TO: ARCHITECTURAL & PRESERVATION COMMISSION
FROM: BRAD JOHNSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: NOVEMBER 13, 2024
SUBJECT:
Title
REGISTER LISTING #24-RL01, REVIEW OF REQUEST TO ADD THE RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 665 WEST TENTH STREET TO THE CLAREMONT HISTORIC REGISTER - APPLICANT - JEFFERY FLORY & NEELA RAJENDRA, PROPERTY OWNERS
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SUMMARY
The applicant is requesting approval to add the existing 2,450 square foot, two story single-family residence, located at 655 West Tenth Street in the RS 8,000 zoning district to the Claremont Historic Register. Cultural Resources shall be designated by the City Council upon the recommendation of the Architectural & Preservation Commission.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the Architectural & Preservation Commission adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE ARCHITECTURAL & PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA RECOMMENDING DENIAL OF REGISTER LISTING #24-RL01, FOR THE EXISTING TWO-STORY RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 665 WEST TENTH STREET. APPLICANTS AND HOMEOWNERS - JEFFREY FLORY AND NEELA RAJENDRA
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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. Express intent to approve the request, specifically identifying the review criteria of Section 16.300.060.A of the Municipal Code that can be met and continue the item to December 11, 2024, for adoption of an approval resolution indicating that one or more of the necessary review criteria can be met.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Costs associated with the review of this application have been borne by the applicant.
ANALYSIS
Background
The Claremont Municipal Code (CMC) calls for all Cultural Resources, including Historic Districts, to be designated by the City Council upon the recommendation of the Architectural & Preservation Commission.
The subject property is located in the RS 8,000 zoning district, a single-family residential district. The intent of the RS 8,000 zoning district is to provide for individual homes on separate lots, with a minimum lot size of 8,000 square feet. The subject property is located on an 8,610-square foot lot on the north side of Tenth Street between North Cambridge Avenue and Oxford Avenue.
The subject site is in the Old Claremont neighborhood, which was developed as the City's first major residential expansion following the development of the Historic Claremont District. Most of the homes were built primarily between the 1920s and early 1950s. Consistent with Claremont's historic grid, the Old Claremont neighborhood is compact and connected to Historic Claremont and The Village. In most of Old Claremont, pedestrian access is provided by narrow sidewalks with landscaped parkways adjacent to the curb. The homes are set back from the street, with garages and accessory buildings typically accessed by alleyways. Lots that are not accessed via rear alley utilize narrow driveways leading to garages located at the rear of the property. Homes in this neighborhood are mostly single-story with approximately one third of the neighborhood being two stories tall.
The existing residence is a 2,450-square-foot two-story home built in 1941 equipped with three bedrooms, two baths, and a detached garage located behind the primary residence. The residence embodies a mix of architectural styles, incorporating mainly colonial and modern style elements. The front façade features a two-story rectangular center hall plan. This rectangular form came about after an addition to the eastern portion of the second story, which was extended seven feet and eight inches in 2000 to meet the eastern wall of the first story. The main façade also features a shallow, Dutch-hipped roof form with very small gables above the hips, three six-over-six divided light double hung windows along the second story, and two metal-roofed bay windows along the first story directly in line with the second-story windows on either side of the paneled front door. There is also a three-over-three window to the east of the first story bay windows that breaks up the otherwise regular symmetry of the fenestration. Located in the front yard of the property are two mature trees, one appears to be an approximately 100-year-old Sycamore tree and the other is a younger Liquid Amber.
Project Description
The applicant is requesting to add the existing 2,450 square foot, two story single-family residence, located at 655 West Tenth Street in the RS 8,000 zoning district to the Claremont Historic Register.
Basis for Recommendation
Staff finds that the proposal does not satisfy one or more of the criteria for designating Cultural Resources listed in CMC Section 16.302.080.A for the reasons stated in the draft denial resolution. The residence is not associated with a person(s), group(s), or event(s) that contributed to history, it is not the work of a master builder or architect, and it does not embody distinctive and exemplary characteristics of an architectural style type, period, or method of construction. The current form of the residence was altered in the year 2000 to achieve the symmetrical rectangular shape of the existing home. The residence does not uniquely represent any specific form of architecture and is generally not exemplary architecture. While the period in which this residence was built was defined by ranch architecture, the existing home is purported to be a unique combination of the classic and modern architectural styles represented as the “Modern Two-Story Classic Style.” However, Planning staff does not agree that this home embodies the distinctive and exemplary characteristics of an architectural style or a notable work of a master builder or architect, nor does it represent a valuable example of materials or craftsmanship. For the reasons stated in the draft denial resolution, staff cannot make findings that one or more of the required finding can be met at this time.
While staff does recognize that the existing residence is generally visually appealing and is well kept, staff maintains the need for distinction between visual appeal and true architectural and historic merit for properties designated to the Claremont Historic Register. As such, staff recommends that the Architectural & Preservation Commission approve the proposed resolution recommending denial of register listing for this property.
CEQA REVIEW
The proposed action, the denial of a request to add an existing 2,450 square foot, two story single-family residence, located at 655 West Tenth Street in the RS 8,000 zoning district to the Claremont Historic Register, is covered under the General Rule Exemption of the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") for projects that can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the action in question may have a significant effect on the environment per CEQA Section 15061 (b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The action will not result in construction activities or other direct physical changes or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical changes nor will it result in the relaxation of standards to allow for environmental degradation. Additionally, any changes to the structure and/or site are subject to review by the City to ensure compliance with the requirements of the municipal code and CEQA. Therefore, no additional review is required at this time.
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
This item has been noticed through the regular agenda notification process. Copies of the submitted application are being held at the Public Counter at City Hall for review.
A notice of this meeting was mailed to owners of properties located within 300 feet of the subject property on October 31, 2024. A copy of this report has been sent to the applicants, Jeffery Flory and Neela Rajendra.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Brad Johnson Jordan Goose
Community Development Director Assistant Planner
Reviewed by:
Christopher Veirs
Principal Planner
Attachments:
A - Draft Resolution
B - Property Owner’s Application