Plan May Spur Overhaul of Historic Zones Law

HIGHLAND PARK — The effort to establish what would be the largest historic district in Los Angeles may result in a major overhaul of the 1983 city law that established historic zones.

The Los Angeles Planning Commission last week directed the Planning Department to draft amendments that would make the city ordinance flexible enough to accommodate a large and diverse district that contains a relatively low concentration of historic buildings. The current ordinance was crafted to apply to small and homogeneous neighborhoods, such as Angelino Heights, which is located just northwest of downtown and contains a high concentration of historic buildings.

The move to amend the ordinance was a victory for the Highland Park Heritage Trust, which has worked for about five years to establish a historic zone.

Before last week’s meeting, the Planning Department had raised the possibility of reducing the size of the proposed district or dividing it into smaller zones. Trust members say those options would fragment the community, which contains Victorian, Spanish Revival and Craftsman houses.

Amendments to the ordinance would be needed to protect owners of structures without historic merit from a slow and costly review process for improvements and new construction, the city attorney’s office has ruled.

The Planning Department has been working on amending the ordinance for some time, but the issues raised by the proposed Highland Park district could result in much more drastic changes to the city law, said Lourdes Green, senior city planner for the neighborhood planning division.

Under the current ordinance, a five-member, appointed community association reviews proposals for construction and demolition of all buildings, regardless of their historic merit. If a project is approved, the association issues a certificate of appropriateness, which costs about $300 in city fees.

The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission and the planning director must also review proposed construction or substantial alteration of any building within a historic district.

The Planning Commission has not formally approved the larger boundaries, which were proposed in May by the Cultural Heritage Commission. Commissioners delayed a vote on the issue at least until Feb. 18, its third such delay. But the commissioners’ move to amend the ordinance signals their support for boundaries similar to those favored by neighborhood preservationists and the Cultural Heritage Commission.

Fernando Torres-Gil, vice president of the Planning Commission, said his fellow commissioners seemed “willing to go with the broad area.” He said the boundaries that are finally approved by the Planning Commission may vary slightly from the ones drawn by the Cultural Heritage Commission.

The district proposed by the Cultural Heritage Commission includes a corridor along both sides of Figueroa Street from roughly Avenue 35 on the south to York Boulevard on the north. Planners estimate that only half of the 3,000 structures within the proposed Highland Park district have historic value, compared to at least 80% of the buildings in the city’s five other historic districts. The Highland Park Heritage Trust, however, continues to survey the area and projects that as many as 70% of its structures are historic.

In preparing the amendments, the Planning Department has been directed to address a host of issues posed by the large historic zone, such as whether to include commercial areas and how to ensure that the ordinance cannot be used to reduce the number of allowable units on a piece of property. The staff will also determine how large a historic district should be and whether to exclude city cultural landmarks, such as the Southwest Museum, which already comes under review by the Cultural Heritage Commission.

In a letter to the Planning Commission, Councilman Mike Hernandez, who represents a part of the proposed district, also asked that an amended ordinance allow for financial relief for low-income property owners applying for a certificate of appropriateness. The letter also recommended incentives for those wishing to restore their historic homes and term limits for members of historic preservation boards.

In their testimony, neighborhood activists urged the Planning Commission to take action last Thursday. But when the Planning Commission adjourned without taking a vote on the matter, preservationists seemed pleased that the commissioners were leaning toward a large district in Highland Park.

“I think it all worked out fine,” said Robert Ebinger, a Highland Park Heritage Trust board member. “I’m not at all upset that it wasn’t decided, seeing the complexity of the issues.”