Phase I Report
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City of Murrieta Jefferson Avenue Apartment Project INITIAL STUDY APPENDIX 3 TOM DODSON & ASSOCIATES HISTORICAL/ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES SURVEY REPORT JEFFERSON AVENUE APARTMENT PROJECT Assessor’s Parcel Number 949-220-048 City of Murrieta, Riverside County, California For Submittal to: Planning Department City of Murrieta 1 Town Square Murrieta, CA 92562 Prepared for: Tom Dodson and Associates 2150 N. Arrowhead Avenue San Bernardino, CA 92405 Prepared by: CRM TECH 1016 E. Cooley Drive, Suite A/B Colton, CA 92324 Bai “Tom” Tang, Principal Investigator Michael Hogan, Principal Investigator May 22, 2020 CRM TECH Contract No. 3535 Title: Historical/Archaeological Resources Survey: Jefferson Avenue Apartments Project, Assessor’s Parcel No. 949-220-048, City of Murrieta, Riverside County, California Author(s): Bai “Tom” Tang, Principal Investigator Deirdre Encarnación, Archaeologist/Report Writer Terri Jacquemain, Historian/Architectural Historian Daniel Ballester, Archaeologist/Field Director Consulting Firm: CRM TECH 1016 E. Cooley Drive, Suite A/B Colton, CA 92324 (909) 824-6400 Date: May 22, 2020 For Submittal to: Planning Department City of Murrieta 1 Town Square Murrieta, CA 92562 (951) 461-6061 Prepared for: Tom Dodson Tom Dodson and Associates 2150 N. Arrowhead Avenue San Bernardino, CA 92405 (909) 882-3612 Project Size: Approximately 9.18 acres USGS Quadrangle: Murrieta, Calif., 7.5’ quadrangle (a portion of the Rancho Temecula land grant in T7S R3W, San Bernardino Baseline and Meridian) Keywords: Temecula Valley, southwestern Riverside County; Phase I cultural resources survey; Site 33-005785(CA-RIV-5517H): barbed-wire fence line; Site 33-005787 (CA-RIV-5519H): concrete and stone “cooler” building; no “historical resources” under CEQA MANAGEMENT SUMMARY Between August 2019 and May 2020, at the request of Tom Dodson and Associates, CRM TECH performed a cultural resources study on approximately 9.18 acres of mostly vacant land in the City of Murrieta, Riverside County, California. The subject property of the study, Assessor’s Parcel No. 949-220-048, is located on the northeastern side of Jefferson Avenue between Los Alamos Road and Murrieta Hot Springs Road, in a portion of the Rancho Temecula land grant lying within T7S R3W, San Bernardino Baseline and Meridian. The study is part of the environmental review process for the proposed Jefferson Avenue Apartments Project, which entails the construction of a 160-unit apartment complex with seven two- to three-story residential buildings, a leasing office, a club house, a gym, 21 garages, 180 outdoor parking spaces, recreational facilities, and associated infrastructure improvements. The City of Murrieta, as the lead agency for the project, required the study in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The purpose of the study is to provide the City of Murrieta with the necessary information and analysis to determine whether the proposed project would cause substantial adverse changes to any “historical resources,” as defined by CEQA, that may exist in or near the project area. In order to identify such resources, CRM TECH conducted a historical/archaeological resources records search, pursued historical background research, consulted with Native American and local community representatives, and carried out an intensive-level field survey. The results of the records search indicate that two historic-period sites, 33-005785 (CA-RIV- 5517H) and 33-005787 (CA-RIV-5519H), were previously recorded in the project area, and the field survey confirmed their continued presence. Site 33-005785 consists of a barbed-wire fence line of unknown age, while Site 33-005787 represents a concrete-and-stone “cooler” building constructed by a family of early settlers and local ranchers, the Rails, in 1936. Neither of these sites, however, appears to meet any of the criteria for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources. As such, neither of them qualifies as a “historical resource” for CEQA-compliance purposes, although the 84-year-old cooler building at Site 33-005787 retains some local historical interest to the community. No other potential “historical resources” were identified within the project area. Based on the research results summarized above, CRM TECH recommends to the City of Murrieta a finding of No Impact regarding “historical resources.” No further cultural resources investigation will be necessary under CEQA provisions unless development plans undergo such changes as to include areas not covered by this study. However, in the interest of preserving the community’s historical heritage whenever possible, further consultation with the Murrieta Valley Historical Society is recommended to explore the possibility for the society to salvage the cooler building at 33-005787. If buried cultural materials are encountered during any earth-moving operations associated with the project, all work in that area should be halted or diverted until a qualified archaeologist can evaluate the nature and significance of the finds. i TABLE OF CONTENTS MANAGEMENT SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. i INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 SETTING .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Current Natural Setting ..................................................................................................................... 4 Cultural Setting ................................................................................................................................. 5 Prehistoric Context........................................................................................................................ 5 Ethnohistoric Context ................................................................................................................... 6 Historic Context ............................................................................................................................ 7 RESEARCH METHODS ..................................................................................................................... 8 Records Search.................................................................................................................................. 8 Historical Research ........................................................................................................................... 8 Field Survey ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Consultation with Local Community Representatives ..................................................................... 8 Native American Participation .......................................................................................................... 9 RESULTS AND FINDINGS ................................................................................................................ 9 Previous Cultural Resources Studies in the Vicinity ........................................................................ 9 Historical Background of the Project Area ..................................................................................... 11 Potential “Historical Resources identified ...................................................................................... 12 Site 33-005785 ............................................................................................................................ 13 Site 33-005787 ............................................................................................................................ 13 Local Community Input .................................................................................................................. 15 Native American Input .................................................................................................................... 15 DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Definition of “Historical Resources” .............................................................................................. 16 Significance Evaluation .................................................................................................................. 16 Site 33-005785 ............................................................................................................................ 16 Site 33-005787 ............................................................................................................................ 17 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................. 17 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 18 APPENDIX 1: Personnel Qualifications ............................................................................................ 21 APPENDIX 2: Correspondence with Native American Representatives ........................................... 26 APPENDIX 3: CHRIS Record Forms ................................................................................................ 37 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Project vicinity.....................................................................................................................