Loading...
2007 09 20 HPC/ I I Historic Preservation Commission Agendas are now available on the City's Web Page @ www.la-quinta.orq HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AGENDA The Regular Meeting to be held in the South Conference Room at the La Quinta City Hall, 78-495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, California SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 3:00 P.M. Beginning Minute Motion 2007-011 CALL TO ORDER A. Pledge of Allegiance B. Roll Call II. PUBLIC COMMENT This is the time set aside for citizens to address the Historic Preservation Commission on matters relating to historic resources within the City of La Quinta which are not Agenda items. When addressing the Historic Preservation Commission, please state your name and address and when discussing matters pertaining to prehistoric sites, do not disclose the exact location of the site(s) for their protection. III. CONFIRMATION OF THE AGENDA IV. CONSENT CALENDAR: A. Approval of the Minutes for August 16, 2007 "` -001 P:AReports - HPCA2007A9-20-07AAGENDA.doc Historic Preservation Commission Agenda September 20, 2007 V. BUSINESS ITEMS: A. Phase I Cultural Resources Investigation of 76.76 Acres — Tentative Tract 35238 Applicant: La Quinta Motorcoach Resort, Inc. Consultants: Applied Earth Works, Inc. (Michael Mirro and Tracy Formica) Location: South Side of Avenue 58 Between Monroe Street and Jackson Street B. Paleontological Records Review La Quinta Property, Riverside County, Califnrnia Applicant: La Quinta Motorcoach Resort, Inc. Consultants: San Bernardino County Museum Location: South Side of Avenue 58 Between Monroe Street and Jackson Street. C. Work Program for Upcoming Year VI. CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITTEN MATERIAL: VII. COMMISSIONER ITEMS: VIII. ADJOURNMENT DECLARATION OF POSTING I, Betty J. Sawyer, Executive Secretary of the City of La Quinta, do hereby declare that the foregoing agenda for the La Quinta Historic Preservation Commission meeting of Thursday, September 20, 2007, was posted on the outside entry to the Council Chamber, 78-495 Calle Tampico, and the bulletin board at the La Quinta Cove Post Office, on Friday, September 14, 2007. DATED: September 14, 2007 BE Y WYER, Executive Secretary City of a Quinta, California 002 P:\Reports - HPC\2007\9-20-07\AGENDA.doc MINUTES HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING A Regular meeting held in the East Conference Room at the La Quinta City Hall 78-495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA August 16, 2007 This meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was called to order by Vice Chairperson Wright at 3:00 p.m. who asked for the roll call. CALL TO ORDER A. Roll Call. Present: Commissioners Sharp, Redmon, and Vice Chairman Wright Absent: Commissioner Puente and Chairman Wilbur Staff Present: Planning Director Les Johnson, Principal Planners Andy Mogensen and Stan Sawa, and Secretary Carolyn Walker II. PUBLIC COMMENT: None III. CONFIRMATION OF THE AGENDA: Confirmed IV. CONSENT CALENDAR: A. It was moved and seconded by Commissioners Sharp/Wright to approve the minutes of June 21, 2007, as submitted. Unanimously approved. V. BUSINESS ITEMS: A. Paleontoloqical Resources Assessment of the Travertine Project, La Quinta, Riverside County, California Applicant: Hoffman Land Development Consultants: SWCA Environmental Consultants Location: Area roughly bounded by the extensions of Jefferson Street, Madison Street, Avenue 60 and Avenue 63. Principal Planner Stan Sawa presented the information contained in the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. 003 PdCAROLYWHist Pres Com\HPC 8-16-07.doe Historic Preservation Commission August 16, 2007 2. Commissioner Sharp asked if these would be tract or custom- built homes. 3. Mr. Jim Hildenbrand, 77852 Wildcat Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92211, representing Hoffman Land Development, introduced himself and said they would be more high -end homes. 4. Commissioner Sharp asked how many units would be built. Mr. Hildenbrand replied they are still in the planning process. He added the original Specific Plan provided for up to 2,300 units, a 500-room hotel, a tennis facility and ten acres of commercial. He said they are probably looking at one golf course, a very high -end residential component and a set -aside hotel/resort facility component. There will also be some additional minor land uses spread in between those sites in order to facilitate some other fractional time share uses within the hotel. 5. Commissioner Sharp asked if the project was going to be compatible with the Quarry. Mr. Hildenbrand said they will be trying for at least that level. They are adjacent to the Ministrelli property and are coordinating issues. Commissioner Sharp asked if Mr. Ministrelli's property was developed. Mr. Hildenbrand replied it was not. Staff said the Ministrelli piece is in final map review. 6. Commissioner Sharp asked the starting date of the project. Staff said the client had been through a lengthy process and addressed various issues to bring the project to finality. They are currently in the early process of reviewing their Specific Plan and land uses. The project will be scaled back from what the 1995 Specific Plan identified. Commissioner Sharp asked about population density and land use. Staff replied the project would be a less intensive project, but they are very early into the modification of their Specific Plan. Staff is encouraged that: 1) they have been able to work with Fish & Wildlife Service and the other entities to address habitat -related concerns; and 2) they've been able to secure the Bureau Of Reclamation crossing over the dike to Madison which is another significant hurdle. They are making progress and have hired a land use planning consultant firm to assist in the planning process. An amended Specific Plan should be completed by year end. 7. Commissioner Sharp said he was encouraged by the number of replies received from the Native American groups. Staff replied that was actually a part of the Cultural (Archaeological) Report. P:\CAROLYN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 8-16-07.doc 004 2 Historic Preservation Commission August 16, 2007 8.1 Commissioner Sharp said the consultant did a great job on this report. 9. Vice Chairman Wright said he has been watching this project since 1995 and this is probably the most beautiful piece of property in La Quinta. It is rich in ancient human habitat, as far as the people who lived there three or 4,000 years ago. He is glad to see it finally get started. The reports are great and advised the client to follow-through and work with staff. 10. Mr. Hildenbrand said it has been a journey bringing this project forward and they are now starting on the fun part of seeing the vision coming forward. 11. Commissioner Sharp asked about a particular section of the map. It is noted as "Not a part" of the project. Mr. Hildenbrand said it belongs to an independent owner. They have been negotiating with the owner to purchase the property. 12. Commissioner Sharp asked about the access areas noted on the map. Mr. Hildenbrand said they were defined as study areas in order to address future roadways. They prepared those studies to make sure the offsite roadways were covered in the reports. They were also included to eliminate any roadway issuers in the future. One is a grant from the Bureau of Land Management and the other is a license agreement to cross the dike as well as rights -of -easement from property owners around the access areas. 13. There being no further comments it was moved and seconded by Commissioners Wright/Sharp to approve Minute Motion 2007-006 accepting the Paleontological Resources Assessment as submitted. Unanimously approved. B. (1) Class III Cultural Resources Inventory and Evaluation, Including Limited Subsurface Testing of Archaeological Site Ca-Riv-7394 for the Proposed Travertine Development Project (2) Phase I Report on Vineyards Within Section 33 of the Proposed Travertine Development Project Applicant: Travertine Corporation Consultants: SWCA Environmental Consultants Location: Area roughly bounded by the extensions of Jefferson Street, Madison Street, Avenue 60 and Avenue 63. P:\CAROLYN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 8-16-07.dcc " 005 3 Historic Preservation Commission August 16, 2007 1. Principal Planner Stan Sawa presented the information contained in the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. 2. Commissioner Redmon noted under Recommendations, Paragraph 3, if any artifacts are found they will be "...delivered to the City, unless the Native American tribes wish to have them, prior to issuance of first building permit for the property." She asked if the artifacts brought to the City are then put into use in the new museum or what is the intended use for those materials and what happens to them. Staff said this is a topic that could be more fully addressed in Commissioner Comments at a later date. The brief answer would be, depending on the find, staff would work with the City's museum manager to determine whether to display or archive the item. The new museum manager would make the decision. 3. Commissioner Redmon asked if it was the intent of the City to place some of these materials in the new museum. Staff said that is the intent, but the first concern is proper curation. There will then be a determination as to which items will be displayed. 4. Vice Chairman Wright said previous artifacts have been placed in storage with the Native American Tribes and U.C. Riverside. He expressed his pleasure at having such a nice place to curate these items. Vice Chairman Wright said there will be Native American monitors on almost all the new projects because of SB 18. 5. Commissioner Redmon asked what constituted the qualifications of the American Indian Monitor. Staff :said the City conditions the project and the Native Americans decide who, and what, constitutes a qualified monitor. It is up to the Tribe who is involved in the project, to bring in the appropriate monitor. 6. Mr. Hildenbrand said he was working with William Contreras of the Torres Martinez Tribe to provide a Native American Monitor. ' 006 P:ACAROLYN\Hist Pres Com\HPC B-16-0'7.doc 4 Historic Preservation Commission August 16, 2007 7. There being no further comments. It was moved and seconded by Commissioners Redmon/Sharp to adopt Minute Motion 2007-007 accepting the Class III Cultural Resources Inventory and the Phase I Report on Vineyards as submitted. Unanimously approved. C. Paleontological Evaluation Report and Mitigation Plan for a 3.4 ± Acre Site, Assessor's Parcel Number 770-020-012 Applicant: Dan Cline, Forward Architecture and Design Consultant: George L. Kennedy, Ph.D., Brian F. Smith & Associates Location: Northeast corner of Calle Tampico and Desert Club Drive 1. Principal Planner Andy Mogensen presented the information contained in the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. 2. Commissioner Sharp asked what was planned for this location. Tom Cole, representative for Highland Dev Co. 80 South Lake Street, Suite 660, Pasadena, California, replied it would be a retail shopping center. 3. Commissioner Sharp asked when they planned to begin working on the development. Mr. Cole said the plans were going to the Planning Commission in the next month or two and they hope to start breaking ground in the first quarter of 2008. 4. Commissioner Redmon said the report indicated previous mass grading. She asked if there were studies done duriing that grading and were they on file and available for the Commission to see. Staff said the record search indicated there may have been a previous survey, but it wasn't definitive on whether or not one was conducted. 5. Vice Chairman Wright said it was done prior to the formation of the Historic Preservation Commission. Staff concurred and said originally this was supposed to be the second phase; of the existing office building next door. It was never constructed, but they did put in the utility lines and there is a transformer in the middle of the site. 6. Vice Chairman Wright said he looked forward to finally seeing something nice in that location. ©07 P:\CAROLYN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 8-16-07.doc 5 Historic Preservation Commission August 16, 2007 7. There being no further comments, it was moved and seconded by Commissioners Sharp/Redmon to adopt Minute Motion 2007-008 accepting the Paleontological Evaluation Report and Mitigation Plan as submitted. Unanimously approved D. Phase I Cultural Resources Survey Report for a 3.4± Acre Site, Assessor's Parcel Number 770-020-012 Applicant: Dan Cline, Forward Architecture and Design Consultant: CRM Tech (Clarence Bodmer, Daniel Ballester, and Laura Hensley Shaker). Location: Northeast corner of Calle Tampico and Desert Club Drive 1. Principal Planner Andy Mogensen presented the information contained in the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. 2. The Commissioners had no comments. 3. There being no further comments, it was moved and seconded by Commissioners Redmon/Sharp to adopt Minute Motion 2007-009 accepting the Phase I Cultural Resources Survey Report as submitted. Unanimously approved E. Updated Cultural Resources Report for St. Francis Church Parking Lot Applicant: Prest Vuksic Architects Consultant: CRM Tech (Michael Hogan, Ph.D.) Location: Washington Street, 500 feet south of Avenue 47 Principal Planner Andy Mogensen presented the information contained in the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. 2. Commissioner Sharp was concerned about the look of the project and asked if the parking lot would be asphalt. Staff said the actual paved surface will be where the current temporary parking lot is located. There will be a new driveway on the southern end across from Caleo Bay Drive. The actual upper part of the project will consist of a retention basin and potential future building pad. 008 P:ACAROLYN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 8-16-07.doc 6 Historic Preservation Commission August 16, 2007 3. Commissioner Sharp asked what was meant by "potential future building pad." Staff replied the applicant has not given them any definite plans for the site, but are keeping the area vacant for an undetermined future purpose. There has been quite a bit of historic activity at the site and those reports have been included in the packets. 4. Vice Chairman Wright said they found a lot of material at the Laing Luxury homes site. He commented on the capped site and the fact that it is being monitoring very closely. 5. Vice Chairman Wright said he was confused since he thought this was originally a 16-acre site. Staff said the acreage noted is for the entire site, including the existing church. 6. Staff said the current application is for a permanent parking lot and retention basin, but no buildings are included. The; reason this matter was being brought before the Commission was the large amount of grading involved. 7. Vice Chairman Wright requested staff keep the Commission up- to-date on this project and anything new on the Laing property. Staff replied they would. 8. There being no further comments. It was moved and seconded by Commissioners Sharp/Redmon to adopt Minute Motion 2007-010 accepting the Updated Cultural Resources Report as submitted. Unanimously approved VI. CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITTEN MATERIAL: None VII. COMMISSIONER ITEMS: A. Comments on New Commissioner: 1. Vice Chairman Wright introduced Commissioner Redmon to the group and discussed the responsibilities of the Commission(ers). B. Comments on Museum: 1. Commissioner Redmon asked what the relationship was between the Historic Preservation Commission and the new museum. 00C9 P:\CAROLYN\Hist Pres Com\HPC 8-16-07.doc 7 Historic Preservation Commission August 16, 2007 2. Vice Chairman Wright explained the Commission has been working with the City for many years on what was needed in the new museum. He asked staff to obtain a copy of the previous surveys for Commissioner Redmon's use. C. Comments on Meetings: Staff advised the Commissioners they will be meeting monthly in order to work on the scheduled 2007-2008 Work Program. VIII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, it was moved and seconded by Commissioners Sharp/Redmon to adjourn this Regular Meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission to the next Regular .Meeting to be held on September 20, 2007. This meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was adjourned at 3:50 p.m. Unanimously approved. Submitted by: Carolyn Walker Secretary w.. 010 P:\CAROLYN\Hst Pres Com\HPC 8-16-07.doc 8 DATE: "AITI i LOCATION APPLICANT: CONSULTANT BACKGROUND: HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION STAFF REPORT SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES INVESTIGATION OF 76.76 ACRES TENTATIVE TRACT 35238 SOUTH SIDE OF AVENUE 58 BETWEEN MONROE STREET AND JACKSON STREET LA QUINTA MOTORCOACH RESORT, INC. APPLIED EARTH WORKS, INC. (MICHAEL MIRRO AND TRACY FORMICA) The study area is a 76.76 acre parcel located on the south side of Avenue 58 between Monroe Street and Jackson Street within the City's Sphere of Influence area. This area while not currently a part of the City could be annexed in the future to La Quinta. The property is vacant, with the north half an alfalfa and grass field and the south half a fallow field with salt brush and other desert vegetation present. The City is currently processing an application to allow a motorcoach project on the site A Phase I (survey level) Archaeological/Historical Resources Assessment has been completed for the property. The Assessment includes a record search and field reconnaissance of the property. This Assessment will be part of the environmental review required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the project application. DISCUSSION: An archaeological and historic records search for the property was conducted at the Eastern Information Center located at UC Riverside. Other sources consulted include the National Register of Historic Places, Office of Historic Preservation Archaeological Determinations of Eligibility, and the Office of Historic preservation Directory of Properties in the Historic Property Data file. Historic maps consulted include the Coachella, CA 1956 15' USGS Quadrangle and Indio, 1904 30' USGS Quadrangle. The records search indicated that part of the study area has been surveyed and no cultural resources had been recorded on the site. Within a one mile radius, the records search showed 21 cultural resources have been recorded. These include two historic �... 011 P:\Reports - HPC\2007\9-20-07\rpt ph I tt 35238 Iq motorcoach archaeo.doc buildings, one historic site, five prehistoric sites, three multi -component sites, and 10 isolated artifact finds. The on -foot field survey was conducted by walking parallel north -south transects spaced 15 meters apart where vegetation permitted. Visibility on the north hallf of the study area was approximately 5% with 100 % between plants on the south side. As a result of this survey no historic or prehistoric cultural resources were identified on the site. Snail shells and fresh water mussels were evident over a few areas. A request was made of the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) for a check of their Sacred Lands file. The NAHC was not aware of any such sites on the study area. Letters requesting comments on the project site were sent to local Indian tribes by Staff as part of a Senate Bill 18 consultation procedure for the project. The Aqua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have requested that the monitoring crew include a Native American monitor. The report concludes that since cultural resources were not encountered during the course of the study no further testing is necessary unless potentially significant archaeological materials are encountered during construction. The HPC policy has been to require monitoring during earth moving, etc. in areas such as these due the archaeological potential known to exist in the City. RECOMMENDATION: Adopt Minute Motion 2007- , accepting the "Phase 1 Cultural Resources Investigation of 76.76 acres for Tentative Tract 35238, La Quinta, Riverside County, California", as prepared, subject to the following Conditions: 1 . The site shall be monitored during on- and off -site trenching and rough grading by qualified archaeological and paleontological monitors. Proof of retention of monitors, including a Native -American monitor shall be given to City prior to issuance of first earth -moving or clearing permit. Monitors shall include a minimum of one Native American monitor. 2. The final report on the monitoring shall be submitted to the Planning Department prior to the issuance of the final inspection for the project. 3. Collected archaeological resources shall be properly packaged for long term curation, in polyethylene self -seal bags, vials, or film cans as appropriate, all within acid -free, standard size, comprehensively labeled archive boxes and delivered to the City, unless the Native American tribes wish to have therm, prior to issuance of first building permit for the property. Materials will be accompanied by descriptive catalogue, field notes and records, primary research data, and the original graphics. �...' 012 P:\STAN\HPC\rpt ph I tt 35238 Iq motorcoach archaeo.doc Attachment: Phase 1 Cultural Resources Investigation of 76.76 acres for Tentative Tract 35238, La Quinta, Riverside County, California Prepared by: d—" � iS" Stan Sawa, Principal Planner P:\STAN\HPC\rpt ph I tt 35238 Iq motorcoach archaeo.doc DATE: ITEM: LOCATION: APPLICANT: CONSULTANT: BACKGROUND: HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION STAFF REPORT SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 PALEONTOLOGICAL RECORDS REVIEW, LA QUINTA PROPERTY, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA SOUTH SIDE OF AVENUE 58 BETWEEN MONROE STREET AND JACKSON STREET LA QUINTA MOTORCOACH RESORT, INC. SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MUSEUM The study area is a 76.76 acre parcel located on the south side of Avenue 58 between Monroe Street and Jackson Street within the City's Sphere of Influence area. This area while not currently a part of the City could be annexed in the future to La Quinta. The property is vacant, with the north half an alfalfa and grass field and the south half a fallow field with salt brush and other desert vegetation present. The City is currently processing an application to allow a motorcoach project on the site A literature review and records search has been completed for the property. This review and search will be part of the environmental review required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the project application. DISCUSSION: The property sits at approximately 70' below sea level and was covered by ancient Lake Cahuilla in the past necessitating the need for this review. The review and search for the property was conducted by the San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM). The Regional Paleontologic Locality Inventory Register (RPLI) at the SBCM was utilized for the records search. The results of the search indicated that no paleontological localities (resources) are recorded within the boundaries of, or within at least one mile of the project site. However, paleontological locality resources have been found in similar sediments in the vicinity of this property. No on -foot field survey was conducted as a part of this review and search, but during the archaeological on -foot survey it was noted that snail shells and fresh water mussels were evident over a few areas of the project site. The letter concludes that the project site has high paleontologic sensitivity and therefore, is in an area that has high potential for nonrenewable fossil resources. The letter recommends a program to mitigate impacts to nonrenewable paleontologic P:\Reports - HPC\2007\9-20-07\rpt ph I tt 35238 Iq motorcoach paleo.doc 014 resources be developed, including monitoring areas likely to contain paleontologic resources. RECOMMENDATION: Adopt Minute Motion 2007- , accepting the "Paleontological Records Review, La Quinta Property, Riverside County California", as prepared, subject to the following Conditions: 1. On- and off -site monitoring of earth -moving and grading in areas identified as likely to contain paleontological resources shall be conducted by a qualified paleontological monitor. The monitor shall be equipped to salvage fossils as they are unearthed to avoid construction delays and to remove samples of sediments that are likely to contain the remains of small fossil invertebrates and vertebrates. The monitor shall be empowered to temporarily halt or divert equipment to allow removal of abundant or large specimens. Proof that a monitor has been retained shall be given to City prior to issuance of first earth -moving permit, or before any clearing of the site is begun. 2. Recovered specimens shall be prepared to the point of identification and permanent preservation, including washing of sediments to recover small invertebrates and vertebrates. 3. A report of findings with an appended itemized inventory of specimens shall be submitted to the City prior to the first occupancy of a residence being granted by the City. The report shall include pertinent discussions of the significance of all recovered resources where appropriate. The report and inventory, when submitted will signify completion of the program to mitigate impacts to paleontological resources. 4. Collected resources and related reports, etc. shall be given to the City for curation. Packaging of resources, reports, etc. shall comply with standards commonly used in the paleontological industry. Attachment: 1. Paleontological Records Review, La Quinta Property, Riverside County, California Prepared by: Stan , Principal Planner � oj P:\Reports - HPC\2007\9-20-07\rpt ph I tt 35238 Iq motorcoach paleo.doc BI #C Memorandum TO: HONORABLE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FROM: LES JOHNSON, PLANNING DIRECTOR DATE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 ITEM: WORK PROGRAM FOR UPCOMING YEAR The following are potential items for a work program for the Commission to pursue during the upcoming year. Please review it and be prepared to discuss it, or other items you would like considered, at the meeting. I:I IyTi�I�]���C�Zei�ell�fl 1 . La Quinta Historic Museum curation, storage and display. 2. Prepare and distribute a brochure for the public that would serve as a self - guided driving tour of the City's historic features and discusses the prehistory. 3. Prepare a composite map of all cultural resources recorded within the City for City use (work load sensitive). 4. Completion of Historic Context Statement for the City that focuses on the contribution in the fields of prehistory, early settlement, resort industry and agriculture. 5. Follow-up on mitigation monitoring for projects like the Tradition that were conditioned for annual inspections, etc. Prepared by: JlilA i-k Stan Sawa, Principal Planner 016 P:\Reports - HPC\2007\9-20-07\rpt hoc work program 2007-8.doc