Redondo Beach Rejects Stricter Guidelines for Historic Areas

An attempt by two Redondo Beach City Council members to make it more difficult to create historic districts in Redondo Beach was turned away this week after a third council member argued that the plan would make it virtually impossible to preserve the character of the city’s few remaining older neighborhoods.

Arguing that the city’s 1 1/2-year-old preservation ordinance impinges on individual property rights, Councilwoman Kay Horrell and Councilman Terry Ward on Tuesday sought to prohibit the creation of historic districts unless every homeowner in the affected area agreed to it.

Under the existing ordinance, a historically or architecturally significant neighborhood can be set aside for preservation with the consent of 85% of the homeowners involved. The historic district designation, however, means only that a homeowner who intends to tear down a landmark home faces a longer wait for a permit to do so.

The ordinance was created to oversee the fate of the city’s dwindling stock of unique, older single-family homes, and was defended by local architect Frank Bostrom, who is chairman of the city Preservation Commission.

“Williamsburg, Va., wouldn’t be what it is today if anybody could come along and put a Redondo Beach condo in the middle of it,” he said.

But Horrell said the law places unfair restrictions on homeowners who have no interest in preservation.

“I respect the preservationists, but when it impinges on the rights of property owners, I’m concerned,” Horrell said. “If a block chooses to become a historic district, that’s their prerogative. But it’s also the prerogative of those who don’t want it not to belong.”

“Ditto,” Ward chimed, but his was the only vote for Horrell’s plan.

The rest of the council sided with Councilwoman Barbara Doerr, who noted that the 85% consent requirement is already more restrictive than is called for in most other cities.

“To go to 100% means we’ll never have a historic district in this city,” Doerr argued.