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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03 Historic Plaque Naming CriteriaITEM #3 TUSTIN Inter-Com .a' ` ~' ,,,>; =,:~ DATE: JULY 28, 2009 ~„~„u~ BUILDING OUR FUTURE HONORING OUR PAST TO: PLANNING COMMISSION FROM: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: TUSTIN HISTORIC REGISTER PLAQUE PROGRAM CRITERIA RECOMMENDATION That the Planning Commission establish criteria for the historical property names placed on plaques obtained through the City's Historic Register Plaque Program. BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION The Tustin City Council approved the implementation of the Tustin Historic Register Plaque Program and established program criteria on March 20, 2000. The program criteria require that the plaque display the construction date, the words "Tustin Historic Register," and approved supplemental text. However, no specific criteria were established for the supplemental text. To date, 44 plaques have been approved and ordered through the program. Pursuant to the procedure approved by the Tustin City Council on November 6, 2007, the Tustin Preservation Conservancy and the Tustin Area Historical Society are given thirty (30) days to collaborate and/or review the nomination, research the history of the property, and note the most appropriate historical property name and date of construction. For residences, the historical property name has recognized the most prominent occupant or the builder. For commercial and institutional buildings, the historical property name has recognized the most prominent business, organization, or church that has occupied the building. The determination of the most prominent resident or occupant is sometimes unquestionable. However, when more than one prominent individual, family, business, or organization have occupied a building during its history, it may be appropriate to use more than one name on the plaque. In some cases, the property owner may have a strong preference for a certain name or building description. Currently, the Planning Commission has the discretion to determine the name for the building and whether the owner's preference should be considered. At the June 9, 2009, Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner Thompson requested that the Commission consider establishing specific criteria for the historical property names placed on the plaques. The following criteria for the historical property names placed on the Tustin Historic Register plaques have been developed for Planning Commission consideration: • In addition to the construction date and the words "Tustin Historic Register," the plaque shall display supplemental text that identifies the building, as determined by the Planning Commission according to established criteria. For residences, the supplemental text shall consist of the surname of the most prominent owner or occupant of the residence, as determined by the Planning Tustin Historic Register Criteria July 28, 2009 Page 2 Commission. The individual's first name shall be used when necessary to distinguish the residence from another residence in Old Town Tustin or when the surname could be associated with more than one prominent Tustin resident. The name shall precede the word "House" unless another building description such as "Mansion," "Villa," "Estate," or "Manor" is determined by the Planning Commission to better describe the property, based on historical records and/or the architecture and style of the residence. • For commercial and institutional buildings, the supplemental text shall consist of the most prominent business, organization, or church that occupied and/or occupies the building. The Planning Commission may consider descriptive names such as "First Doctor's Office in Tustin," rather than the actual name of the business. • When no prominent owner or occupant can be identified, the supplemental text shall consist of the name of the builder, the original owner of the property, or the owner/occupant with the longest tenure in the building. If no historical ownership or occupancy information is publicly available, the name of the current owner or occupant may be used. • When more than one prominent owner or occupant has been identified, the supplemental text may include one name or multiple names, at the discretion of the Planning Commission. • The name of a current prominent owner or occupant of a residence may be used individually or in addition to the name of a past prominent owner or occupant, the builder, etc. if the Planning Commission determines that the building is strongly associated with the current owner or occupant, and the current owner or occupant has made a significant contribution to Tustin history and/or to the preservation of the structure. • The Tustin Historical Surveys and input from the Tustin Preservation Conservancy and Tustin Area Historical Society shall serve as the primary sources of historical information used in determining the most appropriate historical property name(s). • The owner may request an alternate name for the building by providing the Commission with reasons for the alternate name. In this case, the Planning Commission may deviate from the above criteria. ~~ k'~~~ Scott Reekstin Senior Planner S:\Cdd\PCREPORT12009\Plaque Criteria 2009.doc