REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 06/05/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning & Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
REQUEST BY COUNCILMEMBER SPEAKE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER AN AMENDMENT TO THE CITY’S HISTORIC RESOURCES ORDINANCE IN CHAPTER 17.63 OF THE CORONA MUNICIPAL CODE TO HAVE THE DEMOLITION OF HISTORIC STRUCTURES LISTED ON THE HERITAGE INVENTORY TO BE REVIEWED AND CONSIDERED BY THE CITY’S PROPOSED HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD INSTEAD OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to provide direction to staff on amending the Historic Resources Ordinance in Chapter 17.63 of the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) to require the request for a demolition permit for a historic structure listed on the heritage inventory to be reviewed and decided by the city’s proposed Historic Preservation Board instead of the Planning and Development Director. A demolition permit for a heritage inventory structure is reviewed and decided by the Planning and Development Director according to the findings listed in CMC Section 17.63.120(E)(4). A demolition permit for a historic resource listed on the Corona Register, which includes landmarks and historic districts, and resources listed on the state or national register require discretionary review by the Planning and Housing Commission and City Council.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council provide direction to staff on amending Chapter 17.63 of the Corona Municipal Code to require requests for demolition permits for historic structures listed on the Corona Heritage Inventory to be reviewed and decided by the City’s proposed Historic Preservation Board.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Chapter 17.63 of the Corona Municipal Code governs historic resources in the city and includes requirements for exterior alterations and demolition of structures identified as a historic resource. Historic resources in the city are identified in one or more of the following categories: 1) Corona Heritage Property, 2) Corona Landmark, 3) Corona Historic District, 4) Historical Resource on California Register, and 5) Historical Resource on National Register. The table below provides a summary of the type of historical resources in each category.
|
Category |
Description |
Property Owner Authorization |
|
Corona Heritage Inventory |
Identified as a potential historical resource to be preserved because of its age, and either its context in the neighborhood, its association with a historic event or period, or its significance to Corona. Resources on the Heritage Inventory are ranked low, medium or high based on the existing condition of the resource and are eligible to be listed as a local landmark on the Corona Register. |
No, but an owner can object to having their property listed on the Heritage Inventory and submit their objection to the city. |
|
Corona “Local” Landmark |
Approved by the City Council as a local landmark on the Corona Register because the resource is more than 50 years old, has significant historic, cultural or architectural value, and exhibits one or more of the characteristics listed in Section 17.63.050. |
Yes. |
|
Corona Historic District |
Approved by the City Council as a geographically defined area possessing a concentration of contributing historic resources that relate to each other and are unified by physical development or historical context. A historical district is required to meet all of the criteria listed in Section 17.63.060. |
Requires notification to property owners within a proposed district. Property owners are given 30 days to review and comment on a proposed district and submit protests to the city. Written protests must be less than 49% of the owners of property located within the boundaries of the district. |
|
Historical Resources on California Register |
Approved by the State Historical Resources Commission as a historical resource associated with events that have contributed to local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States; lives of persons important to local, state or national history; embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values; and yields, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, the state or the nation. |
Consent of property owner is not required, but a resource cannot be listed over an owner’s objections. The State Historical Resources Commission can, however, formally determine a property eligible for the California Register if the resource owner objects. Properties to be listed as a state “landmark” require property owner consent. |
|
Historical Resource on National Register |
Same as above for historical resources on the California Register. After the state’s approval of the nomination of the historical resource, the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C. makes the final decision. |
Consent of property owner(s) is not required, but properties cannot be listed over the objection of a private owner(s). Property owner contact information must be submitted with a National Register nomination as part of the cover letter. |
ANALYSIS:
Request
Councilmember Speake submitted a future agenda item request to discuss with the City Council the possibility of changing the requirement in CMC Section 17.63.120(E)(3) to have the city’s proposed Historic Preservation Board consider and decide on requests for demolition permits of historic resources listed on the Corona Heritage Inventory.
CMC Chapter 17.63
Demolition permits for structures listed on the Corona Heritage Inventory are decided by the Planning Director. The request also requires a 30-day waiting period before a decision is made to approve or disapprove a demolition permit and notification to the Corona Historic Preservation Society. The Planning Director is also required to make one of the following findings before deciding to approve a demolition permit for a heritage property.
a) The heritage property is not a good example of an historic period or architectural style;
b) The heritage property has deteriorated or been modified to the extent that it is no longer representative as an historic resource to be preserved;
c) Denial of the requested relocation or demolition of the heritage property will deprive the owner of all economically viable use of the site;
d) Relocation or demolition or removal will not have a significant effect on the achievement of the purposes of CMC Chapter 17.63;
e) The heritage property is determined to be unsafe or dangerous by the Building Official and reasonable efforts to correct the situation are infeasible;
f) The heritage property is inconsistent with the zoning designation for the site and adaptive re-use of the heritage property to achieve consistency is not economically viable.
Demolition permits for a Corona Landmark listed on the Corona Register, or a historic resource listed on both the Corona Register and California or National Register require consideration and decision by the Planning Commission and City Council. The Planning Commission and City Council are required to make one of the findings similar to those for a heritage property before deciding to approve a demolition permit.
Future Amendments to CMC Chapter 17.63.
The majority of the City Council at its study session on March 20, 2024, agreed to certain amendments to the Historical Resources Ordinance. One of the proposed amendments is to replace the Planning Commission with a Historic Preservation Board when it comes to the review and decision on historical resource applications. The Historic Preservation Board will be a new board created by the city to review discretionary applications associated with historic resources.
Councilmember Speake’s request is to discuss changing the current review of demolition permits for Heritage Inventory structures from the Planning Director to the proposed Historic Preservation Board as part of the future amendments to CMC Chapter 17.63. Changing this requirement was not discussed at the study session when other amendments to CMC Chapter 17.63 were being considered. Staff’s time for the amendment to CMC Chapter 17.63 will be included as part of the larger amendment to this ordinance.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this request.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachment:
1. Exhibit 1 - Future Agenda Item Request from Councilmember Speake