Planning Commission recommends approval for rehabilitation and lot split at historic Wley House

Arcada City’s Planning Commission on May 12 recommended that the City Council approve a plan-development permit and minor subdivision to rehabilitate a settlement-era house at 1395 H Street and allow sale of an adjacent lot to fund the work. The commission voted in favor of Resolution PC26-03 after staff presented the project and public commenters largely supported preservation.

The proposal would split the 11,577-square-foot parcel into two lots (about 6,039 and 5,463 square feet) so that one parcel can be rehabilitated and the other sold or developed. Staff said the structure is listed on both the local register and the National Register of Historic Places, and that applicants have pledged to use proceeds from the lot sale to pay for structural stabilization, foundation repairs and exterior restoration.

“We want to make this house shine here on the corner,” said applicant Nick Lucasy, one of the partners with Pacific Builders, summarizing the applicants’ plan to repair siding, replace underfloor beams and improve the resource’s exterior while retaining historic fabric. Lucasy also described plans to run the new lot line through an existing garage and to build a firewall and maintenance agreement to address the shared structure.

Staff told commissioners the planning action requires a type-B plan development permit because the request includes deviations from zoning standards (minor reductions in minimum lot size and frontage and modest increases to site coverage and floor area limits). David Loya, Community Development Director, clarified that the commission’s vote would be a recommendation to the City Council and that the zoning map and historic-combining overlay language would need amendment if the council approves the project.

Members of the public who spoke at the lectern said they supported rehabilitation. Joan McGary, a former national park ranger, said preservation of the building and accurate historical interpretation matter to the community. Melissa Spandry, who identified herself as a resident of 1395 H Street and as staff with a local tribal community organization, said she supported the rehabilitation but expressed concern that splitting the lot could reduce her backyard space and asked for assurances the house remain lived in and cared for.

At the hearing, staff also addressed policy context: had the parcel not contained a historic resource, the project could have qualified as a ministerial subdivision under state SB9 rules, staff said, but a historic-resource carveout meant this review required additional discretionary steps. Staff further noted that future land-use-code changes (anticipated this year) could reduce minimum parcel sizes and make similar projects easier to process later.

Commissioners asked about the National Register’s view on changing the lot boundary. Staff said the applicant had contacted the National Register and was told that local jurisdictions generally have discretion over parcel boundaries and the National Register had no objection to the proposed approach. After several commissioners spoke in favor of balancing rehabilitation and modest infill, a motion to recommend approval carried on a voice vote; transcript records the motion, a second, and the Chair’s announcement that the item was closed and would move to the City Council.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendation and draft ordinance language will go to the City Council, which retains final authority to amend the zoning map and adopt the plan-development overlay and related ordinances.