SACHS APARTMENTS

170 Pages·2017·23.32 MB·English

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SACHS APARTMENTS (HCM #1118)
1826-1830-3/4 North Lucile Avenue; 1807-1817 North Edgecliffe Drive
CHC-2017-2796-MAEX

Agenda packet includes:

1. Staff Recommendation Report

2. ZIMAS Report

3. Mills Act Historical Property Contract Application

4. Historic Structure Report (HSR)

Please click on each document to be directly taken to the corresponding page of the PDF.
Los Angeles Department of City Planning
RECOMMENDATION REPORT

CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION CASE NO.: CHC-2017-2796-MAEX

HEARING DATE: August 17, 2017 Location: 1826-1830-3/4 North Lucile Avenue;

TIME: 10:00 AM 1807-1817 North Edgecliffe Drive
P LACE: City Hall, Room 1010 Council District: 13 – O’Farrell
200 N. Spring Street Community Plan Area: Silver Lake - Echo Park -
Los Angeles, CA 90012 Elysian Valley
Area Planning Commission: East Los Angeles
Neighborhood Council: Silver Lake
Legal Description: Crestmont Tract, Lots 152-154
PROJECT: 1826-1830-3/4 North Lucile Avenue; 1807-1817 North Edgecliffe Drive
Sachs Apartments, Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) #1118
APPLICANT & Paul Finegold and Gitu Bhavnani and Elaine Panush, Trustee of the
Elaine Panush Trust
OWNER: 975 West Kensington Road
Los Angeles, CA 90026-4313
APPLICANT’S John LoCascio, Historic Resources Group
REPRESENTATIVE: 12 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 200
Pasadena, CA 91105-3816
REQUEST: APPROVAL OF EXEMPTION FROM LIMITATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR
HISTORICAL PROPERTY CONTRACT (MILLS ACT) APPLICATION
RECOMMENDATION : That the Cultural Heritage Commission:
1. FIND the above-listed property meets the stated conditions for valuation exemption.
2. APPROVE the above-listed property for exemption from the valuation limit.
VINCENT P. BERTONI, AICP
Director of Planning
SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE
Ken Bernstein, AICP, Manager Lambert M. Giessinger, Architect
Office of Historic Resources Historical Property Contracts Manager
Office of Historic Resources
SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE
Melissa Jones, Planning Assistant
Office of Historic Resources
ATTACHED EXHIBITS:
• Attachment 1 – ZIMAS Report
• Attachment 2 - Mills Act Historical Property Contract Application
• Attachment 3 – Historic Structure Report (HSR)
August 17, 2017
1826-1830-3/4 North Lucile Avenue; 1807-1817 North Edgecliffe Drive
Mills Act Exemption
Page 2 of 5

BACKGROUND

Economic incentives foster preservation of residential neighborhoods and revitalization of downtown
commercial districts. The Mills Act is the single most important economic incentive program in California
for preservation of qualified historic buildings by private property owners.

Enacted in 1972, Mills Act legislation grants participating local governments (cities and counties) authority
to enter into contracts with owners of qualified historic properties who actively participate in rehabilitation,
restoration, and maintenance work to receive property tax relief. The City of Los Angeles (City) adopted
Mills Act legislation in 1996. Since then, 870 properties have benefited from the program.

A formal agreement, known as a Mills Act or Historical Property Contract (Mills Act Contract), is executed
between the City and property owner for a revolving minimum ten-year term. Contracts are automatically
renewed each year. Property owners agree to rehabilitate, restore, maintain, and protect the property in
accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation (Secretary’s Standards) and
conditions identified in the Contract. Periodic inspections by City and County officials ensure proper
adherence to the Contract. The City may impose penalties for breach of Contract or failure to protect the
historic property. The Contract is binding to all successive owners.

The Mills Act is codified in Los Angeles Administrative Code Chapter 14. Section 19.142 identifies
limitations on eligibility for the Mills Act. The current pre-contract assessed value limits are $1,500,000
for single-family residential properties and $3,000,000 for multi-family residential, commercial, or
industrial properties. Properties located in the Greater Downtown Los Angeles Area, including the
Figueroa Economic Strategy Area, and National Register of Historic Places-listed Hollywood Boulevard
Commercial and Entertainment District are exempt from valuation limits. The Cultural Heritage
Commission may grant an exemption from the limitations imposed by Administrative Code Section
19.142 under the following conditions:

(a) granting the exemption will not cause the cumulative loss of property tax revenue to the City to
exceed $2,000,000 annually; and
(b) the site, building or structure is a particularly significant Historic-Cultural Monument or
Contributing Structure to an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone; and
(c) granting the exemption will assist in the preservation of a site, building or structure which would
otherwise be in danger of demolition, substantial alteration or relocation.

The above-listed criteria are further delineated in the Contract application materials to include substantial
rehabilitation and excessive and/or unusual maintenance requirements for a property.

In order to better substantiate justification for exemption properties to meet the ordinance criteria, the
application process requires preparation of an Historic Structure Report (HSR) consistent with format
requirements published by the Office of Historic Preservation Historic Structure Report Format Guidelines
and the National Park Service in Preservation Brief 43: The Preparation and Use of Historic Structure
Reports. An HSR provides documentary, graphic, and physical information about a property's history and
existing condition. Broadly recognized as an effective part of preservation planning, an HSR also
addresses management or owner goals for continued use or re-use of the property. It provides a
thoughtfully considered argument for selecting the most appropriate approach to treatment, prior to
commencement of work, and outlines a scope of recommended tasks. The HSR serves as an important
guide for all changes made to a historic property during a project—repair, rehabilitation, or restoration—
and can also provide information for maintenance procedures. This requirement sets a higher bar for
exemption requests and allows property owners and staff to better understand the unique challenges
such properties entail and the owner’s commitment to preservation under a Mills Act Contract.
August 17, 2017
1826-1830-3/4 North Lucile Avenue; 1807-1817 North Edgecliffe Drive
Mills Act Exemption
Page 3 of 5

SUBJECT PROPERTY

The subject property consists of three, steeply sloped lots located between Lucile Avenue and Edgecliffe
Drive in the Silver Lake neighborhood. Two of the three lots are through lots that slope down from
Edgecliffe Drive to Lucile Avenue. There are five multi-family residential buildings on the property totaling
13 individual units, with attached and detached garages. Three of the buildings are International Style
architecture, while the other two are Spanish Colonial Revival modified with International Style elements.
The buildings step down the hillside, connected by concrete stairways and terraced walkways. The legal
description of the property is lots 152-154 in Crestmont Tract, identified by the Los Angeles County
Assessor as 5429-017-027. In 2016, the property was designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural
Monument #1118.

By 1927, Herman Sachs purchased lot 153 in the
Crestmont tract and hired master architect Rudolph
Schindler to design an apartment complex. Three
buildings were constructed in a cluster stepping
down from the hillside. The upper building is three
stories (Building B), and the two lower buildings are
one and two stories over street-level garages
(Building E). By 1935, Sachs purchased lot 154,
which contained two buildings constructed in 1925:
a two-story building with a detached garage on the
upper portion of the lot (Building A), and a two-story
single family residence on the lower portion of the
Site Plan of subject property. Prepared by Enclosures
lot (Building D). Sachs hired Schindler to
Architects (2016)
rehabilitate the buildings to resemble the adjacent
complex. By 1939, Sachs purchased a third parcel, the southeast portion of lot 152 and hired Schindler
to design a three-story building on the upper portion of the lot with attached garages lining the street
(Building C). The three lots were tied into one parcel in 2013.

Description
The subject property spans a steeply graded hillside with the upper
portion along Edgecliffe Drive (on the east) and the lower portion along
Lucile Avenue (on the west). Both streets provide access to the subject
property through walkways and stairways. Garages and primary
elevations of the five buildings front both streets.

All buildings are of wood frame construction with stucco exteriors, and
have flat roofs with rolled asphalt roofing material. The buildings are
primarily rectangular in plan, and oriented toward the west. They each
Primary, north and west elevations
feature a wood cornice motif that includes planks fixed to the building
along Lucile Ave., view east
with cantilevered beams that extend out from above the structures,
then turn downwards at a mitered joint to descend the exterior elevations. This motif is repeated at regular
intervals along the roof of each structure and extend across the walkways to create an overhead trellis.

The fenestration includes fixed, casement, jalousie and double-hung windows. The doors are wood with
either a single flat panel or multi-panels that mimic the undulating details found inside a few of the units.

The interiors of each unit retain varying amounts of character-defining features. Since the buildings were
designed and constructed at different times by different architects, there are no interior features common
to all units. However, features installed during the period of significance (defined as 1927-1939 to
August 17, 2017
1826-1830-3/4 North Lucile Avenue; 1807-1817 North Edgecliffe Drive
Mills Act Exemption
Page 4 of 5

encompass the dates the buildings were originally constructed or remodeled by Rudolph Schindler)
include built-in cabinets, shelves, molding, trim, tiles, and fixtures.

Rehabilitation/Restoration/Maintenance Plan
The scope of rehabilitation, restoration, and maintenance work is substantial: it includes structural retrofit,
roof rehabilitation, gutter rehabilitation, window rehabilitation, MEP upgrades, insulating walls and
ceilings, interior plaster repair, flooring rehabilitation, restoration of cabinetry, rehabilitation of trim and
molding, tile rehabilitation, and painting the interior and exterior. The proposed scope of work is proposed
to be completed by 2018.

The current owner has already begun work on rehabilitating the property. At the time of inspection,
rehabilitation of Building D had been completed, and Building B and the concrete walkways along the
southern edge of the property were actively being rehabilitated. Completed work in Building D includes
roof rehabilitation, gutter rehabilitation, window rehabilitation, MEP upgrades, insulating walls and
ceilings, interior plaster repair, flooring rehabilitation, restoration of cabinetry, rehabilitation of trim and
molding, tile rehabilitation, and painting the interior and exterior.

Review
Chattel, Inc. (Chattel) reviewed the Mills Act Contract application materials and conducted an on-site,
pre-approval inspection on behalf of the Office of Historic Resources (OHR) on July 11, 2017. The
inspection was attended by the property owner, Paul Finegold, and his historic preservation consultant,
John LoCascio from Historic Resources Group. During the inspection, Chattel noted the following
additional items that should be addressed in the Rehabilitation/Restoration/Maintenance Plan, which are
consequently being added as Conditions of Approval:

• Add proposed site work.
• Create a landscape plan that includes all intended hardscape, plantings, and retaining walls. The
plan must include drawings from a civil engineer that can suggest how to design subsurface
drainage.
• Remove all potted plants and exterior furniture from rooftop areas that do not have a flooring
system designed for foot traffic and live loads.

With the added Conditions of Approval, the scope of recently completed and proposed work conforms to
the Secretary’s Standards and substantiates necessity for a Mills Act Historical Property Contract.

Staff recommends approval of exemption from limitation of eligibility for a Mills Act Contract. The subject
property is significant as an outstanding example of an International Style residential building, and a
notable work of master architect Rudolph Schindler. In addition, there is evidence for substantial private
investment beyond routine maintenance, and appropriate completed and proposed rehabilitation,
restoration, and maintenance tasks with the added Conditions of Approval.

FINDINGS
A) Granting the exemption will not cause the cumulative loss of property tax revenue to the City
to exceed $2,000,000 annually.

The estimated fiscal impact to the City of Los Angeles on the existing and proposed Mills Act Contracts
for 2017 is as follows:

Fiscal Impact of (870) existing Mills Act Contracts: $1,306,766
Fiscal Impact of (21) 2017 Applications (excluding exemptions): $29,265
August 17, 2017
1826-1830-3/4 North Lucile Avenue; 1807-1817 North Edgecliffe Drive
Mills Act Exemption
Page 5 of 5

Fiscal Impact of Pending Exemption Application: $531
Fiscal Impact of (4) other Exemption Applications: $12,523
Fiscal Impact of all proposed and executed contracts (1997 to 2017): $1,349,085

The City’s share of the general levy property tax collected by the County Assessor for FY 2017-18 (1.02%
of property value) is 0.107151415, or 10.7%. It is the intent of the City Council that unrealized City
revenue from the loss of property taxes not collected due to executed Historical Property Contracts shall
not exceed $2,000,000 annually. The current total revenue loss projection for 2017-18 would put the
program at 67.5% capacity.

Therefore, Criterion A is met.

B) The site, building or structure is a particularly significant Historic-Cultural Monument or
Contributing Structure to an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone.

The property is designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument based on findings that the
property was the residence of artist Herman Sachs, it embodies the distinguishing characteristics of
International Style residential architecture, and it is a notable work of a master architect Rudolph M.
Schindler. Therefore, Criterion B is met.

C) Granting the exemption will assist in the preservation of a site, building or structure which
would otherwise be in danger of demolition, substantial alteration or relocation.

The current owners have shown they are good stewards of an historic property through developing plans
for rehabilitation, working with the OHR on review of the project, and beginning construction of their
project. The owners have committed to continuing the necessary repair, restoration, and rehabilitation
work to ensure the material health and outward appearance of the property. Granting the exemption will
provide an incentive to complete the complex, expensive tasks listed above, which will enhance the
historic character of the subject property. Without the financial assistance of the Mills Act, the owners
may not be able to undertake all the improvements necessary to rehabilitate and maintain the property
according to the Secretary’s Standards. Therefore, Criterion C is met.
City of Los Angeles
Department of City Planning

8/7/2017
PARCEL PROFILE REPORT
P ROPERTY ADDRESSES Address/Legal Information
1826 N LUCILE AVE PIN Number 145-5A203 83
1809 N EDGECLIFFE DR Lot/Parcel Area (Calculated) 5,346.5 (sq ft)
1807 N EDGECLIFFE DR Thomas Brothers Grid PAGE 594 - GRID C5
1826 1/2 N LUCILE AVE Assessor Parcel No. (APN) 5429017027
1809 1/2 N EDGECLIFFE DR Tract CRESTMONT
1807 1/2 N EDGECLIFFE DR Map Reference M B 9-104
Block None
ZIP CODES Lot 154
90026 Arb (Lot Cut Reference) None
Map Sheet 145-5A203
RECENT ACTIVITY Jurisdictional Information
CHC-2017-938-MA Community Plan Area Silver Lake - Echo Park - Elysian Valley
Area Planning Commission East Los Angeles
CASE NUMBERS Neighborhood Council Silver Lake
CPC-1986-255 Council District CD 13 - Mitch O'Farrell
ORD-165167-SA1030 Census Tract # 1954.00
ORD-129279 LADBS District Office Los Angeles Metro
ZA-2016-2407-ZAD Planning and Zoning Information
CHC-2015-4515-HCM Special Notes HISTORIC MONUMENT UNDER CONSIDERATION
ENV-2016-2408-CE Zoning R3-1VL
ENV-2015-4516-CE Zoning Information (ZI) ZI-2452 Transit Priority Area in the City of Los Angeles
General Plan Land Use Medium Residential
General Plan Footnote(s) Yes
Hillside Area (Zoning Code) Yes
Specific Plan Area None
Special Land Use / Zoning None
Design Review Board No
Historic Preservation Review Yes
Historic Preservation Overlay Zone None
Other Historic Designations None
Other Historic Survey Information None
Mills Act Contract None
CDO: Community Design Overlay None
CPIO: Community Plan Imp. Overlay None
District None
Subarea None
CUGU: Clean Up-Green Up None
NSO: Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay No
POD: Pedestrian Oriented Districts None
SN: Sign District No
Streetscape No
Adaptive Reuse Incentive Area None
Ellis Act Property No
Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) No
CRA - Community Redevelopment Agency None
Central City Parking No
This report is subject to the terms and conditions as set forth on the website. For more details, please refer to the terms and conditions at zimas.lacity.org
(*) - APN Area is provided "as is" from the Los Angeles County's Public Works, Flood Control, Benefit Assessment.
zimas.lacity.org | planning.lacity.org
Downtown Parking No
Building Line None
500 Ft School Zone No
500 Ft Park Zone No
Assessor Information
Assessor Parcel No. (APN) 5429017027
Ownership (Assessor)
Owner1 FINEGOLD,PAUL AND BHAVNANI,GITU AND
Owner2 PANUSH,E TR ELAINE PANUSH TRUST
Address 975 W KENSINGTON RD
LOS ANGELES CA 90026
Ownership (Bureau of Engineering, Land
Records)
Owner DAHLSTEN WOODBURY LLC C/O WOODBURY UNIVERSITY
DAHLSTEN WOODBURY LLC C/O WOODBURY UNIVERSITY
DAHLSTEN, WOODBURY LLC C/O WOODBURY UNIVERSITY
Address 7500 GLENOAKS BL
BURBANK CA 91510
7500 GLENOAKS BLVD
BURBANK CA 91510
7500 GLENOAKS BLVD
BURBANK CA 91510
APN Area (Co. Public Works)* 0.065 (ac)
Use Code 0500 - Residential - Five or More Units or Apartments (Any
Combination) - 4 Stories or Less
Assessed Land Val. $2,059,676
Assessed Improvement Val. $1,003,432
Last Owner Change 07/15/2013
Last Sale Amount $0
Tax Rate Area 13
Deed Ref No. (City Clerk) 882590
516096
2351
1809008
1221490
1193778
1188543
Building 1
Year Built 1940
Building Class D6
Number of Units 3
Number of Bedrooms 4
Number of Bathrooms 4
Building Square Footage 2,836.0 (sq ft)
Building 2
Year Built 1927
Building Class D55
Number of Units 3
Number of Bedrooms 2
Number of Bathrooms 3
Building Square Footage 3,481.0 (sq ft)
Building 3
Year Built 1927
Building Class D55
Number of Units 3
Number of Bedrooms 3
Number of Bathrooms 3
This report is subject to the terms and conditions as set forth on the website. For more details, please refer to the terms and conditions at zimas.lacity.org
(*) - APN Area is provided "as is" from the Los Angeles County's Public Works, Flood Control, Benefit Assessment.
zimas.lacity.org | planning.lacity.org
Building Square Footage 1,528.0 (sq ft)
Building 4
Year Built 1925
Number of Units 6
Number of Bedrooms 0
Number of Bathrooms 0
Building 5 No data for building 5
Additional Information
Airport Hazard None
Coastal Zone None
Farmland Area Not Mapped
Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Yes
Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone Yes
Fire District No. 1 No
Flood Zone None
Watercourse No
Hazardous Waste / Border Zone Properties No
Methane Hazard Site None
High Wind Velocity Areas No
Special Grading Area (BOE Basic Grid Map A- Yes
13372)
Oil Wells None
Seismic Hazards
Active Fault Near-Source Zone
Nearest Fault (Distance in km) Within Fault Zone
Nearest Fault (Name) Upper Elysian Park
Region Los Angeles Blind Thrusts
Fault Type B
Slip Rate (mm/year) 1.30000000
Slip Geometry Reverse
Slip Type Poorly Constrained
Down Dip Width (km) 13.00000000
Rupture Top 3.00000000
Rupture Bottom 13.00000000
Dip Angle (degrees) 50.00000000
Maximum Magnitude 6.40000000
Alquist-Priolo Fault Zone No
Landslide Yes
Liquefaction No
Preliminary Fault Rupture Study Area No
Tsunami Inundation Zone No
Economic Development Areas
Business Improvement District None
Promise Zone None
Renewal Community No
Revitalization Zone None
State Enterprise Zone None
Targeted Neighborhood Initiative None
Public Safety
Police Information
Bureau Central
Division / Station Northeast
Reporting District 1171
Fire Information
Bureau West
This report is subject to the terms and conditions as set forth on the website. For more details, please refer to the terms and conditions at zimas.lacity.org
(*) - APN Area is provided "as is" from the Los Angeles County's Public Works, Flood Control, Benefit Assessment.
zimas.lacity.org | planning.lacity.org
Batallion 5
District / Fire Station 35
Red Flag Restricted Parking No
This report is subject to the terms and conditions as set forth on the website. For more details, please refer to the terms and conditions at zimas.lacity.org
(*) - APN Area is provided "as is" from the Los Angeles County's Public Works, Flood Control, Benefit Assessment.
zimas.lacity.org | planning.lacity.org