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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-12 Historic Resources Board Summary Minutes City of Palo Alto Page 1 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD MEETING MINUTES: June 12, 2025 Council Chambers and Zoom 8:30 A.M. Call to Order / Roll Call The Historic Resources Board (HRB) of the City of Palo Alto met on June 12, 2025, in Council Chambers and virtual teleconference at 8:30 a.m. Present: Chair Alisa Eagleston-Cieslewicz, Board Member Christian Pease, Board Member Geddes Ulinskas, Board Member Caroline Willis Absent: Vice Chair Samantha Rohman Public Comment There were no requests to speak. Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions The Chair and Vice Chair Elections Item was removed and postponed to a future agenda. City Official Reports 1. Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments Historic Preservation Planner Steven Switzer presented on the remaining 2025 meeting schedule. Planned absences include Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz for the July meeting and Board Member Pease for the October meeting. Mr. Switzer requested that any additional planned absences be shared. Mr. Switzer was a guest speaker at the May 2025 California Preservation Foundation Conference and discussed discretionary reviews for other jurisdictions. Mr. Switzer noted upcoming events, including the Fred Eyerly Tower Well Park dedication on June 18 at 4 p.m. Members were reminded to complete the required anti-harassment training by July 30. A follow-up email will be sent. The Chair and Vice Chair elections may be held at the August 14 meeting as bylaws require full Board attendance for a vote. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz highlighted login issues with the anti-harassment training. Board Member Willis suggested including subcommittee names along with workplan goals during assignments. City of Palo Alto Page 2 Mr. Switzer acknowledged technical issues that HR was managing and referred members to the email for next steps. Mr. Switzer agreed to include the subcommittee names. Action Item 2. Public Hearing / Quasi-Judicial. 411 Kipling Street [24PLN-00292]: Request for a Floor Area Bonus Application to Grant 2,500 Square Feet of Bonus Floor Area for Accessibility Upgrades and the Rehabilitation of an Existing Category 2 Historic Resource. Environmental Assessment: Exempt from the Provisions of The California Environmental Quality Act with CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Modifications to Exiting Facilities). Zone District: CD-C (P) - Downtown Commercial with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District. Mr. Switzer presented an overview of the property located in the Downtown North neighborhood, zoned Commercial Downtown with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District. The structure was built in 1902 with additions made by 1925 and entryway modifications in 1989. No alterations have been documented since the 1980s. The property is listed as a Category 2 on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory, upgraded from Category 4 by Council approval on September 9, 2024, following HRB’s recommendation. Mr. Switzer explained the property qualifies for a Bonus Floor Area under the City’s Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program, applicable to qualifying rehabilitation projects of Category 1 and 2 historic properties in designated commercial areas. The applicant is requesting a 2,500 square foot bonus, the maximum allowed under the code. The application was initially submitted in October with revised plans received in April. A Standards Compliance Memorandum prepared by Page & Turnbull was submitted on May 12, 2025. The proposed rehabilitation includes accessibility upgrades such as a rear deck, wheelchair lift, and new handrails. Design plans were illustrated through slides showing existing conditions and proposed modifications. Staff supported the request and concurred with Page & Turnbull’s findings. The HRB was asked to recommend that the project conforms to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Ken Hayes of Hayes Group Architects presented and was joined by client John Shenk of Thoits Brothers, designer Mason Hayes, and Jen Hembree of Page & Turnbull, who attended via Zoom to answer any questions related to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Mr. Hayes thanked Mr. Switzer for his support in preparing the application. Mr. Hayes provided background on the property, a 1902 square cottage located at 411 Kipling Street, originally built by G.W. Mosher, a prolific early 20th-century contractor in Palo Alto. The structure reflects elements of Colonial Revival and Queen Anne styles and retained significant character-defining features including the front porch, Tuscan columns, wood siding, windows, cornice, frieze, and dentil molding. Mr. Hayes described the proposed rehabilitation work, which includes replacing the non-historic front stairs and railings with new versions that feature cheek walls. An accessible path will be added from the sidewalk to a new rear entrance where a platform lift will be installed to preserve the front elevation. The existing non-historic rear deck will be replaced with a larger deck and stairs, and a gate on the east City of Palo Alto Page 3 side will also be replaced. A non-historic rear door and three windows will be removed to accommodate a new accessible door and window arrangement. General restoration of exterior elements such as wood siding, trim, dentil molding, and window sashes will be conducted based on an assessment of existing conditions. Slides presented views of the rear entrance, proposed lift, and new deck, as well as the updated front porch design. All new materials, including shiplap siding, stained redwood, metal railings, and new windows, will be clearly differentiated from historic features to avoid confusion. The entire building will be repainted following restoration. Mr. Hayes noted that Page & Turnbull reviewed the project and found the proposed work to be in full compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Mr. Hayes requested the HRB’s recommendation to the Planning and Development Services Director. Board Member Ulinskas asked if the decision to go with casement and fixed on the new rear windows instead of matching the double-hung on the front was driven by a desire to look distinct from the original. Board Member Willis asked if some of the square footage under the TDR was being used and appreciated that the building was being kept up. Mr. Hayes confirmed the desire was to look more differentiated. Mr. Hayes said all the square footage would be available for transfer off-site. PUBLIC COMMENT No requests to speak. MOTION: Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz moved, seconded by Board Member Willis, to find the proposal at 411 Kipling Street to be compliant with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. VOTE: The motion carried 4-0 by voice vote. 3. PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 431 Kipling Street [24PLN-00290]: Request for a Floor Area Bonus Application to Grant 2,500 Square Feet of Bonus Floor Area for Accessibility Upgrades and the Rehabilitation of an Existing Category 2 Historic Resource. Environmental Assessment: Exempt from the Provisions of The California Environmental Quality Act with CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Modifications to Exiting Facilities). Zone District: CD-C (P) - Downtown Commercial with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District. Mr. Switzer presented on the property at 431 Kipling Street, located in a CD zoning district with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District in the Downtown North neighborhood. It was built in 1901 with modifications in 1919 which included an addition, a garage, and removing a rear outbuilding. The property was purchased in 1938 and was converted into a store that operated until the 1970s. In 1980, Thoits Bros took ownership and Vino Locale has operated a first-floor commercial unit since then. City of Palo Alto Page 4 The property is a Category 2, upgraded from a Category 4 following the HRB’s recommendation on June 11, 2024, and Council approved on September 9, 2024. The property qualifies for the TDR program because it is a Category 2 rehabilitation project located in Commercial Downtown. The applicant is requesting 2,500 square feet. The initial proposal was submitted October 16, 2024, with revised plans submitted to the City on April 17, 2025. A Standards Compliance Memorandum prepared by Page & Turnbull was submitted on May 12, 2025, which is Attachment B of the packet. The proposal includes accessibility upgrades and rehabilitation work. A slide showed the existing site plan of property. Changes would include an accessible path to the rear, and accessible bathroom, a wheelchair lift, and stairs. Multiple slides showed the proposed changes on the front, sides, and rear, with 2 renderings shown. Staff concurred with the findings of the Page & Turnbull evaluation and supported the owner’s request for the project. The HRB is requested to recommend to the Director of Planning and Development Services that the project conforms with the SOI Standards for Rehabilitation. Mr. Hayes explained that 431 Kipling Street is a 2-story cottage decorated with elements of Colonial Revival and Craftsman. The property has retained its original form, including the front porch, columns, rafter tails, shirtwaist belt course, flared wood shingles, tongue and groove siding, and multiple windows with checkered and mullion and Ogee lug detail. The work will include replacing non-historic front stairs, new railings with planters instead of cheek walls, a new accessible path through a gate to the backyard lift, new stairs with railings going to the backyard dining area, a new accessible toilet room, restoration to the openings, replacing the roof, repainting the exterior, and restoring wood siding and details after an inspection. Slides were shown with renderings. The next step is for the HRB to recommend approval of the plan to the Director. Board Member Willis appreciated that the building was being saved but expressed disappointment that the rear did not reflect the age of the building. Board Member Ulinskas noted the house was framed relatively high above grade and asked whether the option of raising grade at the back had been considered to reduce the accessibility challenge. Mr. Hayes explained that kind of site intervention had not been considered and mentioned the garage structure at the end of the driveway. Mr. Hayes highlighted the complexity of the building and the stairs. Mr. Hayes noted that raising grade could pose issues for site drainage. PUBLIC COMMENT John S., with Thoits Bros, briefly recapped the Thoits family history. John S. enjoyed the historic fabric of Downtown and wanted to take care of the historic properties. John S. thanked the HRB. MOTION: Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz moved, seconded by Board Member Ulinskas, to find the proposal at 431 Kipling Street to be compliant with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. VOTE: The motion carried 4-0 by voice vote. Approval of Minutes City of Palo Alto Page 5 4. Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of April 10, 2025. MOTION: Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz moved, seconded by Board Member Pease, to approve the Board Minutes from the April 10, 2025, meeting. VOTE: The motion carried 4-0 by voice vote. Announcements Board Member Willis wondered if there was guidance for someone who wanted to add their property to the Inventory and asked if it was something people should go to staff with. Mr. Switzer confirmed that people should come to staff and there is a recently updated Designation or Reclassification Process Guide available on the website. Adjournment Adjourned at 9:09 a.m.