An applicant must submit (3) administrative draft copies of a Phase One Historic Assessment to HCD.  Submission requirements vary based on the consultant’s findings as follows:

• Not Significant - submit a letter stating why the property is not historically significant, citing local, state and federal criteria to support the finding.
• Significant w/o Integrity – submit a completed DPR 523a and DPR 523b (Primary Record and Building, Structure, Object Record) with a cover letter that addresses the seven specific aspects of integrity and which of the seven have been lost and why.
• Significant – submit a completed DPR 523a and DPR 523b (Primary Record and Building, Structure, Object Record) with a cover letter stating at what level (local, state and/or national) the resource is historically significant and the applicable criteria.  On DPR 523b, section B10, address integrity and list the character defining features of the resource.
• Historic District – submit a completed DPR 523a (Primary Record), DPR 523b (Building, Structure, and Object Record), and DPR 523d (District Record). Include a cover letter stating at what level (local, state or national) the resource is significant and the applicable criteria. On DPR 523d, section D3, list which elements of the District are contributing and their character defining features and which elements are non-contributing. 

Cultural Landscapes

Cultural landscapes can range from a ranch complex with hundreds of acres of land to an individual residence with a garden created by a professional landscape designer. When preparing an assessment of a historic resource consider any landscape elements which may contribute to its overall significance. 

Context Statements 

The development of historic contexts is the foundation for decisions about the identification, evaluation, registration and treatment of historic resources. Monterey County has developed the following historic contexts:

• Agricultural Resources in the Salinas Valley
• Agricultural Resources in the South County Planning Area
• Agricultural Resources in the North County Planning Area
• Pebble Beach
• Agricultural Resources Evaluation Handbook 

If your property is related to agriculture, i.e., a farm, packing facility, labor camp, etc., or is located within the Del Monte Forest Planning Area, HCD staff can provide an initial historical evaluation of your property to determine if a Phase I assessment is required.  

An applicant must submit three (3) administrative draft copies of a Phase Two Historic Assessment to HCD.  The assessment should be written in a narrative tone, checked for typographical errors and proof-read for syntax.  All material facts, such as the date of construction, must contain references to sources of information. 

The assessment must contain subheadings and page numbers for clarity and organization.  Maps, photographs and figures should be labeled and integrated within the text of the assessment or assembled in an appendix. The consultant must address the Department’s comments before the historic assessment will be accepted and used for environmental review. 

A Phase Two Historic Assessment prepared for Monterey County must conform to the following format: 

A. Title Page

A title page is required that contains the following:

1. Name and address of the property owner, 
2. Name and address of the applicant, 
3. Name and address of the consultant and, 
4. The completion date of the report. 

B Table of Contents

A table of contents is required that indicates the page numbers of each of the items from Section C through I below.   

C. Introduction

The introduction should include, but not be limited to the:

1. Name of proposed project, 
2. Name of developer, 
3. Description of the proposed project, 
4. Address, nearest cross streets, acreage, and Assessor’s Parcel Numbers (APN) 
5. Current use of the property, 
6. Names of the firm, principal and staff preparing the assessment and each of their professional qualifications, 
7. Beginning and completion dates of the assessment, 
8. Description of the research procedures used to prepare the assessment, and 
9. Current listing of the property on the National Register, California Register or Monterey County Register.

D. Historical Background 

Summarize the historical background of the property based on the Phase I assessment and attach DPR 523b. In the case of a historic district attach a DPR 523d. 

E. Description of the Historic Resource 

Summarize the description of the historic resource based on the Phase I assessment and attach DPR 523a. In the case of a historic district attach DPR 523d. Attach current photos of each elevation and historic photos if available. 

F. Evaluation for Significance 

Summarize the evaluation of significance based on the Phase I assessment.

G. Impacts of the Proposed Project

A project that has been determined to conform with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties can generally be considered a project that will not cause a significant impact (14CCR § 15126.4(b)(1)). In most cases if a project meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties it can be considered categorically exempt from CEQA (Title 14 Chapter 3 15064.5(C)(3).1 

The Standards are four distinct, but interrelated approaches to the treatment of historic properties – preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction: 

1. Preservation focuses on the maintenance and repair of existing historic materials and retention of a property’s form as it has evolved over time.
2. Rehabilitation acknowledges the need to alter or add to a historic property to meet continuing or changing uses while retaining the property’s historic character.
3. Restoration depicts a property at a particular period of time in its history, while removing evidence of other periods.
4. Reconstruction re-creates vanished or non-surviving portions of a property for interpretive purposes. 

After selecting which treatment will be used for the project, describe how the proposed work will affect the historic resource and if the proposed work meets the Standards within that treatment. Organize the description of the Standards by elevation. Please note that treatments may be combined. 

_______________________

(1) “Generally, a project that follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings or the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings (1995), Weeks and Grimmer, shall be mitigated to a level of less than a significant impact on the historic resource.” 

Documents to be reviewed should include a 

• Site plan, floor plans and elevations of the existing property and proposed project.
• Elevations should show the existing elevation and the proposed elevation on the same sheet. Distinguish any proposed alteration from existing elevations with line weight and/or dimension brackets.
• If applicable, all additions and/or changes to the building over time should be indicated and dated so it is clear how the building changed over time.
• Plans should be submitted electronically to HCD.
• The plans should be available at the HRRB meeting. If the resource is part of a district, the analysis should also discuss impacts to other contributing properties in the district.