City council approves Page & Turnbull contract; Salinas board reviews scope of citywide historic resources survey and review procedures

At the December meeting, the Salinas Historic Resources Board received an update that City Council approved a contract with Page & Turnbull to conduct a citywide historic resources survey and context statement using the more extensive Plan B scope.

Grant Leonard, planning manager, said the Plan B option includes a more robust historic context statement and a full citywide survey update at a slightly higher budget; council approved the Plan B contract on consent on Dec. 3. Staff said the draft timeline is approximately 18 months and that the final product will include a searchable online database. Leonard said staff will finalize the contract and initiate the survey work with Page & Turnbull.

Board members raised questions about outreach and cost. The consultant proposal includes optional outreach and public hearings line items (roughly $21,840 for outreach and $10,440 for hearings in the proposal), and a contingency of about $46,364; board members asked whether portions of outreach could be handled by city staff to reduce consultant cost. Leonard said the scope and level of consultant involvement will be finalized in the work plan and that early coordination with the board is planned so the board can review preliminary property lists and prevent significant properties from being omitted.

Members asked for examples of the DPR 523 property forms Page & Turnbull will use; Leonard agreed to provide a sample. Board members also requested access to sample survey reports from other cities and to an early list of properties the consultant proposes to inventory so the board may identify omissions. Staff said the final survey will identify properties eligible for designation; formal designation of historic properties would be done by City Council following the board’s recommendation. The board discussed the need for clear permit-review procedures and suggested a pamphlet or flowchart for property owners that explains how minor versus major alterations are handled and how permits are flagged in the permitting system (Track It). Leonard confirmed the planner assigned to historic reviews will work with applicants and that major exterior alterations typically come to the board while minor interior work is handled at the planner/permit level.

Board members also discussed translation of outreach materials into Spanish and the inclusion of district context (for example, Chinatown) in the survey’s historic evaluations. Staff committed to returning sample DPR forms, sample consultant reports, and an early property list and to coordinating outreach and project roles with the board as contract details are finalized.