Cultural Heritage Board Regular Meeting - January 5, 2022
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Cultural Heritage Board Regular Meeting - January 5, 2022
The City of Santa Rosa Cultural Heritage Board held a virtual regular meeting on January 5, 2022, at 4:30 PM, adjourning at 5:01 PM. The meeting focused on a single scheduled public hearing for a landmark alteration permit at 1220 McDonald Avenue, along with department reports and administrative updates. Board Members Garrett and Huang recused themselves from the hearing due to properties owned within proximity to the project, leaving four voting members.
Department Reports
- Susie Murray, CHB Liaison, reminded board members of upcoming agendas: no meeting on January 19th; the next meeting on February 2nd will include a vote for Vice Chair (re-election or new election). She also encouraged completion of SB 1343 workplace harassment training and regular email checking for quorum inquiries.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during the public comment period or the public hearing for the scheduled item.
Discussion Items
- Item 8.1: Public Hearing – Daniels Addition and Repair (Landmark Alteration Permit LMA21-015) at 1220 McDonald Avenue
- Project Planner Mike Maloney presented the proposal: exterior additions include expanding the backyard cabana to add a bathroom with matching siding, constructing two brick pilasters at the entry walkway, extending the front porch, and replacing the Park Street fence. Second-floor modifications involve adding a safety guardrail to the existing deck and converting windows into French doors for deck access.
- The property is non-contributing within the McDonald Avenue Preservation District (designated 1998, period of significance 1878–1940). Staff recommended approval, noting the project is CEQA exempt (Section 15301) and complies with historic guidelines.
- Chair Meuser and Vice Chair Fennell disclosed they had viewed the property; no ex parte communications were reported.
- Applicant architect explained that the pilasters were designed to create a sense of entry and a focal point from the public way. Chair Meuser commented that the pilasters appeared like "obelisks" but expressed no opposition.
- Board members expressed support: Chair Meuser noted the non-contributing status and prior modifications as factors, and Vice Chair Fennell, who had been inside the home, stated the changes made sense and corrected previous design issues.
Key Outcomes
- Vote on Resolution CHB-2022-001: Approved by a vote of 4-0-2 (Yes: Chair Meuser, Board Members Praetzellis, Fennell, Boren; Abstain: Garrett and Huang). The resolution granted a landmark alteration permit for the additions and repairs at 1220 McDonald Avenue.
Meeting Transcript
Board member wing. Can you test your audio and video for me, please? So that's what we're doing. Hi, Chair Muser. If you would like to get started, we can go ahead and do that. Chair Muser, I just spoke with Vice Chair Fennel, and she'll be logging on in just a moment, but I think that we can start the meeting and just if we need to take a recess before the public hearing, we can do that. Yeah, that's that's what I was thinking as well. Let's let's go ahead and we'll do that. So with that being said, I'd like to welcome uh all participants to the January 5th City of Santa Rosa Cultural Heritage Board meeting. And Ms. Montoya, if um uh we could uh call the meeting to order and if we could get a roll call. Yes, thank you, Chair Muser. Let the record reflect that all board members are present, um, with the exception of Vice Chair Fennel, who will be joining us shortly with one vacancy. Okay, thank you. Uh like to read a statement regarding um our our COVID uh current situation due to the provisions of the governor's executive orders in 2520 and in 2920, which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act and the order of the health officer of the County of Sonoma to shelter in place to minimize the spread of COVID 19. The Cultural Heritage Board is conducting today's meeting in a virtual setting using Zoom webinar. Board members and staff are participating from remote locations and or participating appropriate social distancing. Members of the public may view and listen to the meeting as noted on the city's website and as noted on the agenda. Members of the public wishing to speak during item eight, public comment or during other public hearing items will be able to do so by raising their hand and will be given the ability to address the board. Moving on to item two, approval of the minutes. We don't have any minutes to approve, so we'll move on to item three, uh, public comment. Um let me okay. So I'm going to go ahead and open up for uh public comment. Uh and uh we're now open for public comment and for any item not included in this meeting's agenda. So if you're member of the public and you're planning to comment on uh item eight on the agenda, you'll have an opportunity that time this for um this year time for any other comment or anything you'd like to address uh the board. If you wish to make a comment via Zoom, please select the raise hand button. If you are dialing in via telephone, please dial star nine to raise your hand. Each speaker has three minutes. A countdown timer will appear for the convenience of the speaker and viewers. Please make sure you unmute yourself when you are invited to do so. Your microphone will be muted at the end of three minutes. So Ms. Montoya, do we have anybody wishing to make public comment? I do not see any hands. I'll just give a little bit more time. Okay. Not saying anything, I will close the public comment. Period. Moving on to board business. Um I'm going to read first off our uh statement of purpose. The principal duties of the board include undertaking and updating historic inventories and surveys, recommending designation of landmarks, preservation districts, reviewing proposed alterations of historic buildings and promoting public awareness of preservation issues. If you are in a historic district or would like more information regarding historic districts, please see the processing review procedures for owners of historic properties. Okay. So board member reports. Do we have any uh reports from any board members like to make? If so, if you could raise your hand. So I'm not seeing any. Correct. Okay. And other business, we don't have any other business.
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