Title
R Street Historic District Ordinance Amendment and R Street Historic District Plan Amendment (M24-007) [Noticed 09/06/2024]
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FileID
File ID: 2024-01566
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Location
Location: R Street Historic District, District 4, Represented by Councilmember Valenzuela
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Hold a public hearing and upon conclusion pass a Motion recommending the city council: 1) determine that the proposed amendments to Ordinances 2019-0051 and 2019-0052, including a boundary revision to R Street Historic District, are exempt from review under CEQA Guidelines sections 15308 (actions taken to protect the environment) and 15061(b)(3) (the common-sense exemption); 2) adopt an Ordinance amending and restating Exhibits 17.A and 17.B of Ordinance 2019-0052, relating to the R Street Historic District, including a boundary revision to the District; and 3) adopt an Ordinance amending and restating the map of the R Street Historic District in figure 293 of Ordinance 2019-0051.
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Contact
Contact: Sean de Courcy, Preservation Director, (916) 808-2796, sdecourcy@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Presenter
Presenter: Sean de Courcy, Preservation Director, (916) 808-2796, sdecourcy@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Background
3-Ordinance Amending and Restating Exhibits 17.A. and 17.B of Ordinance 2019-0052
4-Ordinance Amending and Restating Figure 293 of Ordinance 2019-051
5-Historic Resource Evaluation for 1117-1119 R Street and 1730 12th Street
6-Ordinance 2019-0052: Amended and Restated the R Street Historic District
7-Ordinance 2019-0051: Adopted the R Street Historic District Plan
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue/Detail: On July 30,1985, the city council adopted Ordinance 85-076, which added the R Street Historic District (“District”), to the Sacramento register of historic and cultural resources. On December 10, 2019, the city council adopted Ordinance 2019-0052, which amended the District to include contributing status to parcels within the District boundaries. There were no changes made to the District boundaries. In response to a public inquiry in mid-2024, staff noted the boundaries of the District did not align with historic survey recommendations, notably with the omission of 1117 R Street from the District boundaries and the mis-categorization of 1730 12th Street as a contributing resource. 1200 R St, which contains the character defining features of the District, is also proposed for inclusion within the expanded boundaries of the District.
Revising the District boundaries will also affect figure 293 of the R Street Historic District Plan, which the city council adopted on December 10, 2019, as part of Ordinance 2019-0051. Attachment 4 of this staff report includes a proposed ordinance that would replace figure 293 of the R Street Historic District Plan with the proposed District boundaries shown in Exhibit A of Attachment 4.
The property owners of the affected properties requested the boundaries be amended to accurately reflect the historic evaluations on file for the District. No properties are proposed for removal from the District beyond the conversion of 1730 12th Street to a non-contributing resource. The public will be provided an opportunity to comment on the proposed boundary amendment at upcoming public hearings. Staff has sent separate correspondence to Preservation Sacramento and offered the organization the opportunity to comment on the proposed boundary amendment. No comments on the proposed boundary amendment have been received at the writing of this staff report.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The city council has found “that significant aspects of the city’s rich and diverse historic resources deserve recognition and preservation to foster an understanding of our heritage, and to promote the public health and safety and the economic and general welfare of the people of the city. The preservation and continued use of historic resources are effective tools to sustain and revitalize neighborhoods and business districts within the city, enhance the city’s economic, cultural and aesthetic standing, its identity, its livability, marketability and urban character” (Sacramento City Code, §17.604.100.A.).
Amending the historic district boundaries to reflect the historic evaluations on file reflects best preservation practices and is consistent with Sacramento 2040 General Plan goal HCR 2.1, which provides for the identification and preservation of historical and cultural resources. General Plan policy HCR 2.1.1 states, “The City shall identify historic and cultural resources, including individual properties, districts, and sites, to ensure adequate protection.”
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: The amendments to Ordinance 2019-0052 (Attachment 6), including the proposed boundary revision, fortify the integrity of the District by, among other things, ensuring that only those resources that are historically significant are included within the District’s boundary or are listed contributing resources. As the proposed amendments strengthen the integrity of the District, the proposed amendments are exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15308. Section 15308 exempts from review actions that are undertaken to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment where the regulatory process involves procedures for protection of the environment. Fortifying the boundary of the District ensures that future development of historic resources in the District undergo preservation review as part of the city’s site plan and design review process, thereby preserving the important characteristics of the historic resource. Listing contributing resources within the District in the Sacramento register of historic and cultural resources will ensure that future development on these parcels will undergo preservation review prior to the granting of any entitlements.
The amendments to Ordinance 2019-0052 (Attachment 7) are also exempt from CEQA review under CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3) as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not Applicable.
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Commission/CommitteeAction
Commission/Committee Action: None.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: Staff is requesting the preservation commission make a recommendation to city council revising the boundaries of the R Street Historic District so they accurately reflect historic resource evaluations for the area including eligible contributing resources. This recommendation is consistent with historic preservation best practices and federal guidelines on drawing district boundaries.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise(LBE)
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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