Folsom officials agree to streamline small projects in Historic District

Folsom officials agreed this week to streamline small construction projects in the Historic District. The Folsom City Council voted Oct. 28 to modify the municipal code to allow director approval of small projects without Historic District Commission review. The current process, which requires Historic Commission review, even for minor modifications, has become expensive and time consuming, staff explained. An audience with the commission includes a detailed staff report, manager and city attorney review, publication and distribution, public notices, and the meeting itself with commissioners, staff and attorney present. "Given current staff resources, this process typically takes two or more months, even for small projects," said Director Pam Johns in the report. While this process is valuable for large projects, there have been many questions from staff, commissioners and applicants as to why staff time and public resources should be spent on small projects in the district. Minor issues include small home additions and modifications, demolitions and sign permits. Staff said that throughout the years applicants said the time it takes to get the permits versus the cost of the work itself discourages them. In turn, the corresponding building and demolition permits are also not obtained, leading to safety and aesthetic concerns. Staff believes the substantial increase in fees for smaller projects that are subject to commission review, while necessary to cover staff time, may further disincentivize applicants, especially homeowners and small business owners. Statewide, several laws have been passed to address the housing crisis in California, including removing much of the discretion local jurisdictions once had, especially regarding multi-family housing projects and accessory dwelling units. As a result, by bringing minor projects to the director level, staff hopes to free up time and resources to start work on longer-range efforts in the Historic District. A summary of the proposed changes: Director-level design review: This allows director approval of smaller design review applications for exterior renovations, remodeling or modification to existing buildings, additions under 500 square feet or less than 25 percent of the building floor area, and accessory buildings. Buildings listed on the city's Cultural Resources Inventory or located on an existing or potentially eligible historic resource would be elevated to commission-level review. Exemptions: Exempting very small projects from design review entirely. That includes roof, window and door replacement, changes to exterior colors, patio covers and trellises, privacy fencing and walls. Above-ground spas and hot tubs, and outdoor cooking facilities not visible from the street are exempted. In the case of replacement, the materials would need to be aesthetically similar to the original to remain exempt. Increased noticing: Increasing the noticing requirement for commission-level and director-level design reviews in the Historic District to include mailers to adjacent property owners and notices and submittal programs on the city's website. Regular commission updates: Providing a regular summary to the Historic District Commission of director-level design reviews. Director-level sign permits: Allowing director-level approval of sign permits and maintaining a list of recently approved sign permits in the Historic District on the city's website. Non-historic demolitions: Allowing director-level approval of non-historic demolitions of buildings originally constructed less than 50 years before the application date and/or not found by staff to be a historic resource. Accessory building standards: Further limiting the height, size, location and setback requirements for accessory buildings. Consistency changes: Changing the language of entitlement expirations and extensions to be consistent with the Historic Dist. This approach does not automatically tie all entitlements to building permits, when none may be required. Along with these code changes, staff also explained reductions in fees for projects currently reviewed at a commission level would be moved down to a director, taking less time to process. The City Council held the second reading of the amended ordinance Tuesday, Oct. 28.