CITY OF SANTA MONICA CITY COUNCIL
STATEMENT OF OFFICIAL ACTION
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PROJECT CASE
NUMBER: Appeal (Case No. 02APP-003) of Certificate of Appropriateness
(Case No. LC-02CA-001) LOCATION: 2553
Third Street APPLICANT: Shirley Bly APPELLANT: Shirley Bly PROPERTY OWNER: Shirley Bly CASE
PLANNER: Elizabeth Bar-El, AICP,
Associate Planner REQUEST: Appeal
of the Landmarks Commission’s decision to deny the application for a
Certificate of Appropriateness to allow construction of a
semi-subterranean garage with balcony and entry stairs at the front of the
property under the existing first floor of a residence that is a contributor
to the Third Street Neighborhood Historic District. CEQA STATUS: The proposed project is statutorily exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15270, which states that CEQA does not apply to projects which a public agency rejects or disapproves. |
CITY
COUNCIL ACTION
June 11, 2002 Date.
Approved
based on the following findings and subject to the conditions below.
X Denied
- Appeal 02APP-003; Denial of
Certificate of Appropriateness No. LC-02CA-001 upheld.
______________ Other.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF ACTION:
June 11, 2002 - Appeal
02APP-003 of Certificate of Appropriateness No. LC-02CA-001
FINDINGS
- The
proposed alterations to this contributing building within the Third Street
Neighborhood Historic District would be incompatible with the exterior
features of other contributing improvements within the District, and would
adversely affect the character of the District, and would be inconsistent
with design guidelines and standards that have been developed and adopted
by the Landmarks Commission specifically for the District. The proposed garage would require
excavation and grading that would be incompatible with the properties of
other contributing structures in the area. The consistent development pattern on the east side of Third
Street includes side driveways leading to rear yard parking and front
yards that are raised from the curb behind retaining walls. The current
location of the front steps on the property is also consistent with that
of many dwellings within the historic district of similar vintage. The
overall effect of the neighborhood is a pedestrian oriented character with
continuous hilly green front yards along the street. This cohesive development pattern has
been identified as a character-defining feature of this historic district,
and remains largely intact. The
proposed garage and relocation of the front steps would irreversibly alter
that characteristic pattern and as such would be inconsistent with design
guidelines and standards that have been developed and adopted by the
Landmarks Commission specifically for the District.
- The proposed alteration of this contributing
building within the District would adversely affect exterior features of
the historic structure because
the garage would change the scale of the structure significantly by making
the house appear to be over two stories and by irreversibly locating a
parking use as the prominent street-level feature of the front
facade. This is inconsistent with
the Craftsman-style architecture of the existing building and with the
Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Therefore, the proposed modifications
would result in a major physical impact on both the dwelling and the site.
VOTE
Ayes: Bloom, Genser, Katz, O’Connor, McKeown, Feinstein
Nays: Holbrook
Abstain: None
Absent: None
NOTICE
If this is a final decision not subject to further appeal under the City of Santa Monica Comprehensive and Zoning Ordinance, the time within which judicial review of this decision must be sought is governed by Code of Civil Procedures Section 1094.6, which provision has been adopted by the City pursuant to Municipal Code Section 1.16.010.
I hereby certify that this Statement of Official Action
accurately reflects the final determination of the City Council of the City of
Santa Monica.
_____________________________ _____________________________
MARIA M. STEWART, City Clerk Date