Tamazyan Rezone (R2501C) APN 116-060-011

Hasmik Tamazyan, the owner of a 0.75-acre parcel (APN 116-060-011) located on the north side of Old Mill Road, approximately 250 feet from the intersection of Old Mill Road and Northcrest Drive in Crescent City, CA, has submitted an application to rezone a portion of his property. This area subject to the rezone is currently designated as a General Resource Conservation Area District (RCA-1), and he seeks to change it to a Designated Resource Conservation Area District (RCA-2) to allow for improvements to his existing residence. The RCA designation reflects the presence of a deep drainage ravine. Water flows through this ravine in a northwest direction and eventually empties into the south end of Lake Earl. The residence is located approximately 90 feet from the water at the bottom of the ravine and sits approximately 50 feet above the elevation of the toe of the slope. Constructed in 1957, the residence predates the adoption of the County’s Local Coastal Program. A portion of the house was damaged by a house fire in September 2004, and while reconstruction was approved afterward, it did not take place because the property was sold. The house is situated on the edge of the RCA-1 zone (the eastern portion of the property), while the remainder of the parcel is zoned as Rural Residential Agriculture – 1-acre minimum (RRA-1, the western portion). The General Plan Land Use designation for the area outside the RCA zone is Suburban Residential, allowing up to two units per acre. The residence has been unoccupied for over 12 months. According to DNCC 21.48.40, if a nonconforming use of a building ceases for a continuous period of twelve months, it is considered abandoned unless the legal owner can provide valid proof to the contrary. As such, the building and the land it occupies would then be subject to the regulations outlined in Chapters 21.02 through 21.60 of the Del Norte County Code for the respective district. The residence has an onsite sewage disposal system and a well. The County’s Local Coastal Program mandates that RCA-1 areas be rezoned to a suitable RCA-2 designation, which also requires approval from the Coastal Commission as an amendment to the LCP. The RCA-1 zone is used in Del Norte County’s certified LCP to identify environmentally sensitive lands, which may include wetlands, farmed wetlands, riparian areas, estuaries, and coastal sand dunes. The rezone from a “general” to a “designated” zone district is essential to delineate the limit of resource lands and identify the portion of the lot suitable for residential development. Galea Biological Consulting has prepared an evaluation of the Resource Conservation Area conditions. The applicant proposes to make several improvements to the home, including upgrading the siding, electrical, and removing a substandard addition.