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6.C.
Heritage Preservation Commission
Meeting Date:
05/20/2026
From:
Lauren Clementino, Senior Planner/Heritage Preservation Officer

TITLE:

19 W. Birch Ave. Certificate of Appropriateness

PROPERTY INFORMATION:

Address:  19 W. Birch Ave. 
Assessor's Parcel Number:  100-19-004A, 100-19-008A, and 100-19-007
Property Owner:  Capri Flagstaff LLC and Leroux Retail LLC
Applicant:  Capri Flagstaff LLC
City Staff:  Lauren Clementino, HPO

REQUESTED ACTION:

Approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for:
  1. Demolition of the existing building at 19 W. Birch Ave. (parcel 100-19-004A).
  2. Design of new hotel and parking garage buildings on parcels 100-19-004A, 100-19-008A, and 100-19-007.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Divide the request into two separate parts and approve separate motions to:
  1. Require a Certificate of Economic Hardship for the demolition of the existing building at 19 W. Birch Ave.
  2. Approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the design of the new hotel and parking garage, conditioned on a future approval of the Certificate of Economic Hardship and/or completion of a Temporary Delay of Demolition.

ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS:

  1. The Commission can approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for both the demolition and the design without additional conditions;
  2. The Commission can approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for both the demolition and the design with additional conditions related to the standards and guidelines applicable to the case;
  3. The Commission can request additional information and continue to a date certain; or
  4. The Commission can deny the application for both the demolition and the design and require a Certificate of Economic Hardship.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Cornerstone Environmental Consulting, LLC, was contracted by Capri Flagstaff LLC to conduct a Phase 1 Cultural Resource Study for the existing building at 19 W. Birch Ave. This building had not been previously studied. It is located within the Downtown Historic Overlay Zone, but outside of the Railroad Addition Historic District. The Phase 1 Cultural Resource Study found that the building is significant under City of Flagstaff Criterion B and NRHP Criterion A for its associations with the areas of Social History and Government and under City of Flagstaff Criterion D for its architectural qualities.

HAS THERE BEEN PREVIOUS COMMISSION DECISION ON THIS: 
 
At the May 21, 2025 meeting, the Heritage Preservation Commission reviewed a first submittal of the Phase 1 study and moved "to not accept the report and ask for revisions with a further re-evaluation of Flagstaff Criteria B and D and do further research into courts or the role of the courts in the building, social movements, construction methods and processes, and the post-WWII boom in Flagstaff, through documents such as oral histories, historic photos, architectural and City records and NAU newspapers, and to reduce the focus on interior integrity in their assessment."
 
At the July 16, 2025 meeting, the Commission reviewed the revised submittal of the Phase 1 Cultural Resource Study and selected measures to mitigate the proposed major impact of demolition of the property. The Commission found and determined that the facts exist as required by Section 10-30.30 of the Zoning Code to approve the study (by a vote of 7-0) with the following conditions:
  1. The grammatical corrections noted by Commissioner Westheimer (including correct spelling of the names Robert W. Prochnow and Paul Babbitt Jr. and inclusion of Pat Madden as a source in the References) be incorporated into the Phase 1 to be approved by the Heritage Preservation Officer 
  2. Completion of a Phase 2 Cultural Resource Study to focus on architectural documentation to include archival grade photography, as-built drawings, and elevation drawings to be reviewed by the Heritage Preservation Commission 
  3. Interpretive mitigation for the National Register of Historic Places Criteria A significance be developed in conjunction with the Indigenous Commission and reviewed by the Heritage Preservation Commission 
  4. Malpais rocks be incorporated into the new building, preferably on the exterior, preferably salvaged, to be reviewed by the Heritage Preservation Commission during the Certificate of Appropriateness review 
  5. Archiving both Cultural Resource Studies, Phases 1 and 2, in a place where they will be publicly accessible, preferably the City of Flagstaff library and/or website
The first condition (addressing grammatical corrections in the Phase 1 report) has been met and the revisions approved by the Heritage Preservation Officer on July 21, 2025. The Phase 2 Cultural Resource Study was submitted for review by the Commission at the May 20, 2026 meeting as a separate Public Hearing item. The current Certificate of Appropriateness application demonstrates the proposed location for the malpais stone in the new design. The final condition (publicly accessible archiving of the Cultural Resource Studies) will be addressed after the Phase 2 Cultural Resource Study has been approved by the Commission.

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