HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-04-30; Culver-Myers-Capp House Located at 3140 Highland Drive (District 1); Barberio, GaryTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date ~/;c, f-zt CA ✓ CC /
CM _✓Act, /ocM (3) ~
April 30, 2021
Council Memorandum
To:
From:
Via:
Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Suzanne Smithson, Library & Cultural A~ irector
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2021091
Re:
Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager ~
Culver-Myers-Capp House Located at 3140 Highland Drive (District 1)
This memorandum serves as a transmittal of a letter from the Historic Preservation Commission
to the City Council regarding options to preserve the Culver-Myers-Capp house located at 3140
Highland Drive.
Background
Following public comment received at the Jan. 11, 2021, Historic Preservation Commission
Meeting and public comment received at the Jan. 12, 2021, City Council Meeting, the Historic
Preservation Commission discussed the Culver-Myers-Capp house at the March 8, 2021, Historic
Preservation Commission Meeting. Commissioners voted to draft a letter from the Historic
Preservation Commission to be presented to City Council regarding options to preserve the
historic home.
The Historic Preservation Commissioners drafted, discussed and approved a letter at a Special
Meeting held April 15, 2021 (Attachment A).
An earlier memorandum on this issue was provided to the City Council on Jan. 28, 2021
(Attachment B).
Next Steps
The attached letter from the Historic Preservation Commission lists and suggests actions that the
City Council could take to preserve the Culver-Myers-Capp house. There are currently no city
plans associated with the acquisition or preservation of the Culver-Myers-Capp house. If the City
Council would like staff to pursue any actions regarding the property, the City Council would
need to provide such direction to city staff at a future City Council Meeting. Staff will be
presenting a list of historic properties to the City Council in the upcoming months to clarify which
historic properties comprise the city's current voluntary historic property inventory.
Community Services
Library & Cultural Arts
1775 Dove Lane I Carlsbad, CA 92011 I 760-602-2011 t
Council Memo -Culver-Myers-Capp House Located at 3140 Highland Drive
April 30, 2021
Page 2
Attachment: A.
B.
Letter from the Historic Preservation Commission, approved April 15, 2021
Memo to City Council dated Jan. 28, 2021
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Jeff Murphy, Community Development Director
Curtis Jackson, Real Estate Manager
Attachment A
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
April 15, 2021
TO : MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: Historic Preservation Commission
Subject: Historic Culver/Myers/Capp House, 3140 Highland Drive, CA 92008
Dear Carlsbad City Council,
The owners of the Culver (Myers/Capp) House have approached the Historic Preservation
Commission and City Council regarding preservation of this local historic resource. i
The following actions by Council could maintain its historic resource status and preserve this
house.
1. Reaffirm the extant properties designated as landmarks, historic sites or points of
interest between 1986 and 1990 as the city's current historic resources inventory.
2. Adopt the Mills Act to incentivize preservation of local historically designated
properties. ii
3. Implement goals and policies designed to protect local historic resources throughout the
City. rn
Being one of the earliest sites designated as a historic site by Carlsbad City Council, the exterior
of the Culver House is a local historic resource and worthy of continued preservation
protection. Public comments, asking the city to consider action regarding this property, were
shared at the Historic Preservation Commission meeting on January 11, 2021 and April 15,
2021 and the City Council meeting on January 12, 2021. Additional public comments were
heard at the Historic Preservation Commission Special Meeting on April 15, 2021.
Although technically never repealed, there is confusion regarding properties approved by
Carlsbad's City Council for historic preservation from 1986 through 1990. From 1986 through
1990, City Council approved nineteen (19) local properties meeting the requirements for
historic preservation, of which the following thirteen (13) remain:
1. 1843-Rancho Aqua Hedionda Hacienda (Marron Adobe)
2. 1860 -Stagecoach Stop (Rancho las Encinitas -archaeological remains) *
3. 1863-Carrillo Ranch (Rancho de las Kiotes) >#"*
4. 1883 -Frazier's Well (Alt Karlsbad) #
Library and Cultural Arts
1775 Dove Lane I Carlsbad, CA 92011 I 760-602-2011 I www.carlsbadlibrary.org
5. 1887 -Santa Fe Depot >
6. 1887 -Culver House
7. 1887-Magee (Smith-Shipley) House"*
8. 1894 -St. Michaels Episcopal Church
9. 1904 -Ramsay House
10. 1914 -South Coast Land Company (Garcia's)
11. 1921-Gage House
12. 1929 -Gaus House
13. 1942 -Calavera Lake and Dam*
Key
>
#
I\
*
National Register of Historic Places designation (Federal)
California Office of Historic Preservation designation (State)
San Diego Archaeological Center recognition (County)
City of Carlsbad Open Space Management Zones (Local)
Including the Culver House, there are seven (7) historically significant cultural resources,
privately owned buildings without a clear path or incentive to protect these vulnerable
pn;>perties. This list is consistent with the City's current process for designating local historic
resources, as outlined in Carlsba'd Municipal Code Title 22, Section 22.06.
Once a historic resource inventory is reestablished (with the consent of individual property
owners), programs to encourage, promote and incentivize voluntary preservation are needed.
Named in several of Carlsbad's policy documents, adopting the Mills Act could encourage the
rehabilitation of valuable vulnerable buildings qualified as historic resources. The Mills Act,
named for San Diegan James Mills, a former State Senator, provides an important monetary
incentive designed to encourage the preservation, maintenance, and restoration of designated
historic properties. Buildings must meet qualifying criteria such as significant architecture,
association with a historically significant event or person, or location in a historic district. Once
designated as a historical resource, the owner can then enter into a voluntary contract with the
City.
If Council adopted the Mills Act, the current home owners of the Culver House could enter into
a property tax reduction contract for a 10-year period. This could protect the home in the event
of a sale for this time period, and possibly longer.
The Carlsbad General Plan states that California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires
cultural resources be considered when assessing the environmental impact of a proposed
project, and that agencies should avoid or reduce the project's significant impact(s) to these
resources. When assessing the environmental impact of development, without a Council
approved local historic resource list, possible historic resources could be overlooked and maybe
demolished because the goals and policies defined to help protect and preserve these cultural
resources could not be implemented.
Based on the proposed zoning increases noted in the Draft Housing Element, Draft Local Coastal
Program, and the Village and Barrio Master Plan, etc., vacant and underutilized residential sites
throughout Carlsbad could continue to lose potentially significant local historic resources due to
Library and Cultural Arts
1775 Dove Lane I Carlsbad, CA 92011 I 760-602-2011 I www.carlsbadlibrary.org
higher density development without a Council approved list of historic resources. Community
support of historic preservation has been evidenced in the 2009 Envision Carlsbad papers, most
recently in survey comments for the Housing Element requesting to "keep the historic character
of the city ... ".
To protect vulnerable structures throughout Carlsbad, the Historic Preservation Commission
recommends that Council reaffirm the extant properties designated as landmarks, historic sites
or points of interest between 1986 and 1990 as the city's current historic resources inventory
then incentivize private owners to rehabilitate and preserve these significant properties by
adopting the Mills Act. The result of these two actions by Council will provide the City the ability
to implement several goals and policies aimed at preserving existing housing stock to avoid
deterioration and maintain adequate housing opportunities.
As mentioned, a Council approved Historic Resource Inventory is needed to adopt the Mills Act.
Please consider approving the list of (13) structures to reinstate Carlsbad's Historic Resource
Inventory when it is brought to Council. Also consider adopting the Mills Act as a tool for
historic preservation restoration to maintain the historic site status of the Culver House.
Thank you for considering these actions,
Carlsbad Historic Preservation Commission
SNS: jd
Laurie Boone, Vice Chair
Pearl Ly
Robert Prosser
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager
i Council Memo -Culver-Meyers-Cap House Located at 3140 Highland Drive, Jan. 28, 2021
ii Mills Act Historical Properties Information by the Assessor/ Recorder/ Clerk -County of San Diego
iii Highlighted text in the following documents reference City goals and policies including: Carlsbad General Plan,
Chapter 7.2 Historic and Cultural Resources found in the Envision Carlsbad Working Paper 4 -History, the Arts and
Cultural Resources (p. 7-11); The Village and Barrio Master Plan goals and policies in Chapter 1.5, Section 1.5.1
Land Use and Community Character, E. items 1, 2 & 3: Recognize and support the historical roots of the Village and
Barrio (p. 1-13); Draft Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan Chapter 5, Section 5.5, Paleontological and Cultural
Resources: Policies LCP-5-P.19, 20 & 21 (p. 5-41).
Library and Cultural Arts
1775 Dove Lane I Carlsbad, CA 92011 I 760-602-2011 I www.carlsbadlibrary.org
To the members ofthtl;
CITY COUNCIL
Date ' /:J.~ / g), CA .L CC v
CM ✓ ACM ~ DCM (3) ✓_
Jan.28,2021
Council Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
From: Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Curtis M. Jackson, Real Estate Manager
Via: Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager @
Re: Culver-Myers-Capp House Located at 3140 Highland Drive
Attachment B
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID #2021022
This memorandum provides information on the Culver-Myers-Capp House located at
3140 Highland Drive.
Background
On Jan. 8, 2021, via email (attached), and again on Jan. 12, 2021, during the public comment
portion of the City Council Meeting, Rebecca Holbert and Paul Abodeely asked the City Council
if the city would be interested in purchasing their family home located at 3140 Highland Drive
(Culver House). As discussed below, city acquisition of the Culver House is not in any current
City Council approved plan.
Discussion
Historic Site Designation
On Dec. 22, 1986, the City Council approved Agenda Bill No. 8839, which designated historic
sites located within the city as points of historical interest. Included in the designations was the
privately-owned Culver House, which the City Council determined met the requirements for
Historical Site Designation (Resolution No. 8924). Despite being included thereafter on the 1990
Historical Resources Inventory, the Historical Site Designation of the house did not include a
plan or funding source for the city to acquire the property.
Proposition H
Proposition H, approved in 1982, and codified as Chapter 1.24 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code,
states, in part, that "[t]he city shall make no real property acquisition and/or no improvements
to real property the cost of which exceeds one million dollars in city funds, unless the proposed .
acquisition and/or improvement project and the cost in city funds is first placed upon the ballot
and approved by a majority of the voters voting thereon at an election." If the City Council
directs staff to pursue acquisition, staff will review whether a public vote by the electorate is
required.
Community Services Branch
Real Estate Department
3096 Harding Street I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 760-434-2836 t
Council Memo -Culver-Myers-Capp House Located at 3140 Highland Drive
Jan. 28, 2021
Page 2
Growth Management Program (GMP). Parks & Recreation Master Plan and Strategic Action
·Plan
There is currently a GMP parkland surplus of 14.2 acres in the northwest quadrant of the city
and a deficit in park land in the northwest quadrant at build out is not projected. Thus, the
Culver House is not needed by the city to address the GMP Parks Performance Standard.
Further, the acquisition, refurbishment, and on-going maintenance of the Culver House is not
currently included in the City Council approved Parks & Recreation Department Master Plat)
and Strategic Action Plan.
Real Estate Strategic Plan
On Oct. 17, 2017, the City Council approved the Real Estate Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan). The
purpose of the Strategic Plan was to take a more strategic approach to how the city's major real
estate assets are managed, both to maximize the return on the investment of public dollars and
to leverage properties for the greatest public benefit, including addressing future city facility
needs. The Strategic Plan included recommendations for 21 city-owned real estate assets, of
which the Culver House was not included. Therefore, the acquisition of the Culver House is not
currently included in the City Council approved Real Estate Strategic Plan.
Next steps
There are currently no city plans associated with the acquisition of the Culver House. If the City
Council would like staff to pursue the acquisition of the Culver House, the City Council would
need to provide such direction to city staff at a future City Council Meeting.
Attachment: Jan. 8, 2021 Email
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Kyle Lancaster, Parks & Recreation Director
Suzanne Smithson, Library & Cultural Arts Director
Attachment A
From: paul <paulabo@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, January 8, 20211:54:29 PM
To: rebecca holbert <rebecca.holbert @gmail.com>; Matthew Hall <Matt.Hall@carlsbadca.gov>; Council Internet Email
<CityCouncil@carlsbadca.gov>; Scott Chadwick <Scott.Chadwick@carlsbadca.gov>
Subject: Historic Culver House
To the Mayor, City Council, Historic Preservation Commission, and the City Manager of Carlsbad;
We are writing to you regarding the historic Culver house of 1887 located at 3140 Highland Drive. Our great uncle, Gerald
Capp, purchased the house in 1969. Uncle Jerry, as he was known, recently passed away. He loved this house. He put
twenty years of active work and love into it, including installing an electrical system, plumbing for indoor bathrooms to
replace the outhouse, and doing the stained glass window work himself. The historic house sits on over an acre of land on·
the corner of Highland Drive and Oak Street that has Torrey pines, fruit trees and cacti that he planted. It's a sanctuary for
many animals and birds. Mr. Capp bequeathed the house and property to eight members of the family and the reality is
that the house will likely need to be sold and the proceeds divided. His grand niece, Rebecca, grew up in this house. She
knows how much it meant to him. We do not want this house to be torn down and the land developed. We are writing in
the hopes that the city of Carlsbad might be able to purchase the house and land in order to preserve it as a historic
landmark and park for the enjoyment of the people of Carlsbad. Uncle Jerry would have loved nothing more!
The history of this home, as outlined in this article, is a bit of a legend. The home was built by Alonzo Jackson Culver who
also built the Twin Inns. Leftover lumber from the Twin Inns was used to build this sister home. The legend goes that
Culver smuggled Chinese immigrants who had worked on the railroads until he was caught in 1900 and sent to McNeil
Island Penitentiary. Reportedly there are tunnels that run between the barn and the house. Although these tunnels have
yet to be discovered there is evidence of these people in the Mandarin inscriptions etched into the walls of the cellar. This
writing has yet to be translated. The home was then passed to the Myers family where local artist Gertrude Meyers spent
her whole life. We've found pieces of her art and sketchings throughout the house. She died the same day the home went
into escrow. You can see the location of the house on page 17 of the Carlsbad city Working Paper on History, the Arts,
and Cultural Resourc.es. The Carlsbad Historical Society's 30th Anniversary presentation on historic Carlsbad architecture
also describes the Victorian Queen Anne style of the home on page 2. Attached to this email are some pictures of the
interior of the home today, the house following the Capp renovation years, the current exterior, and the house as it was
when purchased by Mr. Capp.
This home is a monument to the past. Uncle Jerry, an engineer, was amazed at the woodwork, all done without the use of
electric tools. Many have given to this place and it's our hope that it lives on with the people of Carlsbad as a place of
r_espite and wonder. A place to reflect on where we come from, where we are now, and where we want to go in the future.
We would love to be able to speak at the January 11th meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Holbert and Paul Abodeely
!CAUTION: Do not open attachments or click on links unless you recognize the sender and know the content is satel