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# Historic survey angers hundreds of residents
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/historic-survey-angers-hundreds-of-residents/
- Published: 2002-04-10T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:14:05.000Z
- Author: Andrew Fixmer
- Tags: Community, Montana, #archive-import

*Landmarks commission hears from angry property owners*

Hundreds of angry residents overflowed city council chambers Monday night, demanding they should decide whether their homes are deemed historic structures.

But after listening to nearly two hours of testimony, the Landmarks Commission decided to send the recently released historic survey of homes north of Montana Avenue to a subcommittee that will meet behind closed doors.

Commissioners said they are not ready to make a formal decision on how to designate historic districts in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Santa Monica. They also said they want to hold community forums with residents, though no dates were discussed.

At least two commissioners said they are against creating a historic district along 18th Street because so many of the homes there have been remodeled or demolished.

“I don’t believe 18th Street is a district,” said commissioner Nina Fresco. “It’s been compromised enough that it’s no longer a district.”

Another commissioner agreed with residents at the meeting that their homes should not be designated “structures of merit” without their permission.

“We have to balance the needs of what the neighborhood wants and what the district as a whole wants,” said commissioner Ruthann Lehrer. “But if they decide this is something they don’t want, I don’t believe this commission should force it on them.”

The city spent $29,000 to have Hollywood-based Historic Resources Group look at the 3,900 homes north of Montana to see which ones could be considered historically significant and which areas could be designated as historical districts.

The consultants officially released the results of the study on April 2, saying they found about 9 percent, or 358 homes, as historically significant, meaning they should be protected from future development.

The report identifies six potential areas for designation as historic districts — the Palisades Tract between Ocean Avenue and Seventh Street, the San Vicente Apartment Group, parts of Adelaide Drive and Georgina Avenue, several homes along 18th Street, and parts of La Mesa Drive.

Consultants said the areas have some of the oldest and most significant historic buildings in Santa Monica. Included within the area are 10 historic properties that have been designated on the national, state, and local level. However, the report indicates less than 1 percent of the potential historic properties north of Montana Avenue are currently designated or preserved.

Some residents believe historic designation will decrease the value of their homes, and add extra layers of red tape and uncertainty to remodeling or fixing-up their homes. Others fear having their homes designated as landmarks will bring in bus loads of tourists through their quiet residential streets.

Tom Larmore, a local property rights attorney who lives north of Montana Avenue, has helped organize a movement that fights the historic designation effort.

Larmore is spearheading “Homeowners for Voluntary Preservation,” a newly-formed committee that will be circulating a petition in an effort to allow homeowners a choice as to whether their homes should be classified as landmarks or as historical buildings. The group needs 6,000 signatures to place the measure on the November ballot. The measure would prevent the city from deeming homes historic without the consent of the owner.

The homeowner committee members believe restrictions on private property constitutes an unwarranted intrusion of personal freedoms.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 10, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041002.pdf?ref=smdp.com)