Coastside Cultural Resources of San Mateo County
An Approach to Developing A Protection Program for the San Mateo County Coastal Zone.
Prepared by the Department of Environmental Management, Planning Division, San Mateo County, Redwood City, California. September 1980.
This project is supported by a grant from the National Endowment For The Arts, Washington, D.C. a Federal agency.
Chapter 5
THE PROTECTION PROGRAM
The program to protect coastal cultural resources is composed of various
methods and implementation techniques. A major component in this program is
delineating scenic corridors that define the space in which a majority of
the cultural resources are located. It is here that the protection program
will be most influential. Another area of great importance is community
design, for in urban areas outside scenic corridors the design review
process becomes a key element in protecting cultural resources. Also, the
Historical and Cultural Resources Element to the County General Plan,
Historic and Cultural Resources Protection Ordinance, and Historic
Resources Advisory Board are major features in protecting historic
buildings and structures.
In addition to these methods, other techniques can be employed to
complement the protection program. These include: building codes for
historic buildings, transfer of development rights, facade easements, tax
incentives, revolving funds, acquisition, restrictive covenants, and
private recognition.
The protection program describes (1) methods presently employed in San
Mateo County and (2) additional methods of protection which may be used to
supplement this program.
A. METHODS OF PROTECTION IN SAN MATEO COUNTY
1. SCENIC CORRIDORS
It became clear during the inventory process that coastal cultural
resources are almost always included within the scenic corridor, or
viewshed, of a roadway. Because of its rugged terrain, there are few roads
on the San Mateo coast, and these are restricted to the coastal terrace and
the valleys which cut into the mountainsides. It was along these limited
lines of transportation, and at their cross-roads, that the majority of the
early structures which grace the landscape were built. Along these roadways
are also visible the great variety, grandeur, and beauty of the coastal
landscape.
As the study evolved, it became increasingly evident that in rural areas a
program based on view corridors along coastal roads provided a logical and
practical approach to protecting cultural resources in their natural
setting. In largely undeveloped regions, such as the San Mateo Coastside,
any preservation and protection program must be looked at in terms of the
total environment. Preservation must include not just man-made features,
but an area large enough to sustain the qualities of the vast, open
landscape that is so essential in maintaining the traditional character of
the small towns and villages, farmsteads, and historical and cultural
structures.
a. Scenic Roads Element
The Scenic Roads Element of the County General Plan establishes a system of
County scenic roads and sets forth a program for the protection and
enhancement of scenic qualities within adjacent scenic corridors. The
scenic roads designated in the Element provide the basis for the system
delineated in this program.
b. Delineation of Scenic Corridors
Scenic corridors are generally described as "the view from the road" and
can best be defined as the visible land area outside a road right-of-way.
Scenic corridors have been defined for all roads in the Coastal Zone
designated as scenic roads in the Scenic Roads Element. They vary in width
according to topography and vegetative cover; flat open areas will have
wider corridors than steep, narrow canyons or densely wooded areas. The
criteria used for defining scenic corridors are based on those developed by
the State of California for Official State Scenic Highways. These criteria
have been used as general guidelines.
In delineating scenic corridors for the coastal roads, the guidelines on
Table III, which follows, have been employed. {My note: Map III and Map IV,
not included here, show the delineation of the scenic corridors and the
location of cultural resources in the Mid and South Coast.
TABLE III
CRITERIA FOR DELINEATING SCENIC CORRIDORS
FEATURE
Vision
CRITERIA
Angle and Duration of View
Passengers in an automobile generally have a wide sweep of vision. Cyclists
and hikers have even a wider scope. The angle at which the landscape
features may be seen from the roadway, in both directions of travel, the
foreground features framing them, and the period of time they can be
observed all bear on the delineation of the corridor and must be taken into
consideration.
FEATURE
Range of Visibility
CRITERIA
Topography
When landforms, such as the crest of a ridge brings the range of vision
from the roadway close to the right-of-way (e.g., half a mile), the entire
visible area should be included in the corridor.
{my note: Chapter 5, Table III, to be continued later today.)
back to Chapter 4
This material provided by june@aimnet.com (june morrall)