REPORT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 26, 2023
FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
HEARING TO CONSIDER PROPERTY OWNER’S APPLICATION TO DELIST THE NYSTROM HOME (HP#225) LOCATED AT 725/727 N WILSON AVENUE (APN 45218210) FROM THE LOCAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC RESOURCES PURSUANT TO FMC 12-1614.
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Nystrom Home (HP#225) located at 725/727 N Wilson Avenue (APN 45218210) was surveyed in 1996 and found eligible for listing on the local register.
Pursuant to Section 12-1614 of the Fresno Municipal Code, the Historic Preservation Commission may amend or rescind any designation of an Historic Resource… in the same manner and procedure as was followed in the original designation. This action shall result from new information, the discovery of earlier misinformation, or change of original circumstances, conditions or factors which justified the designation.
The property owner has requested the property be delisted.
BACKGROUND
H.P. #225
Nystrom Home (1932)
725 N Wilson Avenue
This home is an excellent example of the Tudor Revival style. The exterior of the home is distinctive in its use of two-tone brick and mixed bonds. Brick Construction is relatively uncommon in Fresno.
In 2022, the Commission heard and approved work to remediate fire damage in the accessory structure to the rear of the main home. Since that time, the property owner has expressed a desire to delist the property and to install vinyl windows on the property.
No justification which identifies new information, the discovery of earlier misinformation, or change of original circumstances, conditions or factors which justified the designation has been provided.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
An environmental analysis has not been prepared for this project.
FRESNO MUNICIPAL CODE FINDINGS
Per Section 12-1617(h) of the Fresno Municipal Code the Commission must make one of the following findings to approve the application. No evidence has been provided to support one of the findings.
No application or proposal shall be approved or approved with modifications unless the Commission makes the following findings:
1) The proposed work is found to be consistent with the purposes of this article and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, not detrimental to the special historical, architectural, or aesthetic interest or value of the Historic Resource; or
2) The action proposed is necessary to correct an unsafe or dangerous condition on the property; or
3) Denial of the application will result in unreasonable economic hardship to the owner. In order to approve the application, the Commission must find facts and circumstances, not of the applicant's own making, which establish that there are no feasible measures that can be taken that will enable the property owner to make a reasonable economic beneficial use of the property or derive a reasonable economic return from the property in its current form; or
4) The site is required for a public use which will directly benefit the public health, safety and welfare and will be of more benefit to the public than the Historic Resource.
5) For applications for relocation of an Historic Resource, the Commission shall find that one or more of the above conditions exist, that relocation will not destroy the historical, architectural, or aesthetic value of the Resource and that the relocation is part of a definitive series of actions which will assure the preservation of the Resource.
CONCLUSION
The Commission must make a finding to support delisting from the Register. Following the action of the Commission, the application will be heard by the City Council for a final determination.
ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit A - Applicant’s Request to Delist HP#225 [06-02-2023]
Exhibit B - DPR Form 523A
Exhibit C - HPC Staff Report Packet ID 22-1497 [09-26-2022]
Exhibit D - Fresno Municipal Code findings
Exhibit E - Secretary of the Interior Standards
Exhibit F - Original HPC Nomination Staff Report [11-18-1996]
Exhibit G - Letter of support for nomination [10-07-1996]
Exhibit H - Resolution 97-10
Exhibit I - Public Comment Letters Received by HPC