CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 A PLANNER’S VIEW: LESSONS LEARNED PAM FIGGE, PRESENTER

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Overview of Presentation Background: Regulation and Why are Land Use Planners in Charge? The LESSONS:  Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees  Know the Terminology  Don’t be Fooled by Facades  Champion Re-use  Know Your City-County Permit Process  Understand Contextual Setting  Recognize Historical Associations and Private Investors

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Local Regulatory Agency City or County Planning Department  General Plans (Optional Historic Preservation Element - POLICY)  Zoning Regulations (Implement goals and policies of the General Plan - LAW)  Historic Preservation Ordinance  Historic or Landmark Overlay Zones  Specific Plan  Down-zoning  Historical Building Code  Financial Incentives (Tax Credits – Mills Act)

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 The Role of a Planner Generalists  Development Applications  State Mandates  Not Policy Makers Lack Specialized Training Work in a Political Arena

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Ministerial and Discretionary Actions: CEQA Ministerial Actions – Involves little or no personal judgment; standards have been adopted – e.g.: building permits  Exempt from CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) Discretionary Actions – Board, Commission, Council exercise judgment or deliberation – Involves due process  Subject to CEQA

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 CEQA Section “ The fact that a resource is not listed in, or determined to be eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources, not included in local register of historical resources (pursuant to section (k) of the Public Resources Code), or identified in an historical resources survey (meeting the criteria in section (g) of the a Public Resources Code) does not preclude a lead agency form determining that the resource may be an historical resource as defined in Public Resources Code sections (J) or ”

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Categorical Exemptions CEQA (c) “Significant Effect. A categorical exemption shall not be used for an activity where there is a reasonable possibility that the activity will have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances.”

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 What’s Below the Surface? Lesson #1

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Are You Grading or Excavating?

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Know the Difference Between Preserve, Rehabilitate, Restore, Renovate and Replicate Lesson #2

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 But…Don’t Get Hung-Up on Language to Preserve Resource Historical vs Aesthetic Resource

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Facades…Faux-Historical Keep new architecture true to its historical time and its setting Buildings should not present a false sense of historical development Lesson #3

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 New Construction New buildings can respect adjacent older architecture through the use of similar materials, size/height, window meter and style, roof shape and pitch

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 RE-USE IS ESSENTIAL Lesson #4

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Re-use Makes Economic Sense

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Building Permits and Demolition Does your city/county issue demolition permits over the counter? Lesson #5

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 The Stone Block Building

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Unsafe Buildings – Local Government’s Responsibility

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 ECONOMICS VS PRESERVATION The loser? The Community Triple-brick Construction

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Saving the Cupola

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 INCENTIVES FOR SAVING BUILDINGS City/County in leadership role Façade Improvement Program – Why not a Structural/Restoration Improvement Program? Provide public improvements: curb, gutter, sidewalk repairs or “relax” off-street parking requirements Streamline permit process: flexibility for re-use projects; CA Historic Building Code (Educate Building Department)

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Opportunities

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Contextual Setting: Building New Structures in an Old Neighborhood Lesson #6

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 CONTEXTUAL SETTING

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Architectural Review

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Third Street Houses Chico’s Federally-Listed District Language Houses Renovated

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 The Committed Private Investor with Support from the Local Historical Association Lesson #7

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 Baby Steps Are OK “MUST HAVES” Community Support & Political Will “In it for the long-run” attitude A Local Historic Preservation Group to Keep Preservation in the Forefront and be “Watchdogs” Preservation Goals and Policies in the General Plan Trained Planning and Building Staff An Adopted Local Inventory of Resources is Best

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES: A TOOLBOX FOR PRESERVATION - September 5, 2007 “These old buildings do not belong to us only; they have belonged to our forefathers, and they will belong to our descendants, unless we play them false.” William Morris