Prior to Within 90 days of the issuance of any planning or development approval for use of the historic Roundhouse (e.g., site remediation, grading, site development plan, building permit) encompassing the area of the historic Roundhouse, the property owner shall also submit a rehabilitation plan for the historic Roundhouse to the City for review and approval by the Brisbane Planning Commission. Implementation of the rehabilitation plan shall be completed prior to the first issuance of an occupancy permit for the area subject to the planning or development permit approved encompassing the area of the historic Roundhouse.
The rehabilitation plan shall be consistent with the performance standards contained in the following documents:3
- The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Such standards call for the retention of significant, character-defining features of the building while finding a new use for the structure that is compatible with its historic character;
- The National Park Service’s Preservation Brief #17, Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Architectural Character; and
- The National Park Service’s Preservation Brief #18, Rehabilitating Interiors in Historic Buildings - Identifying and Preserving Character-Defining Elements.
To ensure compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, rehabilitation plans shall also be reviewed by a qualified consulting architectural historian who meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Architectural History prior to action by the Planning Commission. The rehabilitation plans shall meet a minimum of 7 out of 10 of the standards.
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standard #6, specifically, requires that replacement of missing features will be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence. As nearly 50 percent of the building is missing due to fires and vandalism, such evidence is key to its successful rehabilitation. Original plans and early photographs of the Roundhouse are available at the Library and Collections Department of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. These original plans and early photographs shall be used when preparing the rehabilitation plan for this building to ensure that rehabilitation efforts will adequately preserve the historic architectural and structural integrity of the building.