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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04 Tustin Historic Resource SurveysITEM #4 i ~~ ~'~~ ~~ I DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2009 (I'1 t f/ t' - C O t71 ~~~„~SrC~ TO: PLANNING COMMISSION FROM: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: TUSTIN HISTORICAL RESOURCES SURVEYS RECOMMENDATION That the Planning Commission receive and file this report. INTRODUCTION The City of Tustin completed surveys of its historic resources in 1990 and in 2003. With the reassignment of the City's cultural and historic resources responsibilities from the former Historic Resource Committee to the Planning Commission, it is important for the Commission to understand the differences between the two surveys and how they are used in making recommendations and decisions regarding historic resources. BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION 1990 Tustin Historical Survey In 1988 the Tustin City Council authorized the preparation of the City's first comprehensive survey and inventory of historic structures. The purpose of the survey was to identify the City's historic and cultural resources and use the information obtained as a basis for future planning and redevelopment activities. Completed in 1990, the City of Tustin Historical Survey contains information about the City's 270 existing pre-1940 structures. The survey of historic property inventories includes a photograph and description of each significant and contributing historic building in Tustin. The accompanying City of Tustin Historical Resources Survey Report provides: an overview of the 1990 Survey; a summary of the survey methodology and findings; recommendations for future actions; and, a summary of all of the identified historic resources. The Survey Report lists all of the historic resources, including those that are not within the Cultural Resources Overlay District and those that are not considered significant (D-rated). The Survey Report also provides a summary of survey findings by rating and by architectural style. Tustin Historical Resources Surveys February 24, 2009 Page 2 Each pre-1940 structure is identified by the style, the construction date, the source to determine construction date, the degree of alterations, the assigned ratings (A through D) based on architectural style, uniqueness, and historical significance, and whether the property is located within the Cultural Resources District. For example, the Stevens House is an A-rated structure with few alterations, and it is architecturally and historically significant as a superior example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture and was built by City Pioneer Sherman Stevens in 1887. 2003 Tustin Historical Resources Survey An update of the 1990 Historical Survey was completed in 2003. The more recent survey was completed in two parts and was funded by Federal grants from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the California Office of Historic Preservation. As such, the 2003 Survey was prepared in accordance with National Register and California Register criteria for historic surveys. To comply with these strict requirements, some of the descriptive text and locally significant historical information provided in the 1990 Survey were not included in the 2003 Survey. Part I consisted of a reconnaissance level survey which was largely based on the 1990 Survey, a review of City permit records, certificates of appropriateness, and field survey work. Properties were photographed for recordation purposes in Phase I. Based on the information obtained in Part 1, Part II was an intensive-level survey effort that focused on the evaluation of the historic resources. The rating system used in the 2003 Survey utilized National Register of Historic Places status codes and is more complex than the rating system in the 1990 Survey. The most commonly used codes in the 2003 Survey include the following: 3S Appears eligible for separate listing in the National Register 5S1 Not eligible for the National Register, but separately listed or eligible for separate listing under an existing ordinance 5S3 Not eligible for the National Register, but eligible for special consideration in local planning 5D1 Not eligible for the National Register, but contributes to a fully documented district The updated survey identified additional historic resources that reached 45 years of age between 1990 and 2000 and documented changes to existing historic resources, such as room additions and other modifications. Uses and Benefits of the 1990 and 2003 Surveys City planning staff regularly uses the 1990 and 2003 Surveys for the following reasons: Tustin Historical Resources Surveys February 24, 2009 Page 3 • To determine the style, the significance, and the appropriate methods and design to preserve the historic nature of a particular historic structure. • To determine whether a structure has been rated as a significant or contributing resource and whether special design considerations are required when modifications to the structure are proposed. • To determine whether a property is eligible for the Tustin Historic Register, the City's plaque designation program. • To determine whether a property is an historical resource pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act. • To provide property owners and other interested individuals with historical and architectural information regarding a particular historic property. Staff uses the 1990 Survey, in particular, to determine whether an historic property is eligible to participate in the City's Mills Act Program. The Mills Act program is only available to the owners of residential properties located outside redevelopment areas that are rated A, B, or C in the 1990 Tustin Historical Resources Survey. The 1990 Survey contains some locally significant historical information that was not included in the 2003 Survey. It is also more reader friendly because properties did not need to be documented on the type of form required in the 2003 Survey. On the other hand, the 2003 Survey is very useful because it contains information regarding more recent modifications to historic structures and documents approximately 150 additional, and mostly newer, structures that were not included in the 1990 Survey. ~co~ .~~~~..~ Scott Reekstin Senior Planner Enclosures: City of Tustin Historical Survey dated June 1990* City of Tustin Historical Resources Survey Report dated July 1990* City of Tustin Historical Resources Survey dated Oct 2002/Mar 2003* * (Copies of the 1990 and 2003 Surveys have been provided to the Planning Commission. Additional copies are available at the City of Tustin Community Development Department public counter at City Hall. Reference copies will also be available for viewing in the lobby of the City Council chambers during the Planning Commission meeting on February 24, 2009.) S:\Cdd\PCREPORT12009\Tustin Historical Resources Survey Report.doc