REPORT TO HISTORICAL AND LANDMARKS COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Consideration of a Significant Property Alteration Permit for a 556 Square-Foot Addition to the Basement and a 590 square foot First Floor Addition to a Mills Act Residence and a Variance for the Construction of a New Nonconforming Garage at 324 Madison Street
Report
BACKGROUND
The 8,950 square-foot subject property is located on the northwest corner of Madison Street and Jonathan Street and includes a 1,393 square-foot three-bedroom, one-bathroom one-story residence constructed in 1936 or 1938 in the Mediterranean Revival architectural style. The property has a 364 square foot detached one-car garage that was built in 1955. The subject property was added as a historic resource to the City’s Historic Resource Inventory (HRI) List and received a Mills Act Contract in 2022.
The project is before the Historical and Landmarks Commission (HLC) for a recommendation to the Planning Commission for the proposed Major Significant Property Alteration Permit to add habitable square footage to the basement and first floor of the existing three-bedroom, one-bathroom main residence resulting in a four-bedroom, 3-bathroom single-family residence. The applicant has also applied for a Variance to demolish the existing detached garage for the construction a new detached two-car garage. The Variance is required because the new proposed garage would not conform to the height and square footage requirements in the Zoning Ordinance.
DISCUSSION
The applicant is proposing to add habitable square footage to the basement and first floor of the historic main residence. The rear wall of the house is proposed to be removed as a part of the construction of the new addition. This portion of wall includes repetitive features and duplicate wall cladding and represents a proportionately small amount of loss. There are three windows that are proposed to be salvaged and reused in new locations within the project. The alterations and additions proposed will be compatible with the historic character of the main residence and differentiated through detailing, materials, and forms. The proposed roofing tiles will match and be continuous with the existing roofing tiles to create compatibility while still providing differentiation. The new addition will have compatible stucco cladding siding but will feature a differentiated texture from the existing walls.
Also proposed is the removal of the existing garage, which was constructed after the main residence. The existing one-car garage is not a contributing building to the historic residence. The new proposed garage is larger in size and includes a half bathroom. Variances are required for the proposed garage’s size and height. The applicant has applied to increase the allowable garage size from the Code maximum of 480 square feet to 671 square feet and to increase the building height of the accessory structure to 17 feet where 12 feet is the maximum.
The Planning Division is currently updating the City’s Zoning Ordinance. As proposed, the draft Zoning Ordinance would make several changes to the residential accessory structure development standards, including increasing the height allowance to 16 feet and the square footage allowance to 600 square feet.
Conclusion
A Secretary of the Interior’s Standards Review was prepared by Archives and Architecture to analyze both aspects of the project. The report concludes, and staff concurs, that the proposed additions to the main residence adhere to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation in that the addition will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The proposed scope and treatment outlined in development plans indicate that the proposed alterations would be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale, proportion, and massing to the protect the integrity of the property and its environment.
Given that the Zoning Code is currently being updated and would modify aspects of the residential accessory structure development standards, staff recommends that the size of the structure is reduced to 600 square feet and that the height of the structure is reduced to 16 feet to comply with the proposed Zoning Ordinance.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 - Existing Facilities, in that the project is limited to an addition to a historic single-family residence and the construction of a new two-car garage.
PUBLIC CONTACT
On November 22, 2023, a notice of public hearing of this item was posted in three conspicuous locations within 300 feet of the project site and mailed to property owners within 300 feet of the project site. At the time of preparation of this report, the Planning Division has not received any public comments.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Historical and Landmarks Commission recommend approval of the Significant Property Alteration (SPA) Permit to the Planning Commission for the proposed addition to the historic resource, subject to the procedures outlined in the Preservation Treatment Plan attached to the Development Plans.
Staff recommends the Historical and Landmarks Commission recommend the redesign of the proposed garage to the Planning Commission prior to approving the Variance to reduce the size of the garage to 600 square feet and to reduce the height of the garage to 16 feet.
Staff
Prepared by: Tiffany Vien, Associate Planner
Reviewed by: Rebecca Bustos, Principal Planner
Approved by: Lesley Xavier, Planning Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Development Plans
2. Variance Statement of Justification
3. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards Review
4. Mills Act Contract