Good evening and welcome to the Wednesday, May 20th, 2026 meeting of the Preservation Commission.

The meeting is now called to order.

Will the clerk please call the role to establish a quorum?

Yes, thank you, Chair.

Commissioners, if you can please unmute your microphones.

Vice Chair Merker is absent.

Commissioner Rika?

Here.

Commissioner Nicholas?

Here.

Commissioner Cross?

Here.

Commissioner McSlovkin is absent, and Chair Ombacher.

Here.

Thank you.

We have a quorum.

Thank you.

I would like to remind members of the public and chambers that if you would like to speak on an agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip before the item begins.

After the item is called, we will no longer accept speaker slips, and you will have two minutes to speak once you are called on.

And before proceeding with today's agenda, we have one change that we need to make.

I'm sorry, that was it.

Oh excuse me, item two.

Item three is being continued, not item two.

Oh, sorry.

Item two is being, item three is being continued, which is 3137 33rd Street.

So we'll now proceed to the agenda, beginning with the land acknowledgement of the pledge of allegiance.

Please, if you're able, please rise.

To the original people of this land, the Nissanane people, the Southern Maidu Valley, and Plains Mewak, Patwin Winton peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe.

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 together today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples' history contributions and lives.

Thank you.

Please stay stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Um the next item is the approval of the consent calendar.

Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak on the consent calendar?

Thank you, Chair.

We do not have any speakers for the consent.

Thank you.

Are there any members of the commission who wish to speak on this item?

Okay.

Is there a motion and a second for the consent calendar?

So moved.

Do I have a second?

Yes, a second.

Um clerk, will you please call the vote?

So we have a motion by Commissioner Nicholas and a second by Commissioner Cross.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed or abstain?

The motion passes.

Thank you.

Um our next item is item two, the ordinance listing 1957, 13th Avenue is a landmark on the Sacramento Register.

Um, is there a staff presentation?

Okay.

There's no males.

There's no males.

Sorry.

Oh, there we go.

Okay.

Good evening, Commissioners.

Uh, my name is Hazel Bess, Preservation Intern for the City of Sacramento, and I will be presenting the landmark nomination for 1957 13th Avenue under file M26-10.

In 2025, the property owner of 1957 13th Avenue retained the services of the historic environment consultants who prepared the historic evaluation for this property, which concludes that the property of 1957 13th Avenue appears eligible for listing on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources under criteria one and three, pursuant to Sacramento City Code Section 17.604.210.

One uh for its association with the early development.

Oh, excuse me.

Um, 13th Avenue is a well-preserved embodiment of tutor revival architecture.

The property features prominent front-facing gables, steeply pitched roofs, cloud and multi-tone terracotta tile, stucco cladding, and narrow multi-light casement windows.

The main entry is an arched paneled wood door centered below the smaller of the two front-facing gables and set in a shallow tutor arch recession.

It is a large chimney capped with two pots and an asymmetrical plan, all of which are characteristic of the Tudor Revival style.

Few alterations have been made to the exterior since initial construction beyond the covering or removal of the decorative half timbering on the eastern gable end, and the house retains a high degree of historic integrity.

The preservation director held a hearing on May 14th, approving the set the statement of nomination.

Staff recommends the preservation commission make a recommendation to the city council to pass a motion that determining the listing of 1957 13th Avenue as a landmark under the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act, pursuant to CEQA guidelines section 15308 and adopts an ordinance listing 1957 13th Avenue as a landmark on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources.

A notice of the property of the public hearing describing the proposed landmark listing was sent to the property owner at 1957 13th Avenue.

The property owner supports listing.

Thank you.

I will now accept any questions.

Thank you.

Um Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak on this item?

Thank you, Chair.

We do not have any speakers for this item.

Are there any commissioners who wish to speak on this item?

I have just a question.

Um being new to the commission, who initiates the uh nominations on uh these private properties.

In this case in this case, it was the property owner.

Okay, thank you.

I have one um one question.

Is when looking at the ordinance um that's in the staff report, it doesn't.

I maybe I've missed it, but it doesn't list criterion one, it just lists criterion three.

So, is but we are it is eligible under two under one and three, is that correct?

Uh no, actually, we've made a uh later decision and we decided it's not eligible under one, only three.

Okay.

Um, I would also suggest then that we also update the DPR form to reflect that because the form still says that it's eligible under criterion one.

And I thought the DPR form was really good because it was nice to see an architectural context in there, and it was also very easy to read.

Um, so that was very much appreciated.

Okay, thank you.

Does anyone else have any comments?

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, is there a motion and a second on this item?

Yes, I'll make a motion.

I'll second.

Sir, can you please call the vote?

Yes, so we have a motion by Commissioner Cross and a second by Commissioner Ruka.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed or stay?

Sorry, I forgot to say aye.

Yes.

Yes.

Thank you.

The motion passes.

And Chair, before we move on, um, I do believe that the interpreter um and Jill is still online.

So I just want to be clear that um we will not be hearing the item that um we're using the services for.

So we will um no need to continue.

Not sure if she can hear me, so I just wanted to state that so she's not wasting her time.

Me, the interpreter is dismissed.

Yes.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you for your time.

Thanks.

So item three has been continued, so we're going to move on to item four, which is the ordinance listing 1445 45th street.

Do we have a staff presentation for this one?

Okay, good evening, commissioners.

My name is Hannah Tobby, preservation intern for the city of Sacramento, and I will be presenting the landmark nomination for 1445 45th Street, also known as the Weaver House under file M26009.

So the owner of the Weaver House retained the services of historic environment consultants who prepared the historic evaluation for this property, which was reviewed and revised by city staff.

The historic evaluation attached to your staff report concludes that the property at 1445 45th Street in East Sacramento appears eligible for listing on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources under Criterion 3, pursuant to Sacramento City Code Section 17604210 as representative of 20th century colonial revival style of architecture.

The Weaver House was constructed within Wright and Kimbrough tract number 24, initially surveyed in 1913, just after the area's official annexation into Sacramento.

Tract 24's wide lots and streetcar access attracted many prominent Sacramento residents, resulting in a lavish and cohesive expression of the most popular architectural styles of the first half of the 20th century.

1445 45th Street captures a popular architectural style, the colonial revival style reflected in its brick cladding, accentuated entryway, decorative bracketing, corner corbling, and wood clad gables.

Its high style and grandeur contributed to East Sacramento's identity as the architecturally cohesive neighborhood that came to be called the FAB 40s.

No notable alterations have been made to the exterior since the period of significance, which is 1941 through 1958.

The preservation director held a hearing on May 14th and approved the nomination.

Staff is recommending that the Preservation Commission recommend the City Council determine that listing 1445 45th Street as a landmark on the Sacramento Register of Historical and Cultural Resources is exempt from CEQA review under Section 15308 of the CEQA guidelines and adopt an ordinance formally designating the property as a landmark.

Notice of public hearing was provided to the property owner who supports the designation.

That concludes my presentation, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Um, do there any members of the public who wish to speak on this item?

Thank you, Chair.

We do not have any speakers for this item.

Thank you.

Are there any commissioners who wish to speak on this?

Okay.

I just have one question again, clarifying.

So it we're just looking at criterion three.

Correct.

Okay.

Same situation.

That's what I think.

That's what I figured, so okay.

I just wanted to clarify.

Um is there a motion and a second?

Uh so moved.

Second.

Or can we have the vote, please?

Yes, so we have a motion by Commissioner Nicholas and a second by Commissioner Cross.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposers same?

The motion passes.

Thank you.

Okay, the next item is um item five, the old Sacramento National Register update.

Is there a staff presentation?

Beat me to it.

Good evening, Commissioners.

My name is Henry Fuse, Preservation Planner for the City of Sacramento, and I'll be presenting the old Sacramento National Register nomination update draft for review and comment under file M26012.

In early 2025, the City of Sacramento Preservation Office, in partnership with the city's Department of Convention and Cultural Services History Division, began an effort to update the old Sacramento Historic District's National Register of Historic Places listing to include a more inclusive history of the district.

The project is funded through a National Park Service under the represented communities grant and ARPA funding.

Old Sacramento designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places when it was established in 1966, has a nomination that does not follow modern preservation practices.

Following competitive bidding process, Page and Turnbull was awarded the contract to produce the national registered listing update.

The existing uh nomination does not clearly define contributing and non-contributing resources, character-defining features of the district, boundaries, the period of the significance, or the historic context of the district.

Additionally, this historic narrative overlooks the rich and diverse history of the area.

Prior to colonial settlement, the land that encompasses old Sacramento was home to seven native communities whose contributions and experiences remain largely underrecognized in the district.

The Gold Rush era drew a multicultural array of people from around the globe, including Chinese immigrants, African Americans, Hispanics, and people from various other European and Pacific regions.

Finally, despite the presence and impact of women through the district's history, their impact in the district is not appropriately celebrated in public history displays or the national register listing.

The proposed project aims to document and highlight these contributions by creating a more comprehensive and inclusive historical narrative through an updated national register nomination.

Staff is recommending the preservation commission review and comment on the first administrative draft of the old Sacramento National Register Historic Places listing update prior to the finalization of the document.

There will be an additional public comment period prior to the submission of the nomination to the State Office of Historic Preservation.

This concludes my presentation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We do not have any speakers for this item.

Are there any commissioners who would like to speak on this item?

Commissioner Cross.

Is this an appropriate place to make comments about the draft or would we okay?

I do understand that the Army Corps of Engineers will be redoing our levies, and as they have done out of necessity, they remove the trees.

So in other parts of Sacramento, there have been public outcry about the removal of this valuable riparian zone, and as a result, they have agreed to replant the native trees.

So since this is kind of our moment to get what is important in Old SAC into the public record, I believe that whenever we look at an image of Old Sac from the Gold Rush on to today, the cottonwood trees along the river are a very important and defining feature that place old SAC visually in its historic place.

And I would I would love to see that for future generations.

If possible, just a sentence that this monument didn't just appear out of nowhere, that it was raised, the money was raised, you know, tiny bit of change at a time by thousands and thousands of SP workers and created just a few blocks away from old Sacramento in the foundry.

And that concludes my comments.

Thank you.

Comments?

Henry, did you want to answer say something?

No, I'm just saying thank you for your comments.

Um I'm just gonna comment.

I thought the nomination was really well written, and I'm so glad that the city's tackling this because those older nominations are a nightmare to deal with to try to figure out contributors, non-contributors, boundaries, all of that.

Um, and this one, you know, is a little bit quite challenging too because you have moved buildings in there and you have buildings that were reconstructed before the Secretary of the Interior standards were you know used for such things.

So I I thought that was a very um, I don't want to say creative, but I thought I thought Page Toronto did a nice job at how of handling that that piece of it.

So that's all I have.

Anyone else?

Okay, thank you.

The next item is the director's report.

I don't know if Sean provided you with anything or if Henry's gonna do that.

And we will be giving the director's report this evening.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh, thank you, Chair and Commission again, Henry Fuse Preservation Planner providing the director report on behalf of Director DeCoursey this evening.

Um I have a few brief updates to share.

First, I'm pleased to report that at this commission uh, as this commission recommended, the city's certified local government uh certified local government annual report has been submitted to the California Office of Historic Preservation.

Uh second, following your recommendation, the City Council approved the accessory dwelling unit objective design standards for historic properties in March.

As a reminder, these objective standards establish a framework for reviewing ADUs in historic districts and on landmark properties, ensuring compatibility while complying with state housing law requirements.

I would encourage the commission to watch the council deliberations online as they provide helpful context on how these standards are being understood and intended to be applied moving forward.

Next, as you recommended, we scheduled the orbit gas station at 2240 Northgate Boulevard for a hearing in the city council on March 24th.

However, the proposed designation was continued by the City Council and will be renoticed to a future date.

This will allow additional time for the council member and the property owner to continue discussions regarding the implications, benefits, and constraints of listing.

Additionally, the Hackett House nomination has been accepted and listed as an official network to freedom site following your recommendation from last month.

Just last week, Director DeCourcy attended the California Preservation Foundation conference in Riverside earlier this month.

He spoke on a session about how local governments are adapting to new state housing streamlining legislation, including AB 150 and SB 79.

And then this coming Thursday, May 28th, from 10 to 1 p.m.

I will be speaking in a webinar with uh City Community Engagement Manager Lynette Hall about effective community community engagement uh for the California Preservation Foundation.

Uh this concludes my report and I'm available for any questions.

Thank you.

Is the commissioners have any questions for Henry?

I was gonna say I'm glad you're doing the that CPF webinar when I was planning on doing it, but had to unfortunately step aside.

And so I'm glad that's gonna be really interesting program that they've put together.

So I'm really glad to see that you guys are participating in that.

So thank you.

Thanks.

The last item is the public commons matters not on the agenda.

Clerk, are there any members who would wish to speak?

We do not have any speakers for public comments matters not on the agenda.

Um and you also have Commissioner Commons ideas and questions.

Oh, there you go.

Do we have any Commissioner Commons ideas and questions?

No, okay.

Then I think that concludes today's agenda.

Thank you everyone for your participation, and the meeting is adjourned.