Request by Councilmember Speake
Joanne Coletta
Planning and Development Director
August 20, 2025
That the City Council provide
direction on amending the criteria
for the relocation and demolition of
historic resources.
Background
• Established definitions and criteria for the preservation of historic resources.
• Planning Director review of certain modifications to Heritage Inventory properties, including requests for demolitions and relocations.
• Planning Commission and City Council review of relocation and demolition requests for Corona Register properties. (Effective Nov. 16, 2024)
• Established Structure of Merit criteria.
• Established duties for the newly created Historic
Preservation Board.
• Historic Preservation Board replaced the Planning Director on the review of relocation and demolition requests of
historic resources.
Concern Concern Addressed
1 Planning and Development Director reviews demolition
requests for properties listed on the Heritage Inventory. • No public review process.
• No review under CEQA for potential impacts to
historic resources.
• Review should be done by the Historic Preservation
Board and City Council.
Yes.
Amendment to Historic Resources Ordinance in 2024:
✓ Historic Preservation Board reviews relocation and
demolition requests for Heritage Inventory
properties.
✓ Discretionary review requires CEQA.
✓ City Council and HPB still review relocation and
demolition requests for Corona Register
properties, which include Landmarks, Districts,
and Structure of Merit properties.
2 Relocation and demolition criteria listed in CMC Sections
17.63.120(D)(6) and 17.63.120(E)(4), for historic resources on the Corona Register and Heritage Inventory,
respectively, include the criterion:
(c) not relocating or demolishing the historic resource would deprive the property owner of all economically
viable use of the site.
No.
Relocation and demolition criterion listed in CMC
Sections 17.63.120(D)(6)(c) and 17.63.120(E)(4)(c) still exists in the amended ordinance.
Properties on Corona Register
CMC Section 17.63.120 (D)(6)
Properties on Heritage Inventory
CMC Section 17.63.120 (E)(4)
One of the following findings shall be made:
(a) The criteria required to delete the historic
resource from the Corona Register set forth in
§ 17.63.110(E) are satisfied;
(b) The historic resource has deteriorated or been
modified to the extent that it is no longer representative as an historic resource to be preserved;
c) Denial of the requested relocation or demolition
of the historic resource will deprive the owner of all
economically viable use of the site;
(d) Relocation or demolition of the historic resource
will not have a significant effect on the achievement of the purposes of this chapter and appropriate mitigation measures will be undertaken to substantially reduce or
eliminate the loss or diminishment of the historic
resource;
(e) The historic resource is determined to be unsafe
or dangerous by the Building Official and reasonable
efforts to correct the situation are economically or
physically infeasible.
One of the following findings shall be made:
(a) The heritage property is not a good example of an
historic period or architectural style;
(b) The heritage property has deteriorated or been
modified to the extent that it is no longer representative as an historic resource to be preserved;
(c) Denial of the requested relocation or demolition of the heritage property will deprive the owner of all
economically viable use of the site;
(d) Relocation or demolition or removal will not have a significant effect on the achievement of the purposes of this chapter;
(e) The heritage property is determined to be unsafe or dangerous by the Building Official and reasonable efforts to correct the situation are infeasible;
(f) The heritage property is inconsistent with the zoning designation for the site and adaptive re-use of the heritage property to achieve consistency is not economically viable.
Zone Text Amendment to Zoning Code:
• Revise the relocation and demolition criteria
listed in CMC Chapter 17.63.
• Public Hearing by Planning and Housing
Commission.
• Public Hearing by City Council to consider an
ordinance amending the Zoning Code.
Timeline:
• Approximately 3 to 6 months depending on
department workload.
Process to address Concern #2
That the City Council provide
direction on amending the criteria
for the relocation and demolition of
historic resources.