Newsletter

Summer 2005

Hotel Expansion Must Be Redesigned

The Larkspur Landing Hotel expansion and an application to designate the trees on the property as a Landmark Tree Grove were discussed at the City Council meeting on June 28^th.  It was staff’s opinion that because of the Development Agreement already in place, the City Council could not designate all the trees as a Landmark Grove since this would result in a reduction of the intensity and density of land uses previously approved.  Staff did identify 24 trees on the site that could be designated as Landmark Trees with the possibility of 20 more.  And that was their recommendation to the City Council.

Councilman King’s first action was to move to designate the 24 identified trees as Landmark Trees.  It was passed 5-0.  The Landmark Grove application was in a sense denied by this action. In discussing the project itself, Council members King and Howell agreed that a hotel was not worth cutting down over 100 trees.  Council members Starsky and Morin emphasized the property rights of the owner to develop the property. Mayor Miklos made the motion to remand the project back to the Planning Commission for further review of design of the project, with the intent of saving more trees. This motion passed 4-1 (Council-member Howell voting “no”).

Mayor Miklos added that he feels the Chinese diggings would not be affected by having a hotel on the property.  He said the new fencing and interpretive areas that the developer has to put in will enhance the area.  He and Councilmember Starsky also asked staff to submit the necessary papers to get this site officially listed on the National Register.

HPL will continue to follow this project to ensure that all conditions previously added at HPL’s request are included in the final approval.  And thank you to everyone who either attended the meeting or sent e-mails.  It does make a difference. 

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 Sutter St. Townhouse Project Back to HDC

At the May 24th meeting of the Folsom City Council, instead of denying the project as they had indicated they would do at their May 10^th meeting, the City Council in a 4-1 vote (Council-member Howell voting “no”) advised the developers to redesign the project and go back to the Historic District Commission for their review and approval.

  Councilman Starsky stated that he felt the project did not follow the intent of the Historic District Design Guidelines and was not in favor of rezoning part of the property from commercial.  He felt that the lower part of the property (closest to Leidesdorff) would be better as light commercial to serve as a transition from the corporation yard property that is hoped one day will be a conference/convention center.  Most of the area is part of the River Way sub area that is envisioned to be an area where artists and craft persons can both work and live. Also it was noted that the residential area did not have the grid system of streets like the rest of the historic district. 

It is not known when this project will come before the Historic District Commission.  HPL will continue to monitor this development.

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Orangevale Avenue Bridge--The Good News and The Bad

Orangevale Avenue and its bridge enjoyed a splendid obscurity for almost 50 years!

Because of that, the California Department of Transportation was able to revise its assessment of the bridge from being not eligible  for the National Register of Historic Places to being eligible. Thanks to the work of local members of the Lincoln Highway Association, Cal Trans reevaluated the bridge and found it to be eligible (April 2005), based on the fact that it is the oldest unaltered concrete arch, open-spandrel bridge in Sacramento County.

This designation requires additional environmental work, and carries some weight in decisions about what to do with the bridge. We understand from various quotes from the City of Folsom’s Public Works Department that they are withdrawing their proposal to tear down the bridge and replace it with a new one. Instead, they will propose to widen it, and add a third arch. Or they may propose to add a second span. The City’s 2005/06 budget contains almost $3 million in local funds to support a construction project at the bridge.

Meanwhile, a subdivision of 12 large lots has been proposed for the ravine which the bridge crosses. Ten of the lot would be graded from the steep hillside on the eastern side of the ravine and two on the western side.

The owner of the land, except for the bridge right of way, is proposing the subdivision, called The Canyon. He would develop the lots and the infrastructure, and sell the lots for custom homes. The historic setting of the Orangevale Avenue Bridge will be affected by this application. The subdivision proposal has been revised several times, and will come before the Planning Commission at its July 6 meeting.

The Heritage Preservation League of Folsom holds to its position that the bridge would be best preserved and used as a one-way, controlled traffic historic bridge and that it needs only to be repaired, in honor of its 90 years of service to the community.

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City Council Votes to Move Emma’s House

At their May 10th meeting, the Folsom City Council voted 3-2 (Council members Howell and King voting “no”) to negotiate with Robin Saia for the acquisition of the building known as “Emma’s”.  Her proposal is to relocate the building to 216 Natoma Street where it will be restored and used as an expansion of the Sundance Montessori School. Council members Starsky, Morin and Miklos liked this proposal due in part to the fact that Emma’s in the past was a Montessori School.  Still to be determined are several items including if the structure can physically be moved, who will pay those costs, and how the structure will be placed on the property at 216 Natoma Street.

A total of eight proposals were received, four of which were to restore the building at its current location.  HPL was in favor of restoring Emma’s at its current location as that would have added to the historical significance of the structure.

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Did You Know: Pet-Friendly Hotels Not a Modern Phenomenon

According to a recent article from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, pet- friendly hotels are not a modern phenomenon.

To support its claim, the article cites several interesting examples of the pet-friendliness of several historic American inns.

These include:

·         For some 50 years, alligators lived  in the fountain of Palm Court at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. Reportedly they had been purchased as pets by travelers in Florida, who apparently rethought their plan on their way home through Richmond.

·         For a stay in the 1940s  at the elegant Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, singing star Gene Autry signed in at the Front Desk with his horse Champion at this side.

·         Since the day in the late 1930s when a cat wandered into the Algonquin Hotel in New York searching for food and was taken in by the owner, the hotel has always kept a resident cat. Tradition dictates the cat is named Mathilda if a girl and Hamlet if a boy. A perk of the job for the cat is a yearly birthday party in its honor.

Under its Historic Hotels of America Program, the Trust has identified 219 hotels that have maintained their historic integrity, architecture, and ambience. To be selected, a hotel must be at least 50 years old and listed or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information on this program, log onto www.HistoricHotels.org