Planning Commission could oversee alterations to select local buildings.
KHTS News brought to you by
Tuesday night, the Santa Clarita City Council voted unanimously to set up a temporary ordinance that aims to protect historical buildings in the area.
The new rule, if officially passed at a second reading in two weeks, will be in effect for three years, and would declare that the Santa Clarita Planning Commission must approve a Minor Use Permit for all major changes to historically relevant buildings before the modifications can occur.
The rule would only govern a select list of 64 properties drawn from two studies; the Open Space and Conservation element of the City’s General Plan, and the Environmental Impact Report compiled for the Downtown Newhall Specific Plan.
Despite the fact that the ordinance is only temporary, City staff hopes it will lead to more.
“The goal is to establish some level of review if the owner tries to alter or demolish the property on one of the lists,” Alex Hernandez, Administrative Analyst for the City told KHTS. “We’d like to create a formal review process.”
By establishing a review process, the City hopes to protect some of our older buildings which serve a purpose by displaying a prominent part of Santa Clarita’s history.
Six of the sites listed as historical are currently serving as residences, and the ordinance includes a waiver of fees associated with applying for a Minor Use permit for those owner occupied residences.
The ordinance will come back to the Council for a second vote on September 9th. If passed at that time, it will go into effect.
