Coversheet

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD
Staff Report

March 18, 2024
PUBLIC HEARINGS

TO:	Historic Resources Board Commissioners
SUBMITTED BY:	Katherine Wallace, Associate Planner
SUBJECT:	Historic Context Statement Phase II Update. On January 9, 2024, City Council approved a contract with PAST Consultants, LLC, and also accepted a $40,000 CLG Grant with local match of $26,667, for Phase II of the City’s Historic Context Statement Update. This effort will expand upon the Phase I update, completed in 2022, which extended the document content from 1965 to 1986. On March 18, 2024, PAST Consultants and City Staff will introduce the project and discuss a proposed revised Table of Contents and seek feedback.

RECOMMENDATION:
Consider and provide guidance to staff and PAST consultants.

BACKGROUND/SUMMARY:

Background/Summary

Carmel’s Historic Context Statement (Attachment 1) is Appendix I of the City’s General Plan and serves as the foundation for the City’s historic preservation program. Carmel-by-the-Sea has adopted comprehensive historic preservation policies as part of the General Plan and implements these policies through the Historic Preservation Ordinance (CMC 17.32). The context statement is an important tool in preparing State of California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) records and evaluating which properties qualify for inclusion on the Carmel Inventory of Historic Resources.

The California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) provides guidance on the purpose of historic context statements and offers the following:

“[Historic context statements] are not intended to be a chronological recitation of a community’s significant historical events or noteworthy citizens or a comprehensive community history. Nor are they intended to be academic exercises demonstrating prodigious research, the ability to cite myriad primary and secondary resources, and write complex and confusing prose comprehensible only to professionals in the field. Rather, historic context statements need to be direct, to the point, and easily understood by the general public.”

While Carmel’s Historic Context Statement currently includes an abundance of information within its 125 pages, it is not direct, to the point, or easily understood by the general public.

The current Historic Context Statement was originally adopted by the City Council in 1994, and subsequently updated in 1997, in 2008, and most recently updated in 2022. The 2022 update extended the context to cover a twenty-year period: 1966-1986. The extension was funded by OHP as a Certified Local Government (CLG) $30k grant and was authored by PAST Consultants. As the update got underway, it became clear to OHP staff, City staff, the Historic Resources Board, and the community that the entire context statement was in need of an update; however, as a grant-funded project, inflexible reporting and expenditure deadlines limited the effort to the 1966-1986 extension. Understood to be a “Phase I” update, the extension was approved by OHP, adopted by the City Council on December 6, 2022 and approved by the California Coastal Commission on July 12, 2023.

In 2023, the City applied for and received a second OHP CLG grant to pursue a “Phase II” update. The City released RFP #23-24-2023 on October 27, 2023, seeking proposals from qualified professionals to assist in “Phase II” of the update. On January 9, 2024, the City Council passed Resolution 2024-009 approving a professional services agreement (Attachment 2) with PAST Consultants, not to exceed $79,380 and passed Resolution 2024-010 accepting the $40k CLG grant award with a $26,667 local match. On March 1, 2024, City staff initiated outreach to thirteen tribal representatives, inviting participation in this project.

Project Goals

1. Consistent formatting.

2. Chronological themes.

3. Streamlined content.

The three goals are described in additional detail, below.

1. Consistent formatting. The 2022 update covers a twenty-year period (1966 to 1986) and emphasizes architectural styles commonly developed in Carmel during that era. Each identified architectural style is addressed individually, with an accompanying list of character-defining features, representative buildings, and a selection of photographs. Importantly, evaluative criteria for the National Register, California Register, and Carmel Inventory aids in answering the question, “is this building significant and does it retain integrity?”

The 1966-1986 extension meets today’s professional standards for context statements. However, this new section contrasts with the remainder of the document (pre-1966), which lacks dedicated architectural style summaries, evaluative criteria, and photographs. It is imperative that the architectural styles of the pre-1966 period now receive the same attention, and the entire document is formatted consistently.

2. Chronological themes. The current context statement begins with a “Prehistory and Hispanic Settlement” chapter and is followed by thematic chapters: “Economic Development,” “Government, Civic and Social,” “Architectural Development” and “Development of Art and Culture.” While a thematic format is not without merit, a chronological format is preferred for flow when reading the document. Additionally, a chronological format would allow the reader to better understand a property in the context of its era of construction. PAST consultants has proposed a new Table of Contents (see below) for review by the HRB; proposed Chapter 3 will include the following chronological themes: Prehistory and Hispanic Settlement (1542-1846); Carmelo (1847-1903); Seacoast of Bohemia (1904-1923); Village in a Forest (1924-1945); Postwar Development (1946-1965); and Continuity in Change (1966-1986).

3. Streamlined content. The current context statement is 125 pages, with few photographs. The “Phase II” will result in additional content (architectural style sections, photographs, evaluative criteria). Unless the existing content is significantly streamlined, the context statement risks becoming too unwieldy and overwhelming. Staff recommends the current context statement be thoroughly reviewed for relevancy. Information that does not directly relate to Carmel’s built environment should be retired from the context statement, but would remain available as a reference document in the Henry Meade Williams local history department.

Draft Outline

PAST Consultants has proposed a draft outline as follows. For more detail on the methodology behind the outline, please refer to the consultant proposal (Attachment 2). Upon approval from the HRB, staff will present this draft outline to our OHP project contact, as required by our CLG grant timeline (Attachment 3). For insight on how the draft outline will (approximately) look as a completed document, please refer to the City of Pacific Grove Historic Context Statement (Attachment 4).

Proposed Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Project Team

B. Funding

C. Project Description

1. Previous Updates to the Historic Context Statement

a. Synthesis of Previous Versions into a Single Cohesive Document

2. Project Objectives

3. Project Methodology

a. Historical Research

b. Field Reconnaissance Survey

c. Tribal Outreach

d. Project Meetings

e. Project Limitations

D. How to Use This Document

E. Acknowledgments

II. IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING HISTORIC RESOURCES

A. Purpose and Goals of Historic Context Statements

B. Eligibility Criteria

1. National Register of Historic Places (NR)

2. California Register of Historical Resources (CR)

3. Carmel-by-the-Sea Historic Resources Inventory (HRI)

a. Historic Preservation Efforts in Carmel-by-the-Sea

b. Creation of the Carmel-by-the-Sea HRI

4. The Carmel Register of Historic Resources

C. Historic Integrity

D. Property Type Registration Requirements: Introduction to the use of Eligibility Criteria and Integrity Thresholds

III. HISTORIC THEMES, ASSOCIATED PROPERTY TYPES, ELIGIBILITY

CRITERIA AND INTEGRITY THRESHOLDS

A. Introduction and Chapter Format

1. Historic Themes for Carmel Architectural Resources

2. Chapter Format and Limitations

a. Chapter Format

b. Chapter Limitations

3. Theme and Property Type Example

B. Theme 1: Prehistory and Hispanic Settlement (1542-1846)

C. Theme 2: Carmelo (1847-1903)

1. Introduction

2. Carmelo: Historic Context