Title
PLN21-0468/PLN21-0469 - Certificates of Approval - 2263 Santa Clara Avenue/950 West Mall Square - Applicant: City of Alameda. Public hearing to consider Certificate of Approval applications to allow the conversion of lawn to drought-tolerant landscaping at the grounds of City Hall and City Hall West. Pursuant to Alameda Municipal Code Section 13-21.5 a Certificate of Approval by the Historical Advisory Board is required for alterations to Historic Monuments including trees and plantings. This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15304(b) - Minor Alterations to Land, which consists of new gardening or landscaping, including the replacement of existing landscaping with water-efficient landscaping
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Historical Advisory Board
BACKGROUND
On September 7, 2021, the City Council directed the Public Works Department to implement strategies that reduce water use at City facilities as a response to the current severe drought. One strategy supported by the City Council is the conversion of existing landscaping at City Hall and City Hall West, among other City owned buildings, from large areas of turf that require heavy watering to more drought-tolerant plantings that conserve water.
City Hall and City Hall West are Historic Monuments designated by the City Council, and under AMC Section 13-21.5, any alterations to Historic Monuments, including changes to “trees and plantings” require a Certificate of Approval by the Historical Advisory Board (HAB). Per this requirement, the City is seeking HAB approval of a Certificate of Approval to convert the lawns at City Hall and City Hall West to a drought-tolerant landscape design. If approved, the lawn conversion will proceed according to lawn conversion landscaping guidelines established by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), for which rebates are available to the City for implementing under EBMUD program guidelines.
Staff recommends the HAB hold a public hearing and then approve the Certificates of Approval per the analysis provided in this report.
DISCUSSION
On September 7, 2021, City Council gave staff direction to implement a number of water conservation efforts, including converting the lawns that surround City Hall and City Hall West to drought tolerant landscapes. Motivating Council’s direction is the ongoing drought state of emergency, Governor Newsom’s call for voluntary reductions, Alameda’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan’s objective to build resiliency in the face of climate change, and EBMUD’s offering of a new landscape rebate program to support the lawn conversions to water-wise gardens that thrive in California’s summer-dry climate and during a drought.
Eligibility for EBMUD’s “super rebate” requires that 50% of the newly planted plants are not only drought tolerant but also native to California. The program also requires sheet mulching instead of removing the lawn. Sheet mulching places a layer of cardboard, compost, and mulch on top of the lawn instead of physically removing or killing it with herbicides. New plantings are made straight into the mulch. Other requirements of the program include that planted areas have ½ - 1 inch layer of compost between the soil and mulch; plants be installed between September and April and that any installed irrigation be efficient irrigation.
City Hall Lawn Conversion:
The City Hall the lawn conversion will include low, approximately 8 to 24 inches in height, drought tolerant, mostly California native groundcover plants to replace the existing lawn areas. Groundcover plantings will be aesthetically grouped to provide flowering color accented with green and gray foliage for visual interest. Additionally, all ground cover plantings selected for the project will be evergreen low maintenance species ideally suited for Alameda’s climate. Plants will be installed per EBMUD and Bay Friendly Landscape plant spacing principles that include spacing groundcover plants a minimum of 24 inch clearance from concrete sidewalks and feature plant spacing based on the mature size of the plants. This approach to spacing reduces seasonal pruning and trimming debris.
Existing City Hall landscape planter beds are mostly comprised of a single linear row of hedged boxwood and overgrown species of rose foundation plants. These will be redesigned featuring a mixture of drought tolerant Mediterranean climate flowering plants and a minimum of 50% California native plants. Taller background foundation planting will be an average 5 feet tall. Plant varieties will be a mixture of flowering broadleaf shrubs and upright ornamental grasses. Medium height flowering foreground shrub plantings located in front of taller foundation plants will be an average height of 3 feet tall. The lower story foreground planting will also extend underneath existing established trees.
City Hall West Lawn Conversion:
The City Hall West lawn conversion will include low, approximately 3 to 6 inches in height, groundcover between the concrete sidewalk and building foundation planting. The groundcover plantings will be aesthetically grouped to provide large areas of contrasting colors with green and gray foliage for desired visual contrast. The existing landscape includes some ornamental shrubs located immediately adjacent to the building foundation plantings. Additional intermediate height, approximately 5 feet tall, will be planted to fill in gaps and help provide desired habitat for birds. A minimum of 50% of all of the new planting will be drought tolerant California natives. Non-California native plants will be drought tolerant Mediterranean plants selected to thrive in Alamedas climate zone. Planting areas will be designed to include demonstration planting beds installed per EBMUD and Bay-Friendly/Rescape guidelines to educate homeowners to facilitate incorporation of the principles for their residential gardens. Newly renovated planting areas will also include flowering pollinator plants to attract birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects, etc. Attracting birds, butterflies, insects to the site provides a desired sense of connection with nature for City Hall West employees and neighbors walking the neighborhood. The pollinator planting areas will also include groups of Milkweed plants to serve as a food source for the development of new Monarch butterflies. The pollinator garden planting beds will also provide desired educational opportunities for children to experience nature.
All planting areas at both sites will be watered using new state of the art underground drip irrigation system operated by an automated, State of California Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (“WELO”) compliant irrigation controller.
FINDINGS
City Hall - Alameda City Hall was designated by the City Council as a local historic monument in 1976 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The building is recognized for its importance as the center of Alameda’s city government and architectural design (<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858133>). While the building has historically been surrounded by landscaping on three sides, the planting area configuration and types of plantings have changed over time. Staff believes the spatial relationship between the building and the surrounding landscape areas is a character-defining feature of the property and is what requires preservation. However, the exact configuration of planting beds and species of plants are as important from a historical perspective provided similar groundcover areas are maintained. Therefore, the proposed lawn conversion at City Hall does not impact any historically significant features.
City Hall West - City Hall West at Alameda Point is also a City Council-designated historic monument. The site is a contributor to the NAS Alameda Historic District, added to the NHRP in 2012 (<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858288>). As a larger historical site, a Cultural Landscape Report was prepared for NAS Alameda to document the site’s character-defining landscape features as well as provide guidance for maintenance and preservation. The NAS Alameda Cultural Landscape Report is available on line at: <https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/departments/alameda/base-reuse/previous-planning-docs/nas_alameda_cultural_landscape_report.pdf>
The following pages pertain to the subject matter at City Hall West:
PDF page # 471 - 479 (labeled pages 209 - 217) (describes character-defining features)
PDF page # 517 - 519 (labeled pages 250 - 253) (guidelines for maintenance and alterations)
PDF page # 563 - 565 (landscape maps)
Similar to City Hall, the City Hall West building features large planting beds around three sides, with large swaths of turf leading up to hedge plantings immediately around the building walls. This spatial relationship is a character-defining feature of City Hall West, and this landscape design is characteristic of a number of other former administration buildings at the NAS Alameda Administrative Core area. As described earlier in this report, the proposed lawn conversion would replace existing lawn with drought-tolerant material consisting of low-growth groundcovers and shrubs. The proposed site work within the “front yards” include enhancements to existing landscape and hardscape materials that will not change the overall site design. Staff believes the lawn conversion will not negatively impact the overall integrity of City Hall West or the NAS Alameda Historic District because the existing open space and spatial relationship with the building along the street frontage will not be altered.
Pursuant to Alameda Municipal Code 13-21.5 the HAB shall determine whether to issue a Certificate of Approval for alterations of a Historical Monument, with or without conditions of approval, based on whether plans and specifications meet the standards established by the HAB and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines, which provide general direction and guidelines for various preservation situations. The Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation are as follows:
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.
This project consists of the replacement of existing lawn and associated landscaping with drought-tolerant landscaping to reduce water consumption. No new use is proposed.
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 project proposed to replace existing lawn and associated landscaping with drought-tolerant landscaping. While specific plants will be removed and replaced and the configuration of the landscape may be different than existing, the proportions or spatial relationships of these elements are being preserved. Where lawn currently exists as a low-profile groundcover and is a character-defining feature of the historic landscaping, the low-profile appearance will be maintained through the use of similar low-profile plants.
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.
No conjectural features or architectural elements from other historic properties are proposed for this project.
4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
There are no alterations to the any other features that have acquired historic significance over time.
5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
Where lawn currently exists as a low-profile groundcover and is a character-defining feature of the historic landscaping, the low-profile appearance will be maintained through the use of similar low-profile plants. Existing spatial relationships between the building and landscape areas will be preserved.
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.
This project consists of the replacement of existing lawn and associated landscaping with drought-tolerant landscaping to reduce water consumption. Replacement of lawn at City Hall West will follow the landscape guidelines in the Cultural Landscape Report for NAS Alameda Historic District to ensure that the character-defining spatial relationships and appearance features remain intact.
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 are proposed for this project.
8. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
The project will not disturb any archeological resources.
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.
No additions for habitable space are proposed for this project.
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.
No adjacent new construction shall be undertaken as part of this project.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS:
Property owners and residents within 300 feet of the project’s boundaries were notified of the public hearing and given the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal.
CLIMATE IMPACT
The proposed project involves replacing existing landscaping at City Hall and City Hall West which primarily consists of high-water use plants including grass with drought-tolerant native landscaping to significantly reduce water usage during the current drought. Three percent of the nation's energy is used to pump and treat water, so conserving water conserves energy that reduces greenhouse gas pollution. In addition, the frequency, intensity, and duration of drought events is expected to increase with climate change. Implementing measures that lead to permanent water use reductions will build resiliency in the face of climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15304(b) - Minor Alterations to Land, which consists of new gardening or landscaping, including the replacement of existing landscaping with water-efficient landscaping. The proposed actions would replace existing high-water use landscaping with drought-tolerant landscaping to significantly reduce water usage during the current drought.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing and then approve Certificates of Approval PLN21-0468 at 2263 Santa Clara Avenue and PLN21-0469 at 950 W. Mall Square per findings contained in the draft Resolutions.
Respectfully Submitted:
Erin Smith, Public Works Director
Allen Tai, City Planner
Exhibits:
1. Landscaping at City Hall and City Hall West
2. Draft Resolution for PLN21-0468 City Hall
3. Draft Resolution for PLN21-0469 City Hall West