Title:
Title
(Pass for Publication) Ordinance Listing 5441 Pleasant Drive (Nathaniel Colley Residence) as a Landmark on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources (M20-003)
End
FileID
File ID: 2020-01558
Location
Location: 5441 Pleasant Drive (016-0292-002-0000); District 4
Recommendation:
Recommendation
1) Review an ordinance listing 5441 Pleasant Drive (Nathaniel Colley Residence) as a landmark on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources; and 2) pass for publication the ordinance title per Sacramento City Code section 32(c) for consideration on February 16, 2021.
FileName
Contact: Carson Anderson, Preservation Director, (916) 808-8259, Community Development Department
Body
Presenter: None.
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Proposed Ordinance
3-Historic Resource Evaluation
4-Public Comments
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: City Staff prepared property-specific background research and a historic resource evaluation form (Attachment 3) for 5441 Pleasant Drive, also known as the “Nathaniel Colley Residence.” After review of the background research, staff presented a Statement of Nomination to the Preservation Director who concluded at a public hearing on December 10, 2021 that the property is eligible for listing in the Sacramento register pursuant to the criteria provided in Sacramento City Code section 17.604.210.A.1.a.ii for its association with the lives of persons significant in the city’s past, an action which initiated landmark nomination proceedings.
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 and its livability, marketability and urban character.” (Sacramento City Code section 17.604.100.A.)
To this end, City Code directs the Preservation Director, to “make preliminary determinations relative to properties’ eligibility for listing on the Sacramento [R]egister” and to “initiate proceedings to nominate resources for listing on the Sacramento register” (Pursuant to City Code sections 17.604.100.C.2 and 17.604.220.).
The nomination of 5441 Pleasant Drive for listing as a historic landmark on the Sacramento register is consistent with Sacramento 2035 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.”
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
Environmental Considerations: The listing of 5441 Pleasant Drive as a historic landmark on the Sacramento register is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15308. Section 15308 exempts from review acts 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. Listing the property as a historic landmark would ensure that future development on the site would undergo preservation review, as part of the city’s site plan and design review process, prior to the granting of any entitlements, thereby protecting the historic resource, which would be considered part of the environment.
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: On December 10, 2020 the City of Sacramento’s Preservation Director, in conformance with Section 17.604.220 of the City Code, held a public hearing, reviewed the historic analysis prepared by staff (Attachment 3) and concurred with a draft statement of nomination and directed staff to prepare a draft Ordinance (Attachment 2) for review and consideration by the Preservation Commission. On January 20, 2021 the Preservation Commission held a hearing and passed a motion recommending the City Council adopt an ordinance (Attachment 2) listing 5441 Pleasant Drive in the Sacramento Register.
Rationale for Recommendation: Listing of 5441 Pleasant Drive (Figure 1) as a landmark on the Sacramento Register is consistent with the Historic Preservation Chapter (17.604) of the City Code and the goals of the 2035 General Plan. Listing the nominated resource on the Sacramento register will help ensure its preservation and encourage rehabilitation consistent with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The building is associated with the lives of persons significant in the city’s past (17.604.210.A.1.a.ii) for its association with Nathaniel Colley, the first African American attorney in private practice in Sacramento who fought tirelessly to end segregation in housing, education, politics, and the workplace for African Americans and all people of color. Colley commissioned 5441 Pleasant Drive during Colley’s influential legal career, which overlapped with the period he and his family resided at this address.
Figure 1: Nathaniel Colley Residence at 5441 Pleasant Drive
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.