> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Sense of history: Council throws developers a bone
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/sense-of-history-council-throws-developers-a-bone/
- Published: 2006-10-07T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T21:32:34.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Real Estate & Housing, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Council moves to save city’s historic structures*

CITY HALL — It’s no longer just a case of out with the old and in with the new on housing construction sites across the city.

Preserving historic structures will no longer have to compete with the construction of new housing following a move by the City Council this week that is expected to bolster the city’s housing stock.

Currently, if a developer wants to build condominiums or some other project on a lot containing a historic structure, the historic structure stays put. Now, developers should find a speedier approval process from the city and enjoy more leeway in their designs to reconfigure properties in return for incorporating the historic structure into the plans.

Depending on where the structure is located, developers are often limited as to where and what they can build on their property, creating significant restraints that increase costs. The only option available is to develop as is, or apply for financial hardship and have the historic building demolished.

A set of incentives approved by the council on Tuesday should change all that, allowing for more of the city’s time-honored properties to remain a part of the city landscape for years to come.

The incentives include an expedited review process for construction projects, an exemption from affordable housing requirements and the elimination of some key restraints to increasing building heights and density.

That should allow developers to be more creative in the design phase, incorporating key elements of the historic structure, while at the same time maximizing space, which could even include an additional floor.

The owner of a circa-1900 Victorian cottage on Fifth Street that was designated a city landmark in 2002 developed the incentives, along with local architects, in an effort to move the home a little closer to the street in order to make room for three condominiums at the rear of the property. Without the incentives, architects working on the project said the owner would be inclined to abandon it altogether or have the cottage removed.

While there are only a handful of properties that would be eligible for the incentives, those who specialize in housing development and the preservation of historic landmarks said the incentives are significant, in that they give property owners a viable option other than the demolition of a historic structure.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 7, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100706.pdf?ref=smdp.com)