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2005 01 20 HPC Minutes MINUTES HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING A Regular meeting held at the La Ouinta City Hall Session Room 78-495 Calle Tampico, La Ouinta, CA January 20, 2005 This meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was called to order by Chairman Allan Wilbur at 3:01 p.m. He then led the flag salute and asked for the roll call. I. CALL TO ORDER A. B. Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call. Present: Commissioners Mouriquand, Wright, and Chairman Wilbur Puente, Sharp, Staff Present: Community Development Evans, Principal Planner Secretary Carolyn Walker Director Doug Stan Sawa, and II. PUBLIC COMMENT: None III. CONFIRMATION OF THE AGENDA: Principal Planner Stan Sawa introduced the new Community Development Director, Doug Evans. IV. CONSENT CALENDAR: It was moved and seconded by Commissioners Wright and Sharp to approve the minutes of November 18, 2004 as submitted. Unanimously approved. V. BUSINESS ITEMS: A. Results of the Archaeological Monitoring Program for the Arnold Palmer's Restaurant Applicant: La Ouinta Restaurant Group Archaeological Consultant: CRM TECH (Michael Hogan, Principal) Location: Northeast corner of Avenue 52 and Desert Club Drive 1. Principal Planner Stan Saw a presented the information contained in the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Community Development Department. P:\CAROLYN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1-20~05.doc Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 2. Commissioner Sharp asked why the report was submitted at this time, since the project was three years old. Staff replied the report was recently submitted to the City. 3. Commissioner Mouriquand commented that previously these types of reports were required at particular milestones; such as prior to issuance of the Certificate of Final Occupancy so the reports would be completed on a timely basis. 4. Commissioner Wright commented the report was dated July 16, 2003. He was curious why the Commission had not received the report sooner. 5. Mr. Tom Tang, representative of CRM TECH, was introduced and replied the report was submitted to the client in July of 2003. He was not working on the project at the time and did not know why it took so long to get the report to the City. 6. Commissioner Wright commented it was his assumption the report was supposed to be in staff's hands before the Certificate of Occupancy was issued. It would have been nice to see the report prior to the opening of the Restaurant in October 2003. 7. Commissioner Mouriquand commented it might be appropriate for the Commission to recommend a policy regarding these final reports. She suggested they attach conditions of approval requiring reports be submitted prior to issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy or some other milestone. Possibly the Commission should add this as an agenda item for a future meeting. 8. Chairman Wilbur commented staff could look into this and agendize it for the next meeting. 9. Commissioner Wright commented the Planning Commission has a whole list of requirements before occupancy is approved for a project. He thought this could be one of them. 10. Chairman Wilbur asked staff if they could bring back a status report at the next meeting. Staff replied they would agendize it for a future meeting. P:\CAROL YN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1-20-05.doc 2 Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 11 . Commissioner Mouriquand commented on the relative shallowness of the two berms which were uncovered. They were not that deep below the surface, so the archaeology would still be there. 12. It was moved and seconded by Commissioners Wright and Mouriquand to adopt Minute Motion 2005-001 accepting the results of the Archaeological Monitoring Program for the Arnold Palmer's Restaurant. Unanimously approved. B. Mitigation Recordation of Historic Building in Future Madison Club Site Applicant: ND La Ouinta Partners, LLC (John Gamlinl Archaeological Consultant: CRM TECH (Michael Hogan, Principal) Location: South side of Avenue 52, east of Madison Street 1. Principal Planner Stan Saw a presented contained in the staff report, a copy of which Community Development Department. the information is on file in the 2. Commissioner Wright stated this is exactly the type of information the Commission is looking for. This is an excellent photographic record of the structure. Even though the structure did not appear to have historic significance, there is still excellent documentation. He wanted to thank the owner and developer for doing such a great job. 3. Mr. John Gamlin of NO La Ouinta Partners and Mr. Tom Tang of CRM TECH were present and thanked the Commission. 4. Commissioner Mouriquand pointed out the structure is now over 50 years old and though it has no historical significance it certainly was of age and of unique architecture and she was glad there was such detail in recording this structure. She also noticed that the State of California Primary Record (DPR) did not have primary numbers. She asked if they had been assigned yet. Mr. Tang, said they had not been issued as yet. She asked the applicant to send the updated DPR's to the Commission when updated. 5. Commissioner Sharp added he wanted to thank the applicant for the documentation. He commented, as an Art Director, this information was priceless and great reference material. He wanted to know where the information would be filed. P:\CAROL YN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1 ~20-05.doc 3 Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 6. Commissioner Mouriquand replied it would be on file at the Eastern Information Center, located at the University of California-Riverside, as part of the CEQA requirements. 7. Mr. Tang added the photographs would be on file with the City's Community Development Department. 8. Chairman Wilbur asked about the architectural designs of Albert Frey, the modernist architect. He commented this building was designed in a style similar as those designed by Mr. Frey. Mr. Tang, of CRM TECH, stated there was no proof of who designed this structure. 9. Commissioner Mouriquand asked if the Riverside County records had been searched for information on who designed the building. Mr. Tang said they did a search and found no information on the building or design of this structure. 10. Commissioner Mouriquand commented the County started issuing building permits in 1950. She added the County records, pertaining to the City of La Quinta, should have been moved to the City when it was incorporated in 1982. Staff stated this property had only been annexed in the past few years. Commissioner Mouriquand stated the County should have sent those records to the City of La Quinta's Building Department. Staff replied, if there was an address, there was the possibility those records had been forwarded to the City. Commissioner Mouriquand asked if staff could follow-up on this matter. Staff replied they would check. 11 . Commissioner Wright suggested the building was a copy of an Albert Frey design. If it had been an original, it would have been documented somewhere. Every home and structure he built, or designed, had been documented. 12. Community Development Director Doug Evans added that Albert Frey had regularly visited the Palm Springs City Hall until he died. His reputation was international and his work was very well noted. If this was an Albert Frey structure there would be a long discussion about the appropriateness of destroying the building. He gave an example of an architect who had left instructions, with the City of Palm Springs, as to which of his structures could be demolished after his death. P:\CAROL YN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1-20-05.doc 4 Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 13. Commissioner Wright was concerned about not having another incident similar to the destruction of the Nuetra house. What brought up this discussion was a house that was about 60 years old. It was out on Madison Street, near the Trilogy project that was demolished without any documentation. The Commission probably would not have had a problem with the destruction of the building, but there was no photographic record or documentation on the structure and now it is gone. Obviously, this project building had no serviceable use to La Guinta Partners, but it was a viable house and is now documented. 14. It was moved and seconded by Commissioners Wright and Puente to adopt Minute Motion 2005-002 accepting the Mitigation Recordation of the Historic Building in the Future Madison Club Site. Unanimously approved. VI. CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITTEN MATERIAL: A. Commissioners were handed a flyer for the IVC Desert Museum's presentation of the Showcase for Archaeology & History combined with the Gathering for Colorado River Managers on Saturday, February 12, 2005. 1. Commissioner Mouriquand gave background information on the event and what might be presented. She added other dates of interest, as follows: . Society for California Archaeology Annual Conference, Sacramento, April 21 - 24, 2005 . Society for American Archaeology, Salt Lake City, Utah, the last week in March. . Coachella Valley Archaeological Society Annual Symposium, Saturday, March 12, 2005, Pollock Theater, all day. SB 18 will be discussed at all of these conferences. . August 18, 2005, UC Davis, there will be an Extension Class about SB 18, sponsored by the Native American Heritage Commission. (She will have more information, on this class, at a future meeting). VII. COMMISSIONER ITEMS: A. Discussion regarding Senate Bill 18 - Traditional Tribal Cultural Places. P:\CAROl YN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1-20-05.doc 5 Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 1 . Chairman Wilbur stated last fall the Commission received a brief synopsis of the changes involved know what notable changes Commission's previous briefing. in this Bill. He wanted to had occurred since the 2. Commissioner Mouriquand replied she had been tracking the Burton Bill for three years. She did not see any mandates that were not already being implemented by the Commission, especially involving scoping with the Native American Heritage Commission. There are some applications in the Bill with regard to the City's General Plan updates. The Bill gives the local Native American community more opportunities to participate in the planning off of their reservation, in their traditional use areas. It gives them the ability to hold cultural easements in perpetuity. It also talks about what kind of Native American entities qualify to hold those easements. The most important portion of the Bill emphasizes early consultation. The main portion of the Bill focuses on the General Plan level, not the project level. She noted the consultants are typically required to show evidence they did scoping with the Native American Heritage Commission and followed up with the local bands. This Bill does not specifically direct that level of action but it is something that the local Native American Heritage Commission wants to see done. When they complete their guidelines, which are mandated to be completed by March 1, 2005, we may see something in those guidelines that talks about project levels and specific scoping with the Bands. The Bill does talk about Treatment and Management plans at the local government level. The City of La Guinta has a Cultural Resources Element within its General Plan. 3. Chairman Wilbur asked Commissioner Mouriquand to explain. She replied she was referring to the top of Page 3, Subsection (b)(3) of the Senate Bill where it states ". ..establish government-to-government consultations regarding potential means to preserve those places, determine the level of necessary confidentiality of their specific location, and develop proper treatment and management plans...". She added the Commissioners need to study the document further after March 1, 2005 when a copy of the final guidelines is received from the Native American Heritage Commission. They can then discuss its affect on the City of La Guinta. P:\CAROLYN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1~20-05.doc 6 Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 4, Commissioner Sharp asked if the Bill only referred to Native Americans rights and procedures. He asked if there were any Native Americans involved in the wrltmg of the Bill. Commission Mouriquand replied they were actively involved in the writing of the Bill and the Guidelines. Commissioner Mouriquand suggested this item be put on the April agenda for further discussion B. Discussion of issues relating to Historic Preservation 1. Commissioner Puente presented a list of issues which were given to the other Commissioners. 2. Commissioner Wilbur suggested Item 11 be deleted as it referred to the new owners of the La Ouinta Hotel. 3. Commissioner Puente suggested the Commission discuss some of the items at future meetings in order to adequately cover each subject. 4. Commissioner Mouriquand agreed the Commission needed to review the list in small sections to address each item properly. 5. Chairman Wilbur commented the first discussion would be to decide what part of the list is actually possible to do and then prioritize the items to use resources efficiently. 6. Commissioner Mouriquand stated she felt Item 7 (Update La Ouinta Historical Survey) was a critical item. 7. Commissioner Puente asked what was involved in updating the survey. Commissioner Mouriquand referred to the previous survey, where staff had applied for a CLG (matching) grant. At that time, the City received $15,000 from SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) and the City's in-kind match of 40%, which involved staff's time. The City then put out an RFP (Request for Proposal) and a consultant was hired to do the survey. She then briefly described how the survey was done by the consultant. She added, after the survey, staff started noticing there were buildings that had not been included in the survey. She stated it was time to go back, pick up the buildings that had been overlooked, and add in any buildings that had been annexed into the City. P:\CAROl YN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1-20-05.doc 7 Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 8. Commissioner Puente asked if the Commission should start with Item 1 (Annual budget for the Commission) which might include funding for this project. Commissioner Mouriquand replied that was a separate item and this project should probably be funded by a grant. She suggested staff should check to see if there were any grants the City could apply for to update the Historic Survey. If there are no grants available then staff would have to go to Council to request the funds. 9. Commissioner Wright reminded the Commission that the original survey only went to 1944 and there was quite a bit missed, plus any areas in the land that had been annexed since the last survey. 10. Commissioner Puente agreed with Commissioner Mouriquand that staff should look into possible grants to fund the survey. Commissioner Mouriquand suggested staff check the SHPO website, or call Marilyn Lordy. Staff would need to identify a scope of work, for the RFP and interview processes. 11. Chairman Wilbur asked if the Commissioners agreed this was the most important item on the list, Commissioner Mouriquand stated staff needed time to work on this item and it was important to make some decisions promptly. Commissioner Sharp said it seemed important and should have a high priority. Commissioner Wright added the Commission emphasized this issue every year. Commissioner Mouriquand suggested the Commission ask staff to come to the next meeting with a.list of grant options, their deadlines, and if there were any other options. She added staff might want to bring a preliminary scope of work and how they want to approach it; through an RFP, hiring of a consultant or any other options. Commissioner Wright agreed it should be on the next agenda. Staff replied they will look into it and report back at the next meeting. 12. Chairman Wilbur asked the date of first survey. Staff replied 1995, when Commissioner Mouriquand was actually the City staff member who worked on the grant. 13. Commissioner Puente suggested the Commission discuss Item 4 (List of Projects on file approved by the City since it was incorporated in 1 982). Commissioner Mouriquand asked about the purpose of the listing. Commissioner Puente replied it would be nice to have a listing of all the projects the P:\CAROL YN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1 ~20-05.doc 8 Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 Commission had reviewed and approved. Commissioner Mouriquand asked if she wanted a list of accomplishments. Commissioner Puente replied that was correct. Commissioner Wright added Item 4 could be tied into Item 1 3 (1 Q years of the Commission's accomplishments). The Commission then discussed some of the items that should be included on the list. Staff stated they would check on this and get back to the Commission as soon as possible. 14. Commissioner Wright asked what was meant by Item 11 (New owners of La Quinta Hotel). Commissioner Mouriquand commented the Hotel had been determined to be eligible for the National Historic Register and someone should see if the new owners would be receptive to having it listed. Commissioner Wright stated he did not think they would be as this may shut the door to any remodeling they wish to do. Commissioner Mouriquand replied they were eligible for Mills Acts contracts that give them tax breaks. Staff replied you have to be very careful when you look into Mills Act properties; pre- and post- Prop 13 have an effect on the benefits, and they are very unforgiving to get out of. It was staff's experience these do not work well on commercial property. Commissioner Wright commented that was probably why they had not pursued that. Commissioner Mouriquand said they might consider this if they were going to promote historical interest for tourism. 15. Commissioner Puente asked about the possibility of a field trip. Staff replied the meeting would have to be advertised and open to the public. There was a discussion of logistics and sites to be visited, which would have to be accessible to the public. Commissioners Puente and Sharp suggested visiting the fish traps. Commissioner Mouriquand stated if they wanted to do this, she could put a field trip together and just open it up to staff, and get permission for access. Commissioner Puente suggested it be done on a Sunday. Staff commented, if there was a quorum, this would have to be done as a field study with a list of sites visited. Commissioner Mouriquand stated she much rather do a field trip than have a public meeting. 16. Commissioner Wright thought it should be set up sometime in April. Commissioner Puente suggested April 17th. Commissioner Mouriquand suggested the week of the 9th. She stated the 9th or 1 Qth would work well for her. She suggested it be opened up to staff. Staff commented you have to allow everybody and the P:\CAROL YN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1-20-05.doc 9 Historic Preservation Commission January 20, 2005 meeting has to be published. It would be a regular meeting, with recorded minutes. Commissioner Mouriquand said she could check with the Bureau of Land Management and the Torres Martinez Tribe. Staff suggested Commissioner Mouriquand check with those two entities to see if they object to the press attending as they are allowed to participate. Community Development Director Doug Evans stated sometimes the Bureau of Land Management has denied access when the press was invited. 17. Commissioner Sharp asked if the tentative date was April 10, 2005. Commissioner Puente said yes. 18. Chairman Wilbur re-stated the Commission's comments as follows: 1.) staff is working on Item number 1 (Annual budget); 2.) Items 4 (List of approved projects...) and 13 (Ten years of accomplishments) being combined; and, 3.) the field trip. He stated that was a very good start for the Commission. 19. Commissioner Puente suggested Items 7 (Update La Guinta Historical Survey) and 16 (Grant renewal - survey updated) be combined. 20. Chairman Wilbur suggested the Commissioners keep the list and work on the additional items at a later date. VIII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, it was moved and seconded by Commissioners Wright and Sharp to adjourn this Regular Meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission to the next Regular Meeting to be held on February 17, 2005. This meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was adjourned at 3:55 p.m. Unanimously approved. ~Abz~t~d, IO~ ~M(walker Secretary P:\CAROL YN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 1-20-05.doc 10