Martin Bernstein, a Palo Alto architect and former member of the Historic Resources Board, found himself in an unusual position last month when he received a notice from the city informing him that he was violating city code pertaining to work he was performing on his High Street home.
The notice, which was issued on Jan. 26 by lead code enforcement officer Brian Reynolds, informed Bernstein that the work he was performing inside the historic structure, which included installation of new sheetrock and repositioning of internal walls, required a permit that he had not obtained. The letter notified him that the city had received information about the construction and followed up with an inspection on Jan. 21, which led to a "stop work notice."
The notice informed him that he must submit an application for the work that is being performed by Feb. 25 and that a failure to do so will lead to fines, which begin at $500 per day and escalate to $1,000 per day.
"However, based on your cooperation we believe additional enforcement action will not occur," Reynolds wrote in the letter.
The home, which is located between Forest and Hamilton avenues, was constructed in 1897 and is considered a "Category 3" historic structure in the city's Historic Buildings Inventory. The status signifies that the home is a "good local example of an architectural style," according to the nonprofit Palo Alto Stanford Heritage.
When asked about the violation, Bernstein said he was preparing to make modification to the interior of his house last fall when two personal tragedies occurred. In October, he was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo a surgery from which he is now in recovery. In the same month, his father passed away, he told this publication.
"I was doing prep work and getting ready to submit the application when that happened, but I didn't get to that point," Bernstein said.
He emphasized that all the work he was performing at that time was limited to the interior of the home. The city has strict requirements about modifying exterior structures in historic districts.
"There was no change in the exterior because I know it's a requirement," he said.
Bernstein is well familiar with the city's code on renovations of historic structures, having spent more than a decade on the Historic Resources Board, including a stint as a board chair. His term concluded in February 2021, when council members expressed an interest in appointing new members and he fell one vote short of the five votes needed for reappointment.
Bernstein said that since receiving the notice of violation he has been working with the city to obtain a permit for the interior work. He also plans to apply for a permit for work on the back porch of his home, where he plans to create a laundry room. He has also corresponded with code enforcement officials to make sure all modifications to the building are up to code.
"They said they understand the situation and gave me an extension until the end of March to submit a permit," he said.
Comments
Registered user
Community Center
on Feb 16, 2022 at 10:45 am
Registered user
on Feb 16, 2022 at 10:45 am
The article states that Marty's house is on High St between Emerson and Ramona. All 3 are parallel to one another, so the description of the location is clearly incorrect.
Registered user
Palo Alto Weekly staff writer
on Feb 16, 2022 at 10:52 am
Registered user
on Feb 16, 2022 at 10:52 am
@Skip. Sorry for the error, which has been corrected.
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Feb 16, 2022 at 11:59 pm
Registered user
on Feb 16, 2022 at 11:59 pm
Was this architect and former chair of the historic resources commission unaware that permits are also often required for renovations on the inside of structures, and not just for renovations of exteriors?
Registered user
Palo Alto Hills
on Feb 18, 2022 at 8:09 am
Registered user
on Feb 18, 2022 at 8:09 am
This architect is a lucky man. He has [portion removed] violated [rules] that in the recent past he was enforcing through his position on the historic resources board and he is going to face no penalty. He gambled that he could save the cost of a permit application but it didn't work out. He's no worse off, it was worth a try and only an insider like him would have known the system well enough to play it this way. When did honor and integrity in public life meet its death?
Registered user
Downtown North
on Feb 18, 2022 at 8:46 am
Registered user
on Feb 18, 2022 at 8:46 am
This news article just came to my attention. I am Martin Bernstein’s sister. It saddens me that a member of my family should behave in this manner and I will not let myself be complicit by remaining silent. Martin is mistaken about the dates of events. The demolition of the project began in October 2020, not fall 2021 as he has stated, a full year before our father’s health failed and he passed away. I was my father’s caretaker and Martin did not participate. [Portion removed.]
Martin often invited me and other family members to come and look at the progress of his project so we have seen it. Martin was well aware that a permit was required [portion removed.] He used some unlicensed labor, worked slowly and stealthily and believed he could get away with nobody noticing. A job that could have been finished quickly has now been running for eighteen months. But he is right, he will get away with it in the sense he will face no penalty because he knows how to play the system. All talk over concern over our father’s death is nonsense [portion removed.]