The Historic Preservation Review Commission (HPRC) approved a resolution to support updates to design guidelines for the Downtown Historic Conservation Plan (DHCP) and appointed chair Tim Reynolds to serve on the project’s Community Advisory Group at Thursday’s meeting.

The presentation was delivered by Benicia’s new principal planner, Suzanne Thorsen. Thorsen previously served in associate and senior planner positions for the city from 2014 to 2016 before leaving to become a senior associate for Chicago consulting firm Houseal Lavigne Associates. Thursday’s meeting came shortly after her return to Benicia, and one of her first tasks was to lead a discussion on potential updates to the DHCP.

The DHCP was adopted in 1990 to provide guidelines for construction on commercial and residential buildings in designated areas of town. The city was recently awarded a grant from the State Office of Historic Preservation to help fund updates to the design guidelines and procedures, Thorsen wrote in a report.

While Thorsen said the intent behind the document is good, she echoed others’ sentiments that the language could be more user-friendly.

“I think the bones of our old guideline are pretty good in terms of the bases that are covered,” she said. “There are issues with the way it’s written.”

Currently, Thorsen said the DHCP is very text-heavy and focuses primarily on procedures. The updated document would incorporate more images and resources. Thorsen said Chapter 3 of the document, which deals with the design review process, will be changed.

“The design guidelines that were written in 1990 will be replaced with new guidelines,” she said.

Reynolds asked how the entitlement process would change with the new guidelines. Thorsen said applicants determining their process has been a source of frustration with the current document.

“There’s exemptions in the beginning of (Chapter 3) and footnoted exemptions on the tables that are very clumsily written,” she said. “Often, either staff or the public stumbles over the language, trying to figure out what’s required. That whole thing, it’s been a continuous source of frustration for folks in the Historic Conservation District. That’s a priority for us to correct.”

Commissioner Jack Maccoun suggested the document include visual examples of design elements that are not acceptable, such as chain-link fences on First Street or the Downtown Historic District or security screen doors in certain areas. Thorsen agreed but suggested staff go outside Benicia for those images.

“We don’t want to shame anybody in our design guidelines,” she said. “We want to highlight the good things that people in Benicia are doing and give more anonymous examples of things we don’t want to see.”

One of the goals of the project is to incorporate public involvement and outreach, which will be done through a community workshop and hearings, a web page and the formation of a Community Advisory Group consisting of five to seven members, including up to two Historic Preservation Review Commissioners. Thorsen said the goal of the group was “to serve as a touchpoint for us through the process of drafting the guidelines.”

“We would go to the Community Advisory Group with updates to get their feedback on materials or specific topics and just give us perspective if it falls outside the perspective a commission might otherwise give,” she said.

The HPRC appointed Reynolds to serve in the group and adopted the resolution. According to Thorsen, California requires Benicia to adopt the updated design guidelines by the end of September 2018. The city plans to choose a consultant by the end of November 2017 around the same time the advisory group has its first meeting. The draft document is slated for public review in April or May, which will be followed by hearings at HPRC, Planning Commission and City Council meetings.

In other business, the HPRC voted 6-0— Commissioner Luis Delgado was absent— to support a nomination of the Benicia City Cemetery to the California State Register of Historical Resources and the National Register of Historic Places.

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