AgdaPkt 2015-09-28 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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The block on which the Project site is located contains two resources to be preserved: 611 Middlefield Road and 620 Jefferson Avenue. The block also contains one resource that may be altered, relocated or removed: 605 Middlefield Road. The Project site is directly adjacent to 611 Middlefield and 620 Jefferson, and is across the intersection from the historic courthouse (also identified as a “Resource to be Preserved”.) The Project site itself does not contain any historic resources. Appellants contend that this constitutes a cluster of historic resources which the Project will negatively impact (including with respect to renovations at 620 Jefferson Avenue, for which the City had been supportive), and therefore that the Project is inconsistent with the DTPP’s historic resource preservation regulations. The regulations and evidence are to the contrary. In crafting the DTPP, the City identified areas with strong clusters of historic resources where adjacent, non-historic sites would be subject to development restrictions in order to “minimize visual impacts on historic buildings as much as possible and to preserve the historic urban feel of the area within a framework of new development.” (DTPP, p. 156.) Examples of such areas where clusters of historic resources are located include Broadway and Main Street. In those areas, non-historic properties near historic properties are subject to further development restrictions. Relative to those areas, the North of Marshall District has few historic resources. As noted above, the entire city block on which the Project site is located contains two historic resources to be preserved, one which may be altered, relocated or removed, and seven parcels which do not contain any historic resources. Further, this city block is not identified in the DTPP as part of an existing historic district, nor is it adjacent to an existing historic district. Analysis of the Historic Resources regulations further demonstrates that the Project does not conflict with any historic resource standards or guidelines. As with all other sections of Book 2, the Historic Resources regulations are compiled into mandatory standards and recommended guidelines. Each identified historic resource in the Plan area has its own standards and guidelines that regulate modifications, if any, that can be made to that individual resource. As an example, the standards for the historic courthouse mandate that “any addition must be located completely behind the historic 1910 structure” and “no addition may exceed the height of the Broadway façade’s cornice.” (DTPP, p. 34.) As to the historic resource at 620 Jefferson Avenue, the DTPP lists four standards, including that “no additional structure on this property may exceed the height of the historic structure by more than 1 story.” (DTPP, p. 38.) 7.A. - Page 9