Title
Certificate of Approval - PLN17-0080 - 1339 Park Street and 1337 Park Street - Applicant: Cholita Linda, LLC. The Historical Advisory Board will hold a public hearing to consider improvements to three existing commercial storefronts at 1337 & 1339 Park Street, and the back entrance storefront to the units along Alameda Avenue. The proposed improvements include rehabilitation work as well as modifications to bring the commercial spaces into compliance with current building code requirements. The property is located within the C-C (Community Commercial) zoning district and is a contributing structure within the Park Street Historic District. The project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301- Existing Facilities and Section 15331 - Historic Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation.
Body
To: Honorable Chair and
Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Henry Dong
Planner II
Date: May 4, 2017
BACKGROUND
The proposed project consists of combining two commercial spaces in a multi-unit commercial building at 1337 and 1339 Park Street into a single tenant space for the new Cholita Linda restaurant (Exhibit 1). The specific improvements to the building includes modifications to two storefronts on Park Street as well as to a third storefront that is connected to the same tenant space located on Alameda Ave. The proposed improvements are intended to remove previously incompatible modifications as well as to comply with current building code requirements for egress. The subject property is a contributing historic structure in the Park Street Historic District.
Pursuant to Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) 13-21.5.b.1, the “Historical Advisory Board shall determine whether to issue a certificate of approval for repairs and alterations of Historical Monuments, 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.” This includes exterior changes to contributing structures in a historic district.
STAFF ANALYSIS
Property History
The subject property is a corner lot at the northwest corner of Park Street and Alameda Avenue. The property contains a two-story mixed-use building, built in 1925, that is a contributing structure within the Park Street Historic District. The building was developed by Louis Kaliski, a local investor, and designed by San Francisco architect Alexander A. Cantin. Permit records indicate the builder was Alameda contractor Conrad Roth. The building stands out on Park Street for its elaborate architectural features and ornamentation. The building facades are clad in smooth stucco and adorned with cast-concrete ornaments referencing Renaissance/Boroque sources. City records describe the building as a fine example of eclectic commercial architecture of its period retaining a high degree of integrity (Exhibit 2).
The building was developed with ground floor commercial spaces with three storefronts along Park Street (1335 - 1339 Park St.) and four storefronts along Alameda Avenue (2321 - 2325 Alameda Ave.). Residential apartments are located on the second floor. Over the years, numerous modifications have occurred to the exterior storefronts, including removing/covering of transom windows, replacing of existing doors and window systems, and modifying/removing of the bulkhead below the display windows. Two of the three commercial spaces facing Park Street, formerly occupied by Monkey Bars and Flavors of India, are currently vacant. No changes are being proposed to the existing Yogofina tenant space at the corner of the building.
Proposed Modifications
The proposed project combines the former Monkey Bars and Flavors of India tenant spaces into a single 2,800-square-foot restaurant. The project includes improvements to a third storefront located on Alameda Avenue, which is connected to one of the spaces facing Park Street. While the project will preserve the building’s three-storefront appearance, it will need to modify the location of the doors as well as replace the existing storefront systems due to deterioration and to comply with building code requirements.
Modifying Existing Doors to Meet Egress -- The two existing storefronts on Park Street both feature recessed entries - one centered and one to the right - and display windows with and without a bulkhead. The applicant proposes to increase the distance between the doors of the two storefronts along Park Street by shifting them to opposite sides. The shifting of the doors is proposed in order to meet egress requirements triggered by the new restaurant use. The new design will feature doors at opposite ends - one on the left and one on the right - with storefront windows separating the two entrances. A dining counter is proposed for the space immediately behind the new display windows. The new design also provides flexibility for the restaurant space to be divided back into two spaces without future changes to the storefront.
Reconstruction of Storefront System and Bulkhead - In addition to changing the doors to meet egress requirements, the applicant proposes retrofit work that includes new dark bronze anodized aluminum frame windows, clerestory windows, bulkheads and doors in materials compatible with the original design. The three storefronts subject to rehabilitation work are described below:
1339 Park Street Storefront - According to permit history, the storefront at 1339 Park Street (formerly Monkey Bars) has been modified over the years and contains what appears to an original centralized configuration. The windows and green marble bulkhead do not appear to be original. The transom windows have been covered up with stucco and wood paneling. As discussed previously, the existing storefront will be replaced with a new storefront configuration to meet fire egress requirements. The new dark bronze anodized aluminum storefront system will have vertical proportions that are consistent in size, scale and material with the original architecture. The transom windows that have been covered with stucco and wood will be replaced with new dark bronze anodized aluminum vertical clerestory windows approximately 2.5 feet by 4.5 feet in size. Using the existing bulkhead design for reference, the project proposes to construct a new approximately 2-1/4 foot tall green marble bulkhead similar to the existing.
1337 Park Street Storefront - Permit history shows the storefront at 1337 Park Street (formerly Flavors of India) has been modified over the years. The storefront contains non-original aluminum windows that extend the full height from the ground and is missing the bulkhead found in the other storefronts in the building. But like the other storefronts, its transom windows have been covered with stucco. The applicant proposes to remove the incompatible alterations and install a dark bronze anodized aluminum storefront with green marble bulkhead consistent with the adjacent work at 1339 Park Street. These changes are compatible with the rest of the building.
Alameda Avenue Storefront - Permit history shows the Alameda Avenue entrance to 1337 Park Street has also been modified. The non-original windows on Alameda Avenue are white aluminum with pronounced vertical and horizontal muntins located above a green and black tile bulkhead which is inconsistent with the original building. The existing transom windows have been covered up with stucco. The existing storefront will be replaced with a new dark bronze anodized aluminum storefront system with vertical proportions that are consistent in size, scale and material with the original architecture. The transom windows that have been covered in stucco will be replaced with new dark bronze anodized aluminum vertical clerestory windows approximately 2.5 feet by 4.5 feet in size. The existing non-original tile bulkhead will be replaced with an approximately 1-1/2 foot tall black and yellow ceramic tile bulkhead to match the existing bulkheads on adjacent storefronts on Alameda Avenue.
Consistency with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards
“Rehabilitation” is defined as “the process of returning a property to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the property which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural values.”
Overall, the project is consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s standards for rehabilitating historic storefronts. The proposed improvements for this project, including the new door locations, dark bronze storefronts, ceramic tile bulkhead, and green marble bulkhead, are consistent in size, scale and material with the original architecture. Additionally, the project is consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for modifications due to current public safety, wheelchair access, and fire code requirements. The findings for consistency with Secretary of Interior’s Standards for rehabilitation are stated in the Draft Resolution (Exhibit 3). Therefore, staff recommends that the Historical Advisory Board approve the Certificate of Approval.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project was determined to be categorically exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301- Existing Facilities and Section 15331 - Historic Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a Public Hearing and approve a Certificate of Approval to allow improvements to three existing commercial storefronts at 1337 & 1339 Park Street, and the back entrance storefront to the units along Alameda Avenue.
Respectfully submitted,
Henry Dong, Planner II
Exhibits:
1. Project Plans, Photos, Window and Lighting Brochure
2. Reference Materials
3. Draft Resolution