Preservation Commission - Regular Meeting

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 roll to establish a quorum?

Yes, thank you, Chair. Commissioners, if you can please unmute your microphones. Vice Chair Merker is absent. Commissioner Rica?

Here.

Commissioner Nicholas?

Here.

Commissioner Cross? Here. Commissioner McSlafkin is absent. And Chair Aumbacher? 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. Item number three, the ordinance listing 1957 13th Avenue as a landmark on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources, is going to be continued to another meeting and will be re-noticed at a later date. Oh, excuse me, item two. Oh, sorry, item two is being, item three is being continued, which is 3137 33rd Street. So we 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 Nisenane people of the Southern Maidu Valley and Plains Miwok, 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 act of practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous people's history, contributions, and lives. Thank you. Please 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. 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? Is there a motion and a second for the consent calendar?

So moved.

Do I have a second? Yes, a second.

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.

Any opposed or abstained? The motion passes.

Thank you. Our next item is item two, the ordinance listing 1957 13th Avenue as a landmark on the Sacramento Register. Is there a staff presentation?

Good evening, commissioners. You guys be putting the presentation. Good evening commissioners My name is Hazel best preservation intern for the city of Sacramento and I will be presenting the landmark nomination for 1957 13th Avenue under file M 26-10 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, for its association with the early, excuse me, 1957 13th Avenue is a well-preserved embodiment of Tudor Revival architecture. The property features prominent front-facing gables, steeply pitched roofs clad in 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 Tudor arched 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 statement of nomination. Staff recommends the preservation commission make a recommendation to the city council to pass a motion determining the listing of 1957 13th Avenue as a landmark under the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources. It's exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA guidelines section 15308 and adopt 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. 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. Being new to the commission, who initiates the nominations on these private properties?

In this case, it was the property owner.

I have one question. When looking at the ordinance that's in the staff report, it doesn't, maybe I've missed it, but it doesn't list criterion one, it just lists criterion three. But it is eligible under one and three, is that correct?

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

Okay. 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. So that was very much appreciated. Thank you. Anyone else have any comments? Thank you. Is there a motion and a second on this item? Yes, I'll make a motion.

I'll second.

Clerk, will you please call the vote? Yes, we have a motion by Commissioner Cross and a second by Commissioner Rica. All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed or abstained? Sorry, I forgot to say aye. Yes.

Thank you. The motion passes.

And chair, before we move on, I do believe that the interpreter and gel is still online. So I just want to be clear that we will not be hearing the item that we're using the services for. So we will 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.

May the interpreter is dismissed.

To confirm. Yes.

OK, 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 Tauby, 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 17604-210 as representative of 20th century colonial revival style of architecture. The Weaver House was constructed within Wright and Kimbrough track number 24, initially surveyed in 1913 just after the area's official annexation into Sacramento. Track 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 corbelling, 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. 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.

Thank you. Are there any commissioners who wish to speak on this? I just have one question again, clarifying. So we're just looking at criterion three.

Correct. Okay. Same situation. That's what I figured.

So, okay, I just wanted to clarify. Is there a motion and a second?

So moved.

Second.

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 opposed or abstain? The motion passes.

Thank you.

Okay, the next item is 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 underrepresented 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 Register listing update. The existing nomination does not clearly define contributing and non-contributing resources, character-defining features of the district, boundaries, the period of 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 under-recognized 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 requesting 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. Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak on this item? Thank you. We do not have any speakers for this item. Are there any commissioners who would like to speak on this item? Commissioner Krause.

Is this an appropriate place to make comments about the draft, or would we? OK. My comments are very few. I thought it was really very, very well done. I personally would like to see inclusion of the riparian trees along the river included in this draft because I do understand that the Army Corps of Engineers will be redoing our levees 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 Sack from the Gold Rush on to today, the cottonwood trees along the river are a very important and defining feature that place Old Sack visually in its historic place. And I would love to see that for future generations. The only other comment that I have is regarding the Theodore Judah statue at the end of the district. The money for that monument was raised by thousands of Southern Pacific Railroad workers and a Southern Pacific Railroad master, caster, Joseph Blasovsdel. cast the bronze part of that statue they hired an artist from San Francisco to do it and I think that that is also something worth including in the historic record 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 was just saying thank you for your comments.

I'm just going to 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. And this one, you know, is a little bit point challenging too because you have moved buildings in there and you have buildings that were reconstructed before the Secretary of Interior standards were used for such things. So I thought that was a very, I don't want to say creative, but I thought Pigeon Terminal did a nice job at handling 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 going to do that. Henry will be giving the director's report this evening. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, Chair and Commission. Again, Henry Fuse, Preservation Planner, providing the director report on behalf of Director DeCourcy this evening. I have a few brief updates to share. First, I'm pleased to report that at this commission, as this commission recommended, the city's certified local government annual report has been submitted to the California Office of Historic Preservation. 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 will note that the item did receive some council discussion and two council members voted to oppose your recommendation. 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 at City Council on March 24th. However, the proposed designation was continued by the City Council and will be re-noticed to a future date. This will allow additional time for the Councilmember and the property owner to continue discussions regarding 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 City Community Engagement Manager Lynette Hall about effective community engagement for the California Preservation Foundation. This concludes my report, and I'm available for any questions. Thank you.

Does the Commissioner have any questions for Henry?

I was just going to say, I'm glad you're doing 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 Thank you The last item is the public comments 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, and you also have Commissioner comments ideas and questions There you go do we have any Commissioner comments ideas and questions I? No? Okay. Then I think that concludes today's agenda. Thank you, everyone, for your participation, and the meeting is adjourned.