Score: +1 (2/3/1)

Humboldt County Grand Jury • 2013-2014

Saving the Architechtural Jewels of Time

Published: August 06, 2014 8 pages

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⚠️ Aviso de traducción: Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings and Recommendations 11 findings

The Historic and Design Review process could be streamlined if the U.S. Secretary of Interior’s Standards are followed.

Related Recommendations (2)

The City of Arcata should direct staff to use the U.S Secretary of Interior’s Standards for projects that have historic resources, thus streamlining the historic and design review process, saving both City staff and the affected homeowners time and money. (F1, F4, F5,

The City of Arcata needs to become proactive in educating landowners as to the benefits of owning a historic property. (F1, F6, F7, F8)

The Zoning Administrator is empowered to interpret Land Use Code as to whether or not a building is eligible to be a historic resource in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.

Related Recommendations (1)

Documents pertaining to land use policy, codes and ordinances should be approved by the Arcata City Council prior to posting on the City’s website. (F2, F10)

Arcata City staff was inconsistent as to whether the Lord House was historic.

No recommendations for this finding

Confusion exists among Arcata City staff as to the process and protocol in the design review process.

Related Recommendations (2)

The City of Arcata should simplify the design review process and make it less confusing for all applicants. (F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F10)

The City of Arcata should request staff to provide applicants who have potentially eligible historic structures clear and unambiguous requirements for the permit process. (F1, F4, F5,

The City of Arcata, as lead agency, did not go through the review process as outlined in their Land Use Code or California Environmental Quality Act as to whether or not the Lord House was eligible as a historic resource.

Related Recommendations (2)

The City of Arcata should simplify the design review process and make it less confusing for all applicants. (F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F10)

The City of Arcata should request staff to provide applicants who have potentially eligible historic structures clear and unambiguous requirements for the permit process. (F1, F4, F5,

The owners/complainants were unclear as to which codes applied to their project.

Related Recommendations (3)

The City of Arcata should simplify the design review process and make it less confusing for all applicants. (F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F10)

The City of Arcata needs to become proactive in educating landowners as to the benefits of owning a historic property. (F1, F6, F7, F8)

The City of Arcata should request staff to provide applicants who have potentially eligible historic structures clear and unambiguous requirements for the permit process. (F1, F4, F5,

The Arcata City Staff sent out contradictory memos during the design review process for this project, and during interviews of city staff, they gave the jury conflicting and confusing testimony.

Related Recommendations (2)

The City of Arcata should simplify the design review process and make it less confusing for all applicants. (F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F10)

The City of Arcata needs to become proactive in educating landowners as to the benefits of owning a historic property. (F1, F6, F7, F8)

A difference exists between how City Staff and the Historic Landmark Committee interpret Arcata’s Land Use Code with respect to the designation of the Lord House as a significant historic resource.

Related Recommendations (2)

The City of Arcata should simplify the design review process and make it less confusing for all applicants. (F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F10)

The City of Arcata needs to become proactive in educating landowners as to the benefits of owning a historic property. (F1, F6, F7, F8)

The Lord House is listed in Susie Van Kirk’s book, a compilation of notable historic resources compiled by the city in 1979. Furthermore, the Lord House was found eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the highest designation for a historic structure.

Related Recommendations (1)

The City of Arcata needs to continue its inventory of all architectural resources to assist the Historic and Design Review Commission and the Historic Landmarks Committee. (F2, F3,

F10

The Zoning Administrator’s interpretation of the City of Arcata’s Land Use Code is posted on the City of Arcata’s website without approval of the Arcata City Council.

Related Recommendations (2)

The City of Arcata should simplify the design review process and make it less confusing for all applicants. (F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F10)

Documents pertaining to land use policy, codes and ordinances should be approved by the Arcata City Council prior to posting on the City’s website. (F2, F10)

F11

The appeals process cost of approximately $2,000 may be prohibitive to many landowners.

Related Recommendations (1)

The appeals process should be less monetarily prohibitive. (F11)

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

Saving Architectural Jewels - Response - City of Arcata

October 02, 2014 • 7 pages • 6 responses • Score: +1 (+2, 3, -1) View Details ▾

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6 responses to findings and recommendations

There are very few public services available for young children in crisis who are not connected with a social welfare system. Children connected to a social service system may have more resources available.

Response: Disagree Score: -1

the Lord House was eligible as a historic resource. The City disagrees with this finding based on the City's responses to Findings F-1 through F-4 above, as well as the conclusion of the Grand Jury in the Summary section on page 1 of their report: "We disagree with the complainant that the City of Arcata Department of Community Development did not follow their own municipal code, but we do agree, because of contradicting staff reports, the process was confusing.

Crisis Intervention Training should be mandatory for all law enforcement officers. The Citizen Enforcement Liaison Committee and the Department of Health and Human Services have offered to pay for such training. (F3)

Response: Implemented

Score: 0

. projects that have historic resources, thus streamlining the historic and design review process, saving both City staff and the affected homeowners time and money. (F1, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F10) The City has implemented the recommendation. Utilizing the Secretary of Interior Standards is a valuable tool for streamlining the historic review process and the City intends to encourage applicants to design their historic restoration projects in compliance with the standards. If a project is a designated historic resource, follows Secretary of Interior Standards, and has no other potentially signi...

At present there is no alternative to police being the first respondents to young children in crisis who do not have a social worker. Children who are connected to the social service system may have a wider choice of first responders.

Response: Agree Score: +1

a building is eligible to be a historic resource in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. The City agrees with the finding. Arcata City staff was inconsistent as to whether the Lord House was historic.

The curriculum of Crisis Intervention Training should include responses to children younger than 16 in a life-threatening situation. (F3)

Response: Implemented

Score: 0

. the Historic and Design Review Commission and the Historic Landmarks Committee. (F2, F3, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9) The recommendation has been implemented. The City Council has directed that Staff complete an inventory of the Bayview Conservation Area. City Staff have completed their review and provided a recommendation to the HLC on all 280 structures in the Bayview Conservation Area. Staff provided its recommendation to the City's HDRC and recommended that the HDRC refer the item down to the City's HLC and request that the issue be returned with a recommendation. The Committee has taken Staff r...

Some police officers take Crisis Intervention Training on a voluntary basis, but with the exception of one law enforcement agency, this training is not mandatory for all.

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

The City partially disagrees with the finding. The Lord House is not a designated Historic Landmark because the property is not listed as a National, State or Local historic resource. This point was consistently stated in the September 26, October 10, and November 14, 2012, and July 18, 2013 Staff Reports to the City's Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC). As the Design Review permit approvals are discretionary, CEQA applies. The HDRC as the decision making authority determines if a proposed project has the potential to impact a historic resource under CEQA. Staff's role is to make a r...

Professionals of Child Welfare Services (CWS) should be called as first responders in addition to police when children are in crisis, whether or not such children are already CWS clients. (F1, F2)

Response: Will Implement

Score: +1

. confusing for all applicants. (F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F10) The City will implement the recommendation. On August 20, 2014, the Council and HDRC held a study session and at the conclusion Staff was directed to work with the HDRC to draft amendments to the Land Use Code that clarify which projects require a Design Review permit and which projects do not. Staff was also directed to develop more graphic-oriented design standards instead of the traditionally descriptive design standards in an effort to provide more visual clarity of what the City's design objectives are for projects. These amendmen...