M E M O R A N D U M

PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

CITY OF SANTA MONICA

PLANNING DIVISION

INTRODUCTION

The City initiated an update to the Historic Resources Inventory in Fall 2001.  This project is part of an on-going commitment to regularly update the Inventory in order to provide current information on potentially eligible historic resources.  The Inventory will be updated in phases with the expectation that the entire City would be re-inventoried over a 5-year period.  Last year, the Landmarks Commission requested that the first phase of the inventory update be focused on the area North of Montana Avenue.  The City hired Historic Resources Group (HRG), a consulting firm specializing in historic preservation issues, to perform this work.

BACKGROUND

The City of Santa Monica maintains an historic resources inventory to guide land use planning and decision-making.  The Inventory lists properties that have been designated or are potentially eligible to be designated as Santa Monica Landmarks, Structures of Merit, or contributors to Historic Districts.  The Inventory is based on field surveys that were conducted in three phases across the City between 1982 and 1993.  Updates to the Inventory were conducted in 1995 to examine the effects of the Northridge earthquake and in 1998 to survey the effects of redevelopment in the Central Business District and the Third Street Promenade.  The last update to the survey for the area north of Montana Avenue occurred in 1995.

The attached Historic Resources Inventory Update is the results of the study of the portion of the City located north of Montana Avenue, bounded by Palisades Park (Ocean Avenue) to the west, and the northern and eastern City limits.  The updated survey information provided in the attached draft report identifies potential historic and cultural resources.  These resources are identified as potentially eligible individually and/or as part of potential historic districts.  Several potential historic districts that were previously identified in prior surveys in the area north of Montana Avenue were re-examined to assess whether or not they remain intact and potentially eligible for designation.

PUBLIC NOTIFICATION

Notice of the study session was published in the “California” section of The Los Angeles Times at least ten consecutive calendar days prior to the study session and mailed to the City’s neighborhood organizations. A copy of the notice is included as Attachment B.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The attached draft report of the Historic Resources Inventory Update for the area North of Montana Avenue is presented to the Landmarks Commission for its information.  The study session is an informational presentation to provide the Commission and the public with the findings of the Inventory update.  No action may be taken by the Landmarks Commission at this study session other than to request that this item be placed on a future agenda for formal review.  Staff believes that the survey information in the draft report is sufficient for the Commission to begin a discussion of historic district issues.  Therefore, staff recommends that the Commission schedule a discussion item regarding historic districts for its meeting on April 8, 2002 in order to discuss whether to pursue district designations in general and if so, how to prioritize potential district designations. 

Attachments:

A.           Draft Historic Resources Inventory Update Report

B.           Public Notice