|
South Park and Valle Vista Terrace Historic Districts Are Official!
March/April 2018
By A. Hayes
The San Diego City Council upheld designations for the South Park and Valle Vista Terrace (in University Heights) Historic Districts on February 6, 2018.
SOHO thanks you for all the letters, public testimony, and meetings with Councilmembers and their representatives that persuaded the Council that historic districts enhance our city and strengthen communities. Numerous letters and e-mails were sent to all nine elected officials, including strong letters from the California Preservation Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. And about 50 people also made time that day to testify in person before the Council.
The Historical Resources Board unanimously approved the South Park and Valle Vista Terrace Historic Districts at their October and November 2017 meetings. Each district was appealed by three district residents. Fortunately, the Council recognized that their arguments did not present any grounds to oppose the districts' historical designation, because their documents lacked evidence of factual errors in materials or information presented to the Board, or any new information. These are the only grounds for an appeal.
Although one property was removed from the South Park Historic District, Councilmember Chris Ward motioned (separately) for each district to be upheld, and with a second by Councilmember Gomez, both districts were each a unanimous vote.
In addition, as part of these two motions, Councilmember Ward asked for a waiver from Council Policy 700-46 to be docketed for a Council meeting soon. If the Council were to approve this waiver, it would enable property owners of these two districts to apply for Mills Act contracts in 2018, as opposed to the requirement (within the ordinance) to wait until the next calendar year, or 2019.
Editor's note: The challenges to the historical districts prompted "alarmist and misleading"public comments and stirred controversy unnecessarily, according to David Swarens, a SOHO board member and chair of the Greater Golden Hill Planning Committee, who also attended the Council meeting. His report, called "Exposing Property Rights Myths" also appears in this issue of eNews.]
Valle Vista Terrace, left to right - 4705 Panorama Drive, 2206 Adams Avenue, 4735 Panorama Drive, 2242 Adams Avenue, 2204 Cliff Street, 2225 Cliff Street
|
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
|
