Title
Certificate of Approval - PLN17-0447 - Jack Backus Architects - 3278 Garfield Avenue. The applicant requests a Certificate of Approval for a second story addition to an existing single-family residence, built prior to 1942, that will result in the removal of more than 30% of the value of the existing structure. The project has been determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Section 15301 - Existing Facilities- minor alterations of existing private structures.
Body
To: Honorable Chair and
Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Henry Dong
Planner II
Date: December 7, 2017
Re: Certificate of Approval - PLN17-0447 - Jack Backus Architects - 3278 Garfield Avenue
The applicant requests a Certificate of Approval for a second story addition to an existing single-family residence, built prior to 1942, that will result in the removal of more than 30% of the value of the existing structure. The project has been determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Section 15301 - Existing Facilities- minor alterations of existing private structures.
BACKGROUND
On August 25, 2017, the applicant submitted an application for Design Review and Certificate of Approval for a second story addition that will result in the demolition of more than thirty percent (30%) of the value of a residence built in 1913. The existing 1,200 square-foot residence contains two bedrooms and two bathrooms on an approximately 4,300 square-foot lot. The approximately 1,050 square-foot second-story addition relocates one bedroom to the second floor, adds two additional second-floor bedrooms, and enlarges the kitchen and living rooms on the first floor. The resulting size of the residence will be approximately 2,200 square feet in two stories (Exhibit 1). The applicant also proposes to replace an existing detached garage that was built in 2009 and is not subject to Certificate of Approval requirements.
The property is listed on the Historical Building Study list with a “B” designation. The proposed addition will involve the removal of the existing kitchen, bedroom, family room, bathroom, interior walls, windows, rear porch, and portions of the roof, constituting more than 30% of the value of the structure. The project requires a Certificate of Approval pursuant to Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Subsection 13-21.7. If the Historical Advisory Board approves the Certificate of Approval, Planning Division staff will proceed with the Design Review component of the project and make a final decision on December 18, 2017.
STAFF ANALYSIS
A. Property History
According to historical City permit records, the subject one-story structure is a Craftsman bungalow built in 1913 by Robert Cleveland Hillens and designed by architect Walter Waldemar Landgrebe. Hillens was a local builder who constructed over 100 homes in Alameda between 1908 and 1917 including most of the homes along Garfield and Liberty Avenues. Landgrebe was a local architect that designed many of the homes built by Hillens during those years.
The subject home is a Craftsman bungalow with a gabled roof and exterior walls dressed in wood shingle siding. The “B” designation for the property stands for “Background,” which is used to denote resources that, based on the scale, massing, materials, style, and other features of the building, are similar to nearby State register eligible properties and serves as background support for those resources of a higher status. The building has several character defining features that include the gabled roof, front porch, wall mounted chimney, and large horizontal living room window. Building Permit history indicates that the home was reroofed in 1978, but otherwise no major alterations have taken place to the home.
B. Proposed Modifications
The proposed addition is designed to be setback from the primary elevation in order to minimize the massing and impacts of the second-story on the proportions and profile of the original bungalow design. The new second story will be constructed under a gabled roof featuring deep eves with rafter tails consistent with the historic building architecture. The increase in building height of approximately 9-feet 6-inches to approximately 24-feet 7-inches meets the 30-foot maximum building height in the R-1 zoning district. The design features horizontal wood siding with a belly band to break up the massing of the addition. This differentiating of siding material is also intended to meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for distinguishing the new addition from the existing structure. The design also incorporates windows with grids and wood trim consistent with the original Craftsman bungalow style. The proposed design is consistent with previous second-story additions in the neighborhood, including 3272 Garfield Avenue, which is also designated as a “B” on the Historical Building Study List.
C. Consistency with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards
To approve this Certificate of Approval, the Board must find the project is consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the rehabilitation. This project is consistent with the Standards because the project maintains the historic use of the single-family home and preserves all of the character defining materials, features, and forms of the original building. The new design is compatible with the original architecture but does not create a false sense of historical development or affect any archeological resources. The second-story addition incorporates a gable roof, deep eves, casement windows, muntins, and wood window trim that are consistent with the original bungalow architecture. Furthermore, the horizontal wood siding on the new second-floor design clearly distinguishes the new addition from the original structure. The new construction will not destroy historic materials and will be undertaken in such a manner that the essential form and integrity of the property is unimpaired. The findings for consistency with Secretary of Interior’s Standards for rehabilitation are stated in the Draft Resolution (Exhibit 2). Therefore, staff recommends that the Historical Advisory Board approve the Certificate of Approval.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This proposed project is Categorically Exempt from additional environmental review pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15301 - Existing Facilities - minor alterations of existing private structures, and Section 15331 - Historic Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation.
PUBLIC NOTICE
This agenda item was advertised in the Alameda Journal and notices were mailed to residents and property owners within 300 feet of the project location. No comments were received by staff at the time this report was written.
RECOMMENDATION
Find the proposed project exempt from CEQA and adopt the attached Resolution approving the Certificate of Approval to allow removal of more than 30% of the value of a residential structure built before 1942.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:
Henry Dong,
Planner II
Exhibits:
1. Project Plans
2. Draft Resolution