CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA

CITY COUNCIL
Staff Report
SR 2017-054
May 2, 2017
Consent Agenda

TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members

SUBMITTED BY: Marc Wiener, AICP, Community Planning and Building Director
Corrie Kates, CBO, Contract Building Official

APPROVED BY: Chip Rerig, City Administrator

SUBJECT: Consideration of a determination that there exists an unreasonable hardship for

providing fully compliant accessibility at the Scout House property due to site
constraints.

RECOMMENDATION

Adopt a resolution determining that there exists an unreasonable hardship for providing fully compliant
accessibility at the Scout House property due to site constraints.

BACKGROUND / SUMMARY

The Scout House is a City-owned building located at the northeast corner of Mission Street and Eighth
Avenue. The building was constructed by M.J. Murphy in 1931, and was added to the Citys Historic Inventory
in 2002, as an important component of the civic and social fabric of the community. The Scout House has been
closed to the public for several decades because it does not meet the accessibility requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Act).

Over the past couple of years the City has authorized individuals from Carmel Boy Scout Troop 127 to work on
access upgrades to the site. In 2015, the City approved an ADA accessible parking space on the east side of
the property which has since been completed. In September 2016, the City Council approved a new accessible
entry door and modifications to the interior that include two new accessible bathrooms. When a building permit
is issued for work to a commercial building, the building code requires the City to evaluate public right-of-way
access and the existence of disabled parking stalls. In this case, the Scout House is not accessible from the
public right-of-way via a ramp or pathway due to the topography of the site. Furthermore, the parking space
constructed in 2015 is compliant for a standard vehicle but not for a van. ADA accessibility at this site is limited
by the topography of the property and the fact that the site is on the Citys Historic Inventory, which limits site
modifications.

In situations when it is physically impractical to provide fully compliant accessibility, the Building Code allows
for a public agency to determine that an unreasonable hardship exists. (Chapter 2 Section 202 and Section
11B-106.5 CBC 2013). The City has determined that site conditions at the Scout House property such as
topography, building location and the historic nature of the site make it structurally and technically infeasible to
provide fully compliant accessibility, and as such, there exists an unreasonable hardship.
In addition, State law allows for an exception to certain ADA requirements for registered historic buildings, such
as the Scout House (Section 202.5 of Historical Building Code).

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:

The City determined that the proposed action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) (CCR, Title 14, Chapter 3 (CEQA Guidelines), Article 20, Section 15378). In addition,
CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 includes the general rule that CEQA applies only to activities which have the
potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no
possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not
subject to CEQA. Because the proposed action and this matter have no potential to cause any effect on the
environment, and because it falls within a category of activities excluded as projects pursuant to CEQA
Guidelines section 15378, this matter is not a project. Because the matter does not cause a direct or any
reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change on or in the environment, this matter is not a project.

RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution determining that there is an unreasonable hardship
in providing fully compliant site accessibility to the building with the recently approved project. With this
determination the applicant may proceed with the project. It should be noted that because the Scout House
site still would not be ADA accessible, the building could not be used by the City. However, the building could
potentially be leased by the City to a non-profit entity for use at a future date.

FISCAL IMPACT

None
CAL IMPACT
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION

On September 13, 2016, the City Council approved a new ADA accessible entry door and modifications to the
interior that include two new ADA accessible bathrooms.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Resolution No. 2017-xx

2. Approved Plans (9/13/16)
 Attachment 1

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
CITY COUNCIL

RESOLUTION NO. 2017-

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA DETERMINING THAT

THERE EXISTS AN UNREASONABLE HARDSHIP FOR PROVIDING FULLY COMPLIANT ACCESIBILITY
AT THE SCOUT HOUSE PROPERTY DUE TO SITE CONSTRAINTS

________________________________________________________________________________________

WHEREAS, The Scout House is a City-owned building that is on the local historic inventory and is
located at the northeast corner of Mission Street and Eighth Avenue; and

WHEREAS, on September 13, 2016, the City Council authorized work to the Scout House that
includes an accessible entry door and two accessible bathrooms.

WHEREAS, approval of the accessible door and bathrooms require evaluation of public right-of-way
access; and

WHEREAS, The Scout House building is located on a property with a steep grade (18% slope) and
the main level has a finished floor level that is at a maximum of 17 feet above street grade; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 2, Section 202 of the California Building Code provides that the cost of providing
access would be detrimental to the project success and would make the cost of the proposed construction
unsustainable and would impede the ability of the project to move forward; and

WHEREAS, the topography is such that full ADA compliance is technically infeasible to seek full
compliance from this existing facility. Section 11B-106.5 of the California Building Code allows for such an
exception to considered as well; and

WHEREAS, Section 35.121 (2) also provides an exception for full ADA compliance in that it is
structurally impractical and the existence of unique terrain and site conditions that lend itself to an
exception from full ADA compliance; and

WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that due to site constraints there exists an unreasonable
hardship and is technically infeasible to require full ADA compliance and accessibility for the Scout House;
and

WHEREAS, the Scout House is registered as a Historical Building and as such qualifies for an
exception for full ADA compliance per Section 202.5 under Alterations of Historic Buildings in that there
are other improvements being made that are ADA compliant; and

WHEREAS, an exception can be considered in that the necessary alterations would threaten or
destroy the historic integrity of the site and creates an undue financial or administrative burden and that
the ADA regulations allow alternative methods to be used to achieve program accessibility; and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-
THE-SEA DOES HEREBY:

Determine that there exists an unreasonable hardship for providing fully compliant site accessibility at the
Scout House Property due to site constraints.
 PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA this
2nd day of May, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Hardy, Reimers, Richards, Theis, Dallas

NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None

ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None

ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS: None

SIGNED: ATTEST:

_______________________ ___________________________
Steve G. Dallas, Mayor Ashlee Wright, City Clerk
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PROJ. N 1421

SHEET NUMBER

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