TO: ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSION
FROM: BRAD JOHNSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: January 24, 2024
SUBJECT:
Title
ARCHITECTURAL AND SITE PLAN REVIEW #23-A09, REVIEW OF AN ADDITION AND RENOVATION TO A ONE-STORY SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 160 WEST 11TH STREET - APPLICANT: JOSEPH RASICH
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SUMMARY
The Applicant, Joseph Rasich, is requesting approval of a 576 square foot addition to the rear of the home and a renovation that will change a portion of the flat roof to a gable roof. The existing home is a Spanish Revival architectural style and is listed in the Register of Structures of Historic or Architectural Merit in Claremont (Claremont Register). The proposed work will increase the total floor area of the main residence from 1,772 to 2,348 square feet. The exterior styling will remain the same with off-white smooth stucco, red clay tiles, and divided light windows with trim. The existing front façade and a portion of the flat roof will be preserved to maintain its character defining features. The project also includes demolition of an existing 197 square foot, one car carport, and approximately 243 square feet on an existing detached accessory structure currently used as a studio/office/play area. These demolitions cause the net change in lot coverage for all proposed work to be approximately 136 square feet. The remaining 337 square foot accessory structure is proposed to be converted to a detached accessory dwelling unit, which is being reviewed by staff under a separate accessory dwelling unit permit (File #23-ADUP39). Because State law prevents the City from performing subjective design review on accessory dwelling units (ADU’s), comments or direction regarding this portion of this project should not be included in the Commission’s review.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Architectural Commission:
A. Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA, CONDITIONALLY APPROVING ARCHITECTURAL AND SITE PLAN REVIEW #23-A09, REVIEW OF AN ADDITION AND RENOVATION TO A ONE-STORY SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 160 WEST 11TH STREET - APPLICANT: JOSEPH RASICH; and
B. Find this item is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
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ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there are the following alternatives:
A. Continue the item for additional information.
B. Approve the project with additional or revised Conditions of Approval.
C. Express intent to deny the proposal, specifically identifying the review criteria of Section 16.300.060.A of the Municipal Code that cannot be met and continue the item to February 14, 2024, for adoption of a denial resolution as all of the necessary findings cannot be met.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The costs associated with this review have been borne by the Applicant.
ANALYSIS
Background
The subject property is located at 160 West 11th Street, on the north side of street. The property is zoned Historic Claremont 7,500 with a General Plan land use designation of Residential 6. The existing home was built in 1925 in a Spanish Revival architectural style that was a popular style built from 1915 to 1940. The character of the home is that of a small Spanish bungalow, which is typical of mid-block homes in Historic Claremont.
Residential properties located on this block of 11th Street are within the same zone and General Plan land use designation. The surrounding home build year ranges from 1904 to 1955 with a majority built during the middle and late twenties. Architectural styles in the area vary and include Spanish Colonial, Spanish Revival, French Provincial, Monterey Revival, and more.
Project Description
The Applicant, Joseph Rasich, is proposing a 576 square foot addition to the rear of the existing one-story single-family residential unit located at 160 West 11th Street. The project includes both interior and exterior renovations and also entails the removal of an existing fire pit and deck located in the rear yard. The project will result in an increase of living area square footage from 1,772 to 2,348 square feet and a detached accessory dwelling unit in the rear. As previously noted, this additional accessory dwelling unit is part of separate permit (23-ADUP39). The ADU square footage has not been included in this floor area analysis. As noted above, the net change in total floor area on the lot is relatively small (136 square feet).
The existing front façade and a portion of the flat roof will be preserved to maintain its character defining features, which include the articulated parapet wall, projecting gabled roof, arched attic vent, and front porch with clay-tiled shed roof. The portion of the flat roof that will be renovated into a gable roof will begin 12 feet behind the front parapet wall for the purpose of preserving the home’s original character defining features and to mitigate the effects of an increased roof height as seen from the street. The tallest portion of the existing flat roof is 14 feet and the proposed gable roof has a ridge height of 18 feet.
The new gabled roof section offset from the front will introduce a new characteristic to the home that did not exist previously; however, the proposed gabled roof with wrap-around clay shingles to match is consistent with the Spanish Revival architectural style of the existing home. The 5:12 roof pitch will match the pitch of the existing projecting gabled roof on the front façade and will feature red clay tiles to match the existing roof materials. The existing solar panels on the flat roof will be reinstalled on the western portion of the proposed gable roof.
New walls will be finished as a smooth white stucco and new windows will feature black muntins and burgundy trim to match the existing home. The newly created gables will feature red clay tile decorative vents to match the existing vents as seen on the front façade.
With the proposed interior renovations, the residence will have a total of four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a laundry room, family room, living room, dining room, and kitchen. This proposal does not include the removal of any existing trees.
Parking
In 2001, the City of Claremont approved building permits for interior improvements to an existing detached structure, contingent upon the owner’s requirement to construct a 1-car carport that would replace the garage space that formerly existed on the site. Currently, the property has a 1-car carport. However, pursuant to California Government Code 65852.2(a)(1)(D)(xi), when a garage, carport, or covered parking structure is demolished in conjunction with the construction of an accessory dwelling unit, the local agency shall not require that the off-street parking spaces be replaced. For this project, the existing 1-car carport is being demolished in conjunction with a proposed accessory dwelling unit and therefore, the Applicant is not required to provide new off-street parking spaces.
Basis for Recommendation
Staff finds that the proposal satisfies all of the architectural design review criteria listed in CMC Section 16.300.060.A for the reasons stated in the draft approval resolution. While the property was constructed in 1925 and is identified on the Claremont Register, the proposed addition and exterior renovation have been designed to maintain the historic character of the home and not detract from the character of the surrounding neighborhood. By locating the addition to the rear and stepping the taller, gabled portion of the building back from the front façade, the home will continue to convey the appearance of a small Spanish bungalow when viewed from the street. Because the addition is single story and also results in the reduction of the size of an existing detached accessory structure located less than 5 feet from the property line, the addition will provide an improvement to the functionality of the main home without posing privacy concerns for neighbors. As such, staff recommends that the Architectural Commission approve the proposed design.
Issue Areas
The project architect is proposing flush mounted vinyl windows rather than recessed, true divided light windows for the project. The original triple windows located on the right side of the front façade (north elevation) are recessed, wood, true divided lights, which add a higher level of architectural quality and aesthetic to the residence. The Commission should consider if recessed, true divided light windows should be required for the proposed house addition areas.
CEQA REVIEW
The proposal is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Section 15301 - Existing Facilities in that this project entails an addition to an existing structure not resulting in an increase of more than 50 percent of the floor area of the structure before the addition, or 2,500 square feet. While the home is historic, having been built in 1925, and is listed on the Claremont Register, the exception pertaining to historic resources does not apply in this case as the proposed work would not result in a substantial adverse change to the historic nature of the residence. The addition and exterior renovation is designed to match and complement the current architectural features and would not diminish the ability of the structure to continue to convey the existing structure’s historic character. Therefore, no further environmental review is necessary.
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a paper copy, please contact Melissa Sanabria at (909) 399-5499 or via email at msanabria@ci.claremont.ca.us.
Notice of this meeting was mailed to properties adjacent to the subject property on January 11, 2024. A copy of this report has been sent to the Applicant and other interested parties.
Submitted by: Reviewed by:
Brad Johnson Chris Veirs
Community Development Director Principal Planner
Prepared by:
Daniel Kim
Assistant Planner
Attachments:
A - Draft Resolution
B - Reduced Plans