Historical District Is Not Warranted
This is in regard to your Sept. 24 article, “Landmark List Grows Quickly as Long Beach Hails Heritage.”
The city of Long Beach has a tendency to embark on zoning changes when only a minority of residents have voted on a special issue. With only 43% of California Heights residents voting, Long Beach is considering designating my neighborhood a historical district. This “wholesale” designation of California Heights is not warranted. The homes here were built over the last 50 or more years and are not like the Carroll Park area where the architecture is distinct.
Instead of designating the entire neighborhood, they should seriously consider doing it by structure as mentioned in your article. The historical district designation will only discriminate against homeowners who cannot keep their homes to the standards decided by the affluent members of the Cultural Heritage Commission. The new designation will act to keep out marginal homeowners and create a neighborhood where only the rich can live. Whatever happened to a democratic society where we do things for the good of the entire society and not for just a few rich ones?
ANDREW Y. KO
Long Beach
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