Cultural Resources Survey of the Melrose Drive Extension
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Archaeological and Historical Resources Survey and Evaluation for the Melrose Drive Extension Project, Oceanside, California Prepared for: Seán Cárdenas, RPA Senior Project Manager HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc. 7578 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 200 La Mesa, California 91941 Prepared by: Susan M. Hector, Ph.D. Principal Investigator Sinéad Ní Ghabhláin, Ph.D. Senior Archaeologist And Michelle Dalope Associate Archaeologist December 2009 2034 Corte Del Nogal Carlsbad, California 92011 (760) 804-5757 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES SURVEY AND EVALUATION FOR THE MELROSE DRIVE EXTENSION PROJECT, OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA Submitted to: Seán Cárdenas, RPA Senior Project Manager HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc. 7578 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 200 La Mesa, California 91941 Prepared by: Susan M. Hector, Ph.D. Principal Investigator Sinéad Ní Ghabhláin, Ph.D. Senior Archaeologist Michelle Dalope Associate Archaeologist ASM Affiliates, Inc. 2034 Corte Del Nogal Carlsbad, California 92011 December 2009 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1 2. PROJECT AREA BACKGROUND ................................................... 5 ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................... 5 PREHISTORIC CULTURAL SEQUENCE .................................................... 6 Terminological Framework ..................................................................... 6 Human Occupation Prior to 11,500 B.P. .................................................... 7 Paleoindian Period (11,500-8500/7500 B.P.) ............................................... 7 Archaic Period (8500 B.P. - 1300/800 B.P.) ................................................ 8 Late Prehistoric Period (1300/800 B.P. - 200 B.P.) ....................................... 9 ETHNOHISTORIC CONTEXT.................................................................. 10 HISTORY OF RANCHO GUAJOME LAND GRANT ..................................... 12 PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES IN THE VICINITY AND AT GUAJOME REGIONAL PARK ................................................................. 13 SDM-W-479/SDI-8241 ......................................................................... 14 SDM-W-480 ...................................................................................... 14 SDM-W-481 ...................................................................................... 14 SDM-W-482 ...................................................................................... 14 SDM-W-568 ...................................................................................... 14 3. RECORDS SEARCH RESULTS ..................................................... 17 4. SURVEY METHODS AND RESULTS ............................................. 19 SURVEY METHODS ............................................................................. 19 SURVEY RESULTS ............................................................................... 20 Prehistoric Cultural Resources ................................................................ 20 Historic Cultural Resources ................................................................... 26 Historic Building Survey ....................................................................... 26 5. IMPACTS AND MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS ......................... 33 CALIFORNIA REGISTER AND THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) ......................................................................... 33 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES .......................................... 34 COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO LOCAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC RESOURCES ..... 34 COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO RESOURCE PROTECTION ORDINANCE (RPO) ...... 35 Historic Resources .............................................................................. 35 Prehistoric Resources ........................................................................... 36 Melrose Drive Extension i Table of Contents REFERENCES .................................................................................... 39 APPENDICES ..................................................................................... 47 APPENDIX A. Native American Consultation APPENDIX B. House Photos APPENDIX C. DPR Form LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Project vicinity. ............................................................................. 2 Figure 2. Project location. ............................................................................. 3 Figure 3. Road alignments and study area. ........................................................ 21 Figure 4. Conceptual trail plan along North Santa Fe Avenue and the proposed Melrose Drive extension. ................................................................. 23 Figure 5. South façade of 2283 Glenview Lane. ................................................. 32 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Cultural Resources Within the One-Mile Records Search Radius of the Melrose Drive Extension Project Area ................................................. 17 Table 2. Results of 2008 Survey for Parcels within the Study Area. ........................ 24 Table 3. Dates of Construction for Buildings within Alignments A-C and the Study Area. ................................................................................. 27 Table 4. Eligibility Assessment for Houses Over 45 Years Old in Alignments A-C and the Study Area. ....................................................................... 30 ii Melrose Drive Extension 1. Introduction 1. INTRODUCTION This report describes the results of archaeological and historical resources surveys for the Melrose Drive Extension project located between North Santa Fe Avenue and Spur Avenue (Figures 1 and 2). Melrose Drive currently terminates at North Santa Fe Avenue (County Route S14) and begins again at Spur Avenue, north of Guajome Lake Road. The proposed project would extend Melrose Drive across this gap, in one of three alignments that are under consideration. The proposed project would extend Melrose Drive approximately 3,000 feet between North Santa Fe Avenue and Spur Avenue and widen approximately 1,900 feet of existing roadway, south of North Santa Fe Avenue. Currently, Melrose Drive terminates at North Santa Fe Avenue and Spur Avenue. The extension would cross unincorporated County land and connect the two termini in the City of Oceanside, allowing access between North Santa Fe Avenue and State Route 76 via Melrose Drive. Three alternative alignments were analyzed equally for a project- level EIR. Alternative B has the least impacts to Guajome Regional Park, but the greatest residential and grading impacts. Alternative C has the greatest impacts to Guajome Regional Park, but the least residential impacts. Alternative A is a compromise between impacts to Guajome Regional Park and residential uses. The County is the responsible agency for parkland, unincorporated County land (RPO), and the grading permit. This area is rich in prehistory and history, with the establishment of the National Historic Landmark Rancho Guajome Adobe as a major part of the history of the state of California. Native people lived along the San Luis Rey River for thousands of years, leaving behind ample evidence of the richness of their cultures. As a result of the surveys, an isolated artifact was found within the proposed alignments. The isolate consisted of a piece of gray chert debitage, about two centimeters in length and a centimeter in width. No other cultural resources were identified within the project alignments. However, it should be noted that access was not possible for the entire study area. Houses within the alternative alignments are over 45 years old (built before 1963); this report contains an evaluation of the historical significance of 26 buildings and structures (Appendices A and B provide additional information on the structures). One building at 2283 Glenview Lane, APN 159-080-23, built in 1927, appeared to have the potential to be eligible to the California Register of Historic Resources. It was formally evaluated for eligibility but was determined to have poor integrity. It is recommended not eligible. Melrose Drive Extension 1 1. Introduction Figure 1. Project vicinity. 2 Melrose Drive Extension 1. Introduction Figure 2. Project location. Melrose Drive Extension 3 2. Project Area Background 2. PROJECT AREA BACKGROUND This chapter reviews the environmental setting, and the prehistoric, ethnohistoric, and historic cultural sequence. This is a summary of how pertinent investigations in the general region have contributed to the current constructions of past cultural history. It is not intended to be an exhaustive account of all research conducted in the area. ENVIRONMENT The project area consists of low hills dissected by drainages that empty into the San Luis Rey River; many springs, wetlands, and riparian corridors are located in the area. The region is characterized by a Mediterranean semiarid steppe climate, moderated by coastal proximity (Bowman 1973; Hines and Rivers 1991). Precipitation averages 270 mm per year and falls primarily in the winter (from December to April). The Mediterranean climate of the region is typified by broad zones of associated vegetation, with wide transitional zones (or ecotones) between vegetation communities. These modern vegetation associations have been variously classified (e.g., Beauchamp 1986; Oberbauer 1978). The late Holocene appears to have witnessed only minimal climatic change