New Policy Approved on Work on Historic Buildings

Three weeks after imposing a temporary building moratorium on structures in the city’s historic district, the City Council has replaced the moratorium with a two-tiered permit process.

The moratorium was adopted after a court ruling that the city could not demolish buildings in its historic core before assessing the structures’ historic value. But city officials said the moratorium was unwieldy and the council repealed it in a 4-1 vote Tuesday night.

For example, one homeowner uses a wheelchair had been unable to make improvements giving him easier access to his bathroom, Associate Planner David Chantarangsu said.

The new procedure, which covers about 200 buildings in an area bounded by Foothill Boulevard and Ada, Vista Bonita and Minnesota avenues, allows basic improvements on roofing and windows, for example, to proceed without permits. Any significant renovations, Chantarangsu said, will be reviewed by the acting city manager and subject to approval in public hearings.

The new policy will remain in place until the city formulates a permanent policy, a process that may take several months, Chantarangsu said.