The Los Angeles Conservancy recently released the Los Angeles County Preservation Report card, and Santa Monica was near the top of the class. The conservancy reviewed the preservation policies of 89 jurisdictions in the county and found only six worthy of an “A” grade. But Santa Monica got an “A-” because the city’s landmarking fees were considered too high. City Hall also lacked a full-time staff member to handle preservation matters.
“Santa Monica has a tremendous architectural history to safeguard,” said Santa Monica Conservancy President Tom Cleys. “Recognizing this, the city government has done a stellar job of laying the framework for preserving Santa Monica’s unique identity. However, the top grade is only for the city’s preservation policies. The report didn’t review how well it is doing in actually saving its architectural treasures.”
He added that preserving Santa Monica’s distinctive identity is a struggle that is coming to a head as the city begins to create new downtown development guidelines, and to institute more incentives to encourage preservation of historic homes and commercial buildings.
The full L.A. Conservancy report is available online at www.laconservancy.org.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 1, 2003. Read the original PDF.