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Land Use Meets Historic Preservation
April 2016
By Amie K. Hayes
 The City's Land Development Code regulates several aspects of the community including eligible locations for charter schools, the distance between parks and marijuana dispensaries, the number of vehicles allowed for home-based businesses, and historical review of development projects. Every few years this code is updated to close loopholes and streamline complex processes. Thanks to SOHO, at City Council's meeting on March 14, the tenth update narrowly escaped a small change that would have had detrimental consequences for historic resources.
The substantial, or more impactful projects must be cleared through a historic review in order to receive development permits. In an effort to eliminate redundancy, the 10th update initially proposed to eliminate the second historical review, which occurs at a later phase when applying for site or building permits. For most projects, a second review is not necessary. However, if new information surfaces about a historic resource (such as the demolished Michels-Carey House at the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Florida Street), the second review provides a necessary safeguard. SOHO made sure the City Council understood the potential effect of dropping the second review, and the update's language was changed on the record. The result: The City maintains its ability to require another review if new information is presented, and still streamlines a lengthy process.
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