2008/11/19 Council Agenda Packet

Staff Report Riverside Historic Overlay Zone Background The Riverside Neighborhood came to the City to request a historic overlay zone for their neighborhood. They were experiencing development pressures and had seen the success of the City's two other historic overlay zones, the Rucker/Grand (1993) and Norton/Grand (2001) Historic Overlay Zones, in maintaining the historic character of those neighborhoods. The Mayor and City Council reviewed the Riverside Neighborhood's request and directed staff to work with the neighborhood to develop an overlay proposal. The neighborhood appointed a committee, the Riverside Historic Committee, to work with the City and the neighborhood organization. Since Baker and Virginia Avenues were experiencing the greatest development pressure, the Riverside Historic Committee, comprised of Steve Fox, Glenn Hunter, and Sarah Church, researched properties on these streets to define an area with a high concentration of homes which retain their historic architecture ("contributing structures"). Their field research also revealed the intact Ready Land Company Plat with a very high concentration of contributing structures. They proposed an overlay which included Baker and Virginia Avenues from California Avenue to 19th Street, and the south side of 19th Street, Victor Place, Leonard Drive, and the north side of 21St Street from Baker Avenue to Walnut Street. This area includes 450 homes, 83% of which are contributing structures. This area met the Everett Municipal Code criteria for a historic overlay zone by including two properties on the Everett Register of Historic Places and property adjacent to these properties which is necessary to promote compatibility between buildings and developments. The Riverside Historic Committee gave reports on the proposed overlay to the Riverside Neighborhood at their regular monthly meetings. On May 8, 2007, staff joined the Committee at the neighborhood meeting to explain the overlay. On May 9, 2007, the Committee presented their draft proposal to the Historical Commission at their regular monthly meeting. Following that, the Committee worked with Planning staff to adapt the City's existing Neighborhood Conservation Guidelines and Historic Overlay Standards to the Riverside Neighborhood. And on April 8, 2008, staff again joined the Committee at the regular Riverside Neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposed overlay zone. Historical Commission and Planning Commission Public Hearings On September 10, 2008, the Historical Commission held a public meeting at which the Riverside Historic Committee and staff presented the final draft of the overlay zone, guidelines and standards. Property owners in the overlay zone and within 500 feet of the overlay zone were notified of the meeting. A public hearing on the proposed overlay was held before the Historical Commission on October 8, 2008. Seventeen persons spoke or wrote comments in support of the