January 28, 2019
FROM: DANIEL ZACK, AICP
Assistant Director
Development and Resource Management Department
BY: LAURA VAN ONNA
Historic Preservation Specialist
Development and Resource Management Department
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER AND MAKE FINDINGS ON APPLICATION P18-02192 BY THE PROPERTY OWNER FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION WITHIN THE WAREHOUSE ROW BUILDINGS’ SITE (NR; CR; HP #003) LOCATED AT 700 P STREET PURSUANT TO FMC 12-1606(a)(2) AND 12-1617.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Commission approve the Application P18-02192 by the property owner for new construction within the Warehouse Row Buildings’ site (NR; CR; HP #003) located at 700 P Street pursuant to FMC 12-1606(a)(2) and 12-1617 with the following conditions:
1) Staff will be allowed to photograph before, during and upon completion of the project; and
2) Any changes to the approved project will be submitted to the Historic Preservation Specialist prior to the commencement of any related work.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The owner of the vacant parcel adjacent to the extant built fabric of the Warehouse Row Buildings, and within the boundaries of the historically designated site, has requested that his Application P18-02192 to construct a new office building be considered for Historic Review. Because this project proposal is a substantial alteration, it requires review by the Historic Preservation Commission. Primary concern for Staff is the compatibility of the proposed new construction with the historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property as well as its effect on the essential form and integrity of the historic property. Pursuant to FMC 12-1606(a)(2) and 12-1617, Staff requests that the Commission consider and make findings on Application P18-02192.
BACKGROUND
The owner of the vacant parcel adjacent to the extant built fabric of the Warehouse Row Buildings, and within the boundaries of the historically designated site, has requested that his Application P18-02192 to construct a new office building be considered for Historic Review. This request entails exterior alterations visible from the public right-of-way which could potentially affect the significance of a historic resource. Because this project proposal is a substantial alteration, it requires review by the Historic Preservation Commission.
The new construction plans entail a detached three-story office building on the south end of the block consisting of the Warehouse Row Buildings’ site, bounded by Inyo Street to the north, Santa Fe Avenue to the east, Mono Street to the south, and P Street to the west. This subject site is currently vacant; it is the former site of the brick portions of the Fresno Consumers Ice Company Building - which were declared a public safety hazard and demolished in 2008. The proposed new building would consist of a mix of cladding materials including curtainwall glazing, stucco, and metal paneling. These plans are being proposed by the applicant for the benefit of future tenants that require general office space with emphasis on government use and in order to contribute to the plaza along P Street.
Upon initial review of Application P18-02192 for the Warehouse Row Buildings’ site, Staff finds that the new construction as proposed does comply with the Purpose and Façade Design Development Standards as put forth in the Development Code under Chapter 15, Article 15 for Downtown Districts. In reference to the Historic Preservation Ordinance and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, Staff finds that the compatibility of the proposed new construction with the historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property as well as its effect on the essential form and integrity of the historic property are the primary concerns.
The project as proposed would be in accordance with standards 9 and 10 of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation - which specifically refer to new additions and adjacent or related new construction:
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
Furthermore, the proposed new construction appears to be consistent with existing in-fill construction among the Warehouse Row Buildings, brought before the Commission for review in 2009. Therefore, Staff recommends approval with conditions.
The Warehouse Row Buildings (1903, 1910, 1909) located at 702, 744, and 764 P Street consist of three commercial and office buildings, constructed of brick and originally used for industrial purposes. This group of buildings includes the Fresno Consumers Ice Company Building, the Western Meat Company Building (also referred to as the Swift Company Meat Packing Plant), and the Wormser Furniture Warehouse Building.
The Resolution designating the Warehouse Row Buildings to the Local Register of Historic Resources was adopted by Fresno City Council on September 18, 1979. The property is greater than 50 years of age and possesses integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association (FMC 12-1607). Additionally, they are significant because they represent some of the earliest commercial structures still standing in Fresno and reflect the growth spurred on by the building of the Santa Fe Railway and the emergence of Fresno as an important agricultural center.
The Warehouse Row Buildings were also designated to the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources on May 24, 1978.
Duties and Powers of the Commission:
The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance is located at Chapter 12, Article 16 of the Fresno Municipal Code.
Section 1606 outlines the duties and powers of the Commission. Section 1606(a)(2) specifically refers to the duties entailing review of alterations to historic resources:
(a)(2) The regulation of exterior alterations visible from a public right-of-way including demolition, relocation and new construction, and interior alterations which would affect the significance of Historic Resources or Historic Districts.
Section 1617 outlines the Historic Resource Permit Review Process.
Historic Review Application Submittal Check List
The Submittal Check List for the Historic Review Application includes the following:
¨ Current photographs
o At least one overall view of the property
o A detailed view of each historic feature that involves the proposed work
¨ Construction Documents
o An existing site plan (and a proposed site plan if different from existing), drawn to scale, which clearly indicates all structures located on the parcel; and, the parcel’s North, South, East, and West property lines
o Detailed drawings, visuals, and descriptions for the proposed work
Attachments
Exhibit A: State of California Survey Forms for the Warehouse Row Buildings 702, 744, and 764 P Street Prepared July 15, 1977 by Jack Weyant of Warehouse Row Development Co.
Exhibit B: National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form for Warehouse Row 722, 744, and 764 P Street Prepared June 1, 1977 by Jack Weyant of Warehouse Row Development Co.
Exhibit C: Historic Review Application Submittal (P18-02192) from the owner of 700 P Street within the Warehouse Row Buildings’ site (NR; CR; HP #003) located at 700 P Street, January 2019.