Sacramento Preservation Commission Meeting - November 16, 2022
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Sacramento Preservation Commission Meeting - November 16, 2022
The Sacramento Preservation Commission met virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 5:30 p.m., with Chair Alice Valania presiding. The meeting lasted approximately one hour, adjourning at 6:30 p.m. All seven commissioners were present (Commissioner William Carter joined late at 5:37 p.m. and was absent for the consent calendar vote). The commission took action on a consent calendar item and a public hearing, and received a presentation for review and comment on the African American Experience History Project draft historic context.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of September 21, 2022 Meeting Minutes (File ID: 2022-01748): The commission voted unanimously (6-0, with Commissioner Carter absent) to approve the minutes as presented.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public requested to speak on the consent calendar, the public hearing item, the discussion calendar item, or on matters not on the agenda.
Discussion Items
- Ordinance Listing Zoo Entrance Structures (3930 West Land Park Drive) as a Landmark (Item 2): Staff presented a request to recommend that the City Council designate the zoo entrance structures—a significant example of 1961 mid-century modern Googie architecture with hyperbolic paraboloid roofs designed by the firm Rickey and Brooks—as a landmark on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources. The nomination criteria include architectural significance (Criterion 3) and association with a prominent Sacramento architectural firm (Criterion 4). Commissioners discussed the potential impact of the zoo's planned relocation to Elk Grove, noting that the landmarking only applies to the entrance structures (not the entire zoo) and that the structures' historic significance is tied to their architecture, not the zoo itself. Staff clarified that the designation would trigger CEQA review for any future demolition or major alterations. A motion to approve staff's recommendation passed unanimously (7-0).
- Review and Comment: African American Experience History Project Draft Historic Context (Item 3): Preservation Planner Carson Anderson presented an update on the project, which is at its midpoint. The draft historic context statement has been released for public comment and covers themes such as migration/settlement, African American business, religion/spirituality, civil rights/education, and arts/culture/recreation. Community engagement has included four public meetings (30–40 attendees each), oral histories conducted by Sacramento State students, and a stipend program to compensate community contributors (amounting to a 20% match of a National Trust grant). Commissioners praised the effort and offered suggestions: refine the notation of extant vs. demolished properties, improve maps to show resource status, and ensure the document serves as a foundation for future multimedia/interpretive products. Staff noted that a property survey will begin in early 2023, and a second draft is due in late March/early April 2023. Commissioners were encouraged to submit additional comments by the December 15, 2022 deadline.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved (6-0).
- Landmark Recommendation (Item 2): The commission voted unanimously (7-0) to recommend that the City Council adopt a motion finding the listing exempt from CEQA (Class 8 exemption) and pass an ordinance designating the zoo entrance structures (3930 West Land Park Drive) as a landmark on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources. Staff will research the structural engineer team and include additional information in the report to the City Council.
- African American Experience History Project (Item 3): The commission reviewed and commented on the draft historic context statement. No formal vote was taken. Public comment period remains open until December 15, 2022; a second community meeting on the draft is scheduled for December 6, 2022.
Meeting Transcript
Chair staff is ready when you are. Thank you, please. Okay. I'm sorry, Chair. We are currently live and ready to go. Thank you. Good evening and welcome to the Wednesday, November 16th, 2022 Preservation Commission meeting. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the roll? Yes, thank you, Chair. Commissioners, please unmute and turn on your video. Commissioner Carter. I do see Commissioner Carter's on the call. I will come back to him. Commissioner Herrick. Here. Thank you. Commissioner Montemeyer. Thank you. Commissioner Root. Thank you. Commissioner Slavkin. Here. Thank you. Vice Chair Miller. Here. Thank you. Chair Velonia? Here. Thank you. And I will go back to Commissioner Carter. And he is currently absent. Thank you. We have a quorum. Thank you. This meeting continues to be virtual via Zoom for members of the public who would like to join. Please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. Once you've joined, and if you'd like to provide public comment, please use the raise your hand function. And the staff will call on you during public comment. The directions for mobile app as well as telephone are also on the agenda. You will have two minutes to speak once you are called on. And we will now proceed with today's agenda. And it does look like Commissioner Carter maybe is having technical difficulties. Okay. So with that, please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's Indigenous People and Tribal Lands led by Commissioner Herrick. Thank you, Chair. To the regional people of this land, the Nissanon people, the Southern Maidu, Bali and Plains, Miwok, Putwin Wintoon peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized trap. May we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather to gather together today in the act of practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's Indigenous People's History Contributions and Lives. Thank you. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.
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