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Salinas staff say preserving 3438 Soledad Street’s front wall is infeasible; materials to be salvaged for reuse
Summary
City staff reported to the Historic Resources Board that engineers found retaining only the front wall of 3438 Soledad Street is not feasible; the city will document and recover historically relevant materials for incorporation into a new design and is preparing contracts for environmental testing and demolition services.
City of Salinas planning staff told the Historic Resources Board on Monday that preserving the front wall of 3438 Soledad Street while demolishing the remainder of the building is not structurally feasible, and that the city will recover historically relevant materials for reuse in a new design.
Grant Leonard, planning manager, said the city is “working with the public works department now on preparing scope of work for demolition and preservation services.” He said the engineering and building staff concluded it is not feasible to preserve only the front wall and that the immediate plan is “recovering the materials from the front, documenting it as much as possible, and then incorporating that into the new design.”
Leonard said staff are preparing contracts for environmental testing and a scope of work for demolition and preservation services. He did not give a schedule for when demolition might begin.
Board members pressed for additional review. One member asked whether the city could seek a second engineering opinion; Leonard said staff can report back next month or accept written requests by email to pursue further review with public works and building engineers.
Board members and staff discussed which buildings on the block (34–38 Soledad Street, described in staff remarks as including the PI Market, a pool hall and a Shell station) are part of the redevelopment design and how historic elements might be integrated into an east-facing façade if demolition proceeds.
The board did not take a formal vote on the item; staff described the discussion as an update and described next steps as: environmental testing contracts, documenting salvageable fabric, and preparing demolition/preservation scopes for procurement.
Members asked staff to return with additional analysis and alternative approaches during a future meeting if requested in writing.
