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Mendocino review board approves removal of unsafe chimney at 45170 Main Street, declines faux replacement
Summary
The Mendocino Historical Review Board voted to approve removal of a deteriorated brick chimney at 45170 Main Street and modified staff's recommendation to remove a requirement that the owner install a faux chimney, citing structural limits and public-safety concerns.
The Mendocino Historical Review Board voted to allow the removal of a structurally unsound brick chimney at 45170 Main Street, approving the applicant's request while removing a staff condition that would have required installation of a faux chimney matching the original.
The board opened the public hearing after staff presented photos and a masonry evaluation showing widespread mortar failure and cracking. "The chimney poses a safety risk to occupants and the public, and it's urgent that it's removed," the staff planner said during the presentation.
A roofing contractor hired by the applicant described the chimney as leaning and extensively deteriorated, and said the building's original framing (two-by-eights with no modern shear or purlins) cannot safely support a heavy faux chimney. The contractor said the faux structure they weighed would be roughly 900 to 1,000 pounds and that "it's an extreme hazard at this moment," noting the masonry falls away when touched.
Board members discussed alternatives, including rebuilding from the roof line or installing a lighter chase, but several members concluded that full reconstruction or a heavy faux chimney would require extensive internal structural work. One member proposed a motion to approve removal of the chimney and to modify the staff report by deleting condition number 6, which had required installing a faux chimney matching the original proportions; the motion was seconded and passed. The board instructed staff to send an action letter to the applicant within 24 hours identifying the approved revisions.
The vote was recorded by roll call and reported as 3 yes, 0 no, with 1 absent. The board discussion emphasized both the obligation in the code to maintain historic structures and the practical limits of the building's existing framing; members said the decision should not be read as an open precedent for other chimneys without similar findings.
Next steps: staff will issue the action letter detailing the modified approval, and the applicant may proceed with chimney removal per the board's modified decision.
