Title
Certificate of Approval - PLN16-0606 - 2307 Clinton Avenue - Applicant: David Kuoppamaki. Applicant requests a Certificate of Approval for a two story rear addition to an existing two story single-family residence. Although the proposed rear addition is designed to match the existing architectural features, the project requires a Certificate of Approval because it involves the removal of the existing one-story rear addition, which is equivalent to more than 30% of the value of the existing structure. The addition will continue the existing roofline to maintain the existing building height. The project also involves demolishing an existing detached garage and replacing it with a new garage with a similar design. The property is listed on the City’s Historical Buildings Study List with an S designation. The property is located in the R-5 (General Residential) zoning district. The project is categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 - demolition and removal of a single-family residence.
Body
To: Honorable Chair and
Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Linda Barrera,
Planner I
PROPOSAL SUMMARY
The applicant proposes to construct a two-story addition at the rear of an existing two-story Queen Anne Cottage at 2307 Clinton Avenue and replace an existing detached garage with a new garage. Building the rear addition involves demolishing an existing one-story rear addition. Pursuant to AMC Section 13-21, the removal of more than 30% of the value of any pre-1942 structure requires a Certificate of Approval by the Historical Advisory Board (HAB). The applicant’s proposal to completely demolish and replace the existing detached garage with a new two-car detached garage is also subject to a Certificate of Approval.
STAFF ANALYSIS
Existing Conditions: The property at 2307 Clinton Avenue contains a two-story single-family residence that was constructed in 1895. The two-story house, approximately 1,042 square feet in size, was built in the architectural style of a Queen Anne Cottage. In 1923, a one-story addition was added at the back of the house, expanding the total living area of the home to 1,453 square feet.
The original owner, builder and architect are unknown but R. Sandoy is the first owner on record. Sandoy was also responsible for the construction of the one-story rear addition in 1923. Unlike the original structure, the addition contains no distinctive architectural features and does not integrate well with the original home. Its walls are offset from the side elevations of the original house and it has a roof design that does not match with the rest of the home. The addition has a gable roof and includes a lean-to addition on the right (east) side with a shed roof which is visible from the front elevation. The existing rear addition does not include any of the ornamental elements found on the original home such as the decorative wood brackets and the decorative barge board. The windows on the addition are also inconsistent with the windows on the front portion of the home. The original structure consists of vertically oriented wood windows with wood trim that have defined sills. The existing rear addition includes varied window types, of various dimensions and materials, and includes inconsistent window trim.
Permit history for the construction of the detached garage shows that it was constructed in 1926 and the property owner at that time was A.L. Sleivart. The original garage seems to have been 288 square feet. A lean-to addition of 31 square feet with a shed roof and aluminum slider window was added to the front of the garage which has obstructed its use as a garage. The existing garage is in disrepair and includes inconsistent horizontal and vertical siding throughout.
Proposed Project: The project proposes to replace the one-story rear addition with a two story addition which will match the existing architectural style of the home and will create a more fitting design. The proposed addition will continue the existing side walls to create a uniform wall along the same plane but will include some articulation at the rear. The addition will be 512 square feet on each floor, a total of 1024 square feet. However, the net gain of floor area will be 575 square feet. The project will continue the existing roof line and new gable roof will be added to the rear with shingles and decorative trim board to match the existing gable roof on the front elevation. Decorative brackets will be added throughout the addition to match the existing and the existing band board will also be continued throughout the addition. All new windows will be wood, vertically oriented, and will have trim to match the existing. There are no changes proposed to the front elevation of the home.
The proposed 288 square foot detached garage will be in the same location and will be of a similar design to the original. It will have a gable roof and horizontal siding throughout that will match the siding on the home. The garage will have a fourteen foot (14’) wide roll up garage door and will accommodate two cars.
FINDINGS
The subject residence is listed on the Historic Building Study List with an S designation and is considered a historic resource. The S designation indicates that the property may be eligible for inclusion on the state’s historic resources inventory. This designation was given as a result of the City’s historic property survey conducted in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but there are no specific City records supporting the reason for the historic designation. The well-maintain physical features and architectural embellishment are likely reasons for this historical designation. The rear addition and garage that are proposed to be demolished were constructed prior to 1942 and individually do not exhibit any historical or architectural significance.
Pursuant to Alameda Municipal Code 13-21.5 the Historical Advisory Board shall determine whether to issue a Certificate of Approval for repairs and alterations of a Historical Monument, with or without conditions of approval, based on whether plans and specifications meet the standards established by the Historical Advisory Board and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.
The proposed project is consistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation, outlined below. Staff recommends the following findings in support of the Certificate of Approval:
1. A property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships. The subject property will remain a single-family home and there are no exterior changes proposed to the original structure. The garage, which is in disrepair, will be reconstructed to match the original design.
2. The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces, and spatial relationships that characterize a property will be avoided. The character defining features of the original home will remain intact. The rear addition will utilize materials and architectural elements that are consistent with those of the original structure. The proposed materials for the new garage are compatible with that of the main structure.
3. Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or elements from other historic properties, will not be undertaken. The architectural details that are included in the rear addition are borrowed from the elements found on the original main structure. Overall, the proposed addition integrates well with the original architectural style of the home.
4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved. The previously constructed rear addition that is proposed to be demolished does not embody distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, nor does it represent the work of an important creative individual.
5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved. The distinctive features on the building façade will be preserved and decorative elements found on the original structure will be carried over to the proposed addition.
6. Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will match the old in design, color, texture, and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features will be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence. The deterioration of the existing rear detached garage is severe and requires replacement. The new garage will follow the original design of the garage which is modest and does not features ornate elements.
7. Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, will be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. Treatments that cause damage to historic materials will not be used. No chemical or physical treatments to historic materials will be undertaken.
8. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken. There are no known archaeological resources on this site.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment. The new rear addition relates well to the original design of the home, including utilizing materials that match the existing, featuring a roofline that follows the original roof, and providing articulation at the rear which provides interest and character to the new addition. The proposed addition and garage do not negatively affect its historic merit of the site.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. The new rear addition will not affect the form or integrity of the original structure.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project is Categorically Exempt from additional environmental review pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15301 - Existing Facilities.
PUBLIC NOTICE
This agenda item was advertised in the Alameda Journal on January 11, 2017. Notices were mailed on January 12, 2017, to residents and property owners within 300 feet of the project location and interested parties who have requested to be notified of upcoming hearings. Staff received one comment from the subject property’s neighbor which was related to the Design Review of the project and not the aspects of the Certificate of Approval.
RECOMMENDATION
Find the proposed project exempt from CEQA and adopt the attached Resolution approving the Certificate of Approval to demolish an approximately 411 square-foot one-story rear addition in a single family residence and a 319 square foot detached garage which were constructed prior to 1942.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:
____________________________
Linda Barrera,
Planner I
Exhibits:
1. Draft Resolution
2. Project Plans