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# Navigating the turbulent waters for historic preservation
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/navigating-the-turbulent-waters-for-historic-preservation/
- Published: 2003-10-08T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T03:03:40.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Downtown, #archive-import

*By Monica Witt*

California is running out of available open land to develop.

This lack of space has spurred many to move further and further out from urban centers — a move that has exacted human, economic, infrastructure and environmental costs. At the same, however, the rush to get out of the urban core leaves behind a bevy of historically significant buildings that are underutilized or vacant and, often, suffering from deferred maintenance. Given these factors, many property owners and developers are beginning to take a closer look at the inherent value of existing improvements and are seeking to enhance their real estate holdings through the rehabilitation of historically significant properties. This is leading to a type of urban core renaissance in which older, once-obsolete properties are being rehabilitated.

Recognizing that the costs of historic preservation and rehabilitation can be economically prohibitive, many cities are adopting adaptive re-use ordinances which encourage and facilitate the conversion of older, economically distressed buildings to apartments and live/work units. Many of the adaptive re-use ordinances are supported by findings that revitalization of the urban core not only preserves our cultural and architectural heritage, but also improves the economic and environmental well-being of a community by locating residents, jobs, hotels, and transit services in close proximity which, in turn, improves the jobs/housing balance, as well as air and noise quality through a reduction in vehicle trips.

Historic preservation also is being pursued outside of the downtown core. Here, the preservation community seeks to stop a trend of demolishing older duplexes, triplexes and bungalow courts in order to make room for large modern buildings that can more efficiently utilize the site. In those scenarios, compromise between developers on the one hand, and preservationists on the other hand, requires skillful negotiation and a recognition from both camps that historic preservation is feasible only where its benefits outweigh its burdens. For example, rehabilitation of a deteriorated historic resource can be viable if the property can be adapted in such a way as to meet the programmatic requirements of the modern user.

Understanding historic preservation Historic preservation is often credited with providing communities with a sense of identity, stability and orientation. Accordingly, federal, state and local laws seek to incentivize historic preservation through a variety of means, including tax breaks, grants, waiver of permit fees, and application of the State Historical Building Code in lieu of the Uniform Building Code. Further, the preservation community typically asserts that historic designation often increases property values.

At the same time, however, historic designation can impose a number of onerous restrictions. For example, in many jurisdictions, permits to demolish, relocate or alter a designated historic resource will not be granted by City Hall in the absence of a prior approval from the governing historic board or commission. Additionally, discretionary projects that may have an adverse impact on an historic resource require CEQA clearance, which may range from a determination of exemption all the way to the preparation of a full Environmental Impact Report.

Given this high level of governmental intrusion into a property owner’s ability to do as it wishes with privately-owned property, it is critical to ensure that only those properties that are truly deserving of protection be designated as historic resources. Each jurisdiction establishes a set of criteria against which it evaluates whether a property, or “resource,” is worthy of designation.

A resource by definition can be a building, a site, a structure, an object or an entire district. To be eligible for nomination, a particular resource must possess characteristics that existed during the resource’s period of significance. The site must then meet a number of additional key conditions to verify its status as an historic resource: Association with events vital to the history or cultural heritage of the region, state or country as a whole; association with the lives of people important to local, state, or national history; embodiment of distinctive characteristics; representation of the work of a master; possession of high artistic values, or the ability to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or nation.

Accepting the historic preservation challenge We have had clients who have purchased properties with the intent to demolish the existing improvements, and only later learning that the properties will soon be designated as historic resources. The results have been both economically and psychologically disastrous. It is therefore critical that before purchasing any property, a buyer carefully research a variety of sources to determine whether the property has been nominated, or has the potential for nomination, to the local, state or federal register. All of the legal issues arising from potential historic status must be thoroughly reviewed. Additionally, many communities have preservation and historic societies. It is important to seek the input of these groups and of elected and appointed community officials. Finally, if a decision is made to move forward on a historic project, a development team should be assembled which includes an architect that specializes in preservation projects and a recognized historic preservation consultant.

The process of preserving resources that are truly historic can be rewarding and, if structured properly, financially viable. It can also be arduous and expensive. Be sure you know what you’re getting into before embarking on that journey.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 8, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100803.pdf?ref=smdp.com)