(A) Application. The Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission, upon its own initiative or upon the written request of any person or group, including the San Gabriel Historical Association, or any city agency, may recommend the designation of a historic landmark to the Register. In the event the City Council, city agency, or Commission initiates the application, the Director shall oversee and cause the completion of the required application.
(B) Notification of property owners. The property owner of each cultural resource nominated to the Register shall be notified by the city of the proposed designation at least 60 days prior to the Commission hearing at which the application is considered. Notification shall be to the last owner of record as contained on the most recent equalized assessment roll of the County of Los Angeles and shall be by certified mail. Property owners shall have the right to protest the designation of their property before the Commission and City Council. Such protest shall be in writing to the Community Development Department and/or presented in testimony before the Commission and/or City Council.
(C) Landmark application materials. All applications for designation shall be made on a form prescribed by the Director and shall include the following data:
(1) The assessor’s parcel number and legal description of the site.
(3) A detailed architectural description, enumerating the property’s character-defining features, elevations, and spaces.
(4) Construction chronology of the property, including detailed history of major alterations/additions.
(5) Ownership history.
(6) A statement of significance describing why and how the property or feature meets the eligibility criteria of the code including the area of significance, theme, and period of significance.
(7) Current photographs and (if available) historic photographs, maps, sketches, drawings, or other descriptive material as available to support the nomination.
(8) Any applicable fees as determined by the Director, and such other information as requested by the Commission or Director.
(9) For a multi-property nomination, the application package should include a detailed statement of significance for the class of resources being nominated and the eligibility requirements for individual properties to be considered part of the nomination. Documentation of the individually nominated properties should include division (C)(1) through (5) above of the landmark application materials and a statement of how each individual property satisfies the specified eligibility requirements.
(D) Confirmation of eligibility. At the discretion of the Director, a historic resource evaluation may be prepared to provide a professional peer review of a designation application, to confirm the finding of eligibility. Such an assessment shall be submitted to the Commission for review and concurrence. The assessment shall be completed by a qualified architectural historian or historian as defined in this subchapter.
(E) Commission review and recommendation. The Commission shall review and conduct a public hearing on the merits of the application, to determine whether the proposed landmark satisfies the criteria for landmark designation stipulated in § 153.607 of this subchapter. The public hearing will be noticed in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter. After the close of the hearing, the Commission shall adopt a resolution recommending to the City Council the approval, conditional approval, or denial of the application.
(F) City Council determination. After receiving the Commission’s recommendation, the City Council shall conduct a public hearing on the landmark nomination application. The public hearing will be noticed in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter. The City Council shall consider the Commission’s recommendation and any written objection to the designation by the nominated property’s owner filed with the Director at least ten days prior to the City Council hearing. The City Council shall adopt a resolution approving, conditionally approving, or denying the application. If the City Council has not taken action on the application within 180 days of the Commission’s recommendation, then the application shall be deemed denied.
(G) Designation.
(1) Upon designation by the City Council, the Director or his or her designee shall forward a copy of the resolution approving the designation of a historic landmark to any department or agency that the Director deems appropriate, and shall record or cause to be recorded the location, characteristics, and significance of the historic landmark on a California Department of Parks and Recreation Historic Resources Inventory Form 523, or current equivalent form, in accordance with the practices specified by the State Office of Historic Preservation for the recordation of cultural resources.
(2) Upon adoption and placement of the property on the Register, the resolution of designation shall be recorded with the County Recorder’s office pursuant to Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 5029, as it may be amended from time to time.
(3) A designated cultural resource may be identified by an approved city marker, but such a marker is not required.
(H) Building records for Register-listed properties. In order to ensure that owners, residents, and potential owners are aware of the status of cultural resources in the city, the Director and Building and Safety Division will implement and oversee a system for marking and identifying the building records of all Register-listed properties in the city.
(Ord. 636-C.S., passed 8-15-17)