Ledger-Dispatch

By Kelly Enos (kenos@ledger-dispatch.com) =

The Sutter Creek City Council weighs = its options=20 regarding architectural guidelines for historic residential = areas.

Photo by: Kelly=20 Enos
A public hearing on architectural = guidelines=20 left some residents walking away confused Monday night at the Sutter = Creek City=20 Council meeting.

The guidelines, which apply to the city's = historical=20 residential zone pre-dating 1920, conflict because of separate = ordinances passed=20 in 2003 and 2006.

"The committee has done all of the background = work on=20 R-3 and R-4 zoning, and it's now ended up with three ordinances with two = that=20 conflict," explained Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha.

Ordinance = 15.37=20 of the city's municipal code defines the historic zone as "citywide," = applying=20 the architectural design ordinance to all properties within the city = that are=20 zoned R-3 and R-4. It stipulates that no building or design can be = built,=20 rehabilitated or torn down on any parcel within these zones, meaning any = home=20 built within the "historical" timeframe could not be rehabilitated = without=20 special consent. This conflicts with ordinance 2.4, which lists these = zones as=20 the "bowl" of Sutter Creek, or the downtown area where most of Sutter = Creek's=20 historic area lies.

"The way it reads now is if there are any = questions=20 on ordinance 2.4, it is automatically referred to the planning = commission to=20 make the final decision," Cunha said. "I think we should try turning the = three=20 ordinances into one and be consistent so they work together."

The = planning commission and members of the subcommittee designed a draft = document=20 outlining the guidelines with specifics such as color schemes, porches = and=20 maintaining the historic look of new and existing buildings through = repair, as=20 opposed to replacement, of features like windows and doors.

"We = came to=20 the council a year ago and you wanted guidelines instead of standards," = Cunha=20 said. "We have worked on this draft the past four to five months with = the main=20 changes being the word 'should' replaced with 'shall.'"

Council = members=20 approved the guidelines and agreed to consider consolidating the = ordinances at a=20 future meeting.

"We should be proud of what we have in historic = Sutter=20 Creek," said Mayor Pro Tem Bill Hepworth. "Our main goal should be = getting a=20 good guideline and working from there."

In a separate = presentation,=20 County Assessor Jim Rooney explained that the decline in home sales and = the lack=20 of new construction would mean less property taxes for local=20 budgets.

"For the past four to five years, we have seen increases = in the=20 property tax of 12 to 15 percent," he said. "Home sales, which have = leveled out,=20 and lower selling prices on the ones that are happening are decreasing = our=20 percentage to four to six percent, quite a bit lower."

Rooney = said he was=20 attending council meetings in every city to make them aware the = increases would=20 not be continuing as cities begin to finalize their = budgets.

"Property=20 tax is governed by Proposition 13 that limits property tax to one = percent of the=20 assessed value and all assessments an annual increase of no more than = two=20 percent a year," Rooney said. "We are still above that, but not by=20 much."

The most significant exception to this, Rooney said, would = be the=20 resale of a property where the parcel is reassessed at a fair market = value, or=20 the resale of a home which would require a new assessment and a possible = increase in property taxes.

In other business, the council voted = 3-2=20 against a resolution supporting the retention of the Amador Central = Railroad in=20 Martell. Despite their support for the spirit of the project, Hepworth = said=20 there were just too many details that would not work.

Kelly = Enos