was a catalyst.
Residential development in the 4th Street Corner District began immediately,
with most of the homes dating from 1917-1925. The Period of Significance for
the 4th Street Corner District is 1904 -1936. The 1904 house at 2506 4th Street
was the first in this then-sparsely settled neighborhood, followed by a cluster of
residential structures built from 1917 to 1925. The last house in the District
dates from 1936 and represents a new step forward in residential development
as a multi-family residence in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It replaced a
small 1905 single-family residence that was adjacent to the original 1904
structure on the block. This group of early residential properties has remained
intact to the present day, despite major infrastructure changes that occurred
beginning in the late 1960s, with Redevelopment Agency projects intended to
remove what was considered blight. 4th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard were
widened, and the intersection of 4th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard was
reconfigured to create an underpass for a larger Ocean Park Boulevard.
Despite these major alterations of the urban streetscape, this cluster of historic
properties remained intact and unaltered, manifesting the original residential
character of early Ocean Park.
2. The 4th Street Corner Historic District embodies distinguishing
architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a period, style, method of
construction, or the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship, or is a unique
or rare example of an architectural design, detail or historical type valuable to
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such a study. The architectural features of the residences within the District are
valuable to a study of the early period of residential architectural history in
Ocean Park. A variety of architectural styles are represented that portray the
architectural evolution of the period, and different residential property types.
Moreover, the District maintains a high level of original architectural integrity.
Generally, the character-defining features of the District include modestly
sized, one and two story residential buildings in a variety of architectural styles
popular in the early twentieth century. The earliest residence in the District is a
late Victorian/Neoclassical hipped roof cottage at 2506 Fourth Street,
constructed in 1904. This architectural style was prevalent in the first decade
of the 20th century, but has become increasingly rare. Its character-defining
features consist of wood cladding of both shingles and clapboard, a steeply -
pitched hipped roof with flared bracketed eaves, wood sash double -hung
windows with plain surrounds and projecting sills, recessed partial-width porch
with Corinthian columns; central dormer with leaded -glass window and
decorative scrollwork. The original wraparound porch was partially enclosed
between 1909 and 1918. The next architectural phase reveals the emergence
of diverse architectural styles: Craf tsman, American Colonial Revival and
Mediterranean Revival. This development is manifested in two clusters,
Craftsman and American Colonial Revival in the bungalow court adjacent to
the original 1904 Victorian/Neoclassical cottage on the west side of 4th Street,
and Craftsman and Mediterranean Revival adjacent to the corner of 4th Street
and Ocean Park Boulevard. There are three modest Craftsman bungalows at
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317, 319 and 321 Ocean Park Boulevard (c.1920), and a pair of Craftsman
bungalows at 2514 and 2516 4th Street (1921). Character-defining
architectural features of the Craftsman bungalows include: simple rectangular
massing; wood cladding of clapboard or shingles; low-pitched front-facing
gable roof with extended eaves and exposed rafter tails; front porch with gable
supported by wood posts; wood sash casement or double -hung windows with
plain surrounds and projecting sills. The four-unit, two-story structure at 2510
4th Street is a unique hybrid reflecting American Colonial Revival, Monterey
Revival and Tudor Revival in a one-of-a-kind eclectic design. Constructed in
1925, it is valuable for a study of architectural trends in the 1920s. The
bungalow court also includes two American Colonial Revival bungalows
constructed in 1925 located at 2508 and 2512 4th Street. Character-defining
features are wood clapboard exterior cladding, divided-light wood sash
casement windows with plain surrounds and projecting sills; side gable roof
with tight eaves; asymmetrical composition. Three Mediterranean Revival-style
residences located at 2524, 2525 and 2528 4th Street form a distinct subgroup
that is worthy of further study. Based upon the stucco cladding and terra cotta
roof tiles, these residences relate to Mission Revival precedents combined with
Craftsman windows and doors. Character-defining architectural features are:
horizontal orientation, smooth plaster exterior wall cladding, flat roof with
stepped parapet, wood sash windows of Craftsman design (tripartite or crossed
muntins), shed roofs with terra cotta barrel tiles supported by wood brackets.
Leaded glass windows and ornate window design are also found. The Spanish
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Colonial Revival triplex located at 2518 4th Street, constructed in 1936, is a
designated Structure of Merit. This architectural style was the successor to the
earlier adjacent Mediterranean Revival residences Character-defining features
include: asymmetrical composition, complex massing; smooth stucco exte rior
wall cladding; low pitched roofs with terra cotta barrel tiles; wood sash double -
hung windows with plain surrounds and projecting sills; curving exterior
staircase. In the rear of this triplex is an accessory two-story structure with
ground floor garages and residential units above. It is stucco clad with a low-
pitched side gable roof and clay barrel tiles.
3. The 4th Street Corner Historic District has a unique location, singular
physical characteristic, or is an established visual feature of a neigh borhood,
community, or the City. The 4th Street Corner District is an established and
familiar visual feature of the Ocean Park neighborhood. This highly intact group
of historic residences has a unique location at the summit of a hill, giving the
district a strong visual and physical presence. The visibility of this intersection
was enhanced when reconfigured in the 1960s to create a vehicular bridge and
underpass for Ocean Park Boulevard. Despite these roadway reconfigurations,
the district has maintained its integrity as a cohesive group of historic
residences. As a group of residential properties uninterrupted by non-
contributing properties located at the crest of a hill, the highly visible integrity
and cohesion of the district is a singular physical characteristic.
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4. The 4th Street Corner District is a noncontiguous grouping of
thematically related properties or a definable area possessing a concentration
of historic scenic or thematic sites, which contribute to each other and are
unified aesthetically by plan, physical development, or architectural quality.
The District is a highly unified and cohesive grouping of residential structures
located in the Ocean Park neighborhood, at the north side of the intersection
Ocean Park Boulevard and Fourth Street. As a group of residential properties
uninterrupted by non-contributing properties, the District is unified by physical
development and architectural quality. The buildings represent modest
examples of a variety of architectural styles popular in the early 20th century
and reflect the development of Ocean Park during such time. The period of
significance begins in 1904 with the first residence in the District at 2506 4th
Street and ends with the 1936 Spanish Colonial Revival triplex at 2518 4th
Street. Most structures in the district are Craftsman bungalows and
Mediterranean Revival architecture and were constructed between 1917 and
1925 following the westward extension of Central Avenue (now Ocean Park
Boulevard) toward the beach. Most are one-story and of modest scale, oriented
towards the two streets that frame the District; a second group is oriented
around an open grass courtyard in a bungalow court configuration.
Architectural variety is manifest in the different architectural styles, which
portray a chronological sequence from late Victorian to mature Spanish
Colonial Revival. The residences retain a high level of original architectural
integrity, and, therefore, the District retains a sense of time and place.
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5. The 4th Street Corner Historic District reflects significant
geographical patterns, including those associated with different eras of
settlement and growth, particular transportation modes, or distinctive examples
of park or community planning. The 4th Street Corner District provides a visible
representation of early twentieth century residential development in Ocean
Park, a period of growth in the neighborhood. The catalyst for early residential
development was new transportation infrastructure, the extension of Central
Avenue (later Ocean Park Boulevard) across 4th Street to the west in 1917.
The new roadway, Ocean Park Boulevard from 4th Street to the west, provided
access to the parcels which became the 4th Street Corner District. Thus the
area is united by a transportation mode and physical development. The period
of significance, 1904-1936 portrays different eras of settlement and growth,
from a late Victorian hipped roof cottage to a highly articulated example of
Spanish Colonial Revival in 1936. The District contains an unusual example of
a bungalow court, with homes of different architectural styles sited around an
open grass courtyard. Subsequent reconfiguration of the street infrastructure
of Fourth Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, due to Redevelopment Agency
activity in the late 1960s, did not result in compromise or loss of the integrity of
the District. The streetscape ref lects those changes, but the homes remained
intact and cohesive.
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C. The 4th Street Corner Historic District consists of the properties
located within the 2500 block of 4th Street and situated on the corner of 4th Street
and Ocean Park Boulevard, including 2506-2516, 2518, 2524, 2525, and 2528 4th
Street, and 317-321 Ocean Park Boulevard.
D. Structures that contribute to the character and integrity of the 4th
Street Corner Historic District shall be defined as the multi-unit residential
condominium complex located at 2506-2516 4th Street, the front residential triplex
structure and rear detached residence above garage structure located at 2518 4th
Street, the multi-unit residential structure located at 2524 4th Street, the single-unit
residences located at 2525 and 2528 4th Street, and the single-unit residences
located at 317-321 Ocean Park Boulevard. Noncontributing buildings or structures
shall be defined as buildings or structures constructed that are not listed as
contributors.
E. Pursuant to Sections 9.56.130 and 9.56.140 of this Code, until such
time as an ordinance is adopted that specifies the nature of any alteration,
restoration, construction, removal, relocation, or demolition of or to a building or
structure within the District that can occur without prior approval of a Certificate of
Appropriateness, any such work must obtain approval of a Certificate of
Appropriateness or Certificate of Economic Hardship by the Landmarks
Commission.
F. Until such time as an ordinance is adopted that specifies the nature
of any alteration, restoration, construction, removal, relocation, or demolition to a
building or structure within the District that can occur without prior approval of a
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Certificate of Appropriateness, all work to buildings, structures or sites located
within the District is exempt from review by the Architectural Review Board,
provided that a Certificate of Appropriateness is obtained from the Landmarks
Commission or the Landmarks Commission Secretary pursuant to authority
granted by the Landmarks Commission in accordance with 9.56.130(L), and all
Certificate of Appropriateness fees for any alteration, restoration, or construction,
in whole or in part, to a building, structure or site located within the Historic District
are waived.
SECTION 2. In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), this
Ordinance is exempt from CEQA as it can be seen with certainty that the Ordinance does
not have the potential to significantly impact the environment. This determination is made
based on the record as a whole, which includes, but is not limited to, evidence that the
designation of these properties as an Historic District pursuant to the City’s Landmarks
Ordinance will promote the retention and preservation of historic resources.
SECTION 3. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices
thereto inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such
inconsistencies and no further, is hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to
effect the provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 4. 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 competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining
portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed
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this Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not
declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any por tion of the ordinance
would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 5. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage
of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the official
newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall become effective 30
days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________
LANE DILG
City Attorney
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Approved and adopted this 27th day of August, 2019.
_____________________________
G l e a m D a v i s , M a y o r
State of California )
County of Los Angeles ) ss.
City of Santa Monica )
I, Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do
hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. 2613 (CCS) had its introduction
on August 13, 2019, and was adopted at the Santa Monica City Council meeting
held on August 27, 2019, by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers McKeown, Morena, Himmelrich, Winterer, Jara,
Mayor Pro Tem O’Day, Mayor Davis
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ATTEST:
_____________________________________ _________________
Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk Date
A summary of Ordinance No. 2613 (CCS) was duly published pursuant to
California Government Code Section 40806.
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9/12/2019