Homeowners differ on historical inventory process

Residents’ frustration with Laguna Beach’s historical preservation process was evident Tuesday night during a city workshop.

The meeting was held to explain the reasoning behind an update to a 34-year-old list of houses deemed significant for their time-period architecture or association with historical events. The issue has generated strong opinions regarding property rights and preservation.

Residents who want to remodel or add to their houses have said they feel strapped by current rules. Others worry that Laguna could lose important aspects of its past if certain properties are eliminated from the 1981 inventory.

The city and historic consultant Jan Ostashay are revising Laguna’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, including making possible changes to the inventory — 852 pre-1940 houses — to align with state and federal preservation standards.

After visiting each of the 852 addresses, Ostashay said she would whittle the list to about 550 houses, city planner Martina Speare confirmed after the meeting. Some of the homes had been demolished and others perhaps were wrongly deemed to be historically significant, among other reasons for their removal.

The city has no process for allowing residents to request that their homes be taken off the list.

Retired Laguna Beach Fire Capt. Eugene D’Isabella said he wants his house removed from the inventory.

“Why doesn’t the property owner have some say if he doesn’t want to be on the list?” D’Isabella asked during the meeting. “Once I’m gone, why should my kids be restricted? Someone may want to buy it, but because of the restrictions can’t build what they want. I don’t want my kids restricted from selling the house to someone.”

State law says historical surveys should be updated every five years.

Larry Nokes, an attorney and past president of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, wondered whether the inventory would have legal merit since it has not been updated for more than 30 years.

“If the inventory isn’t updated every five years to be valid, how can our inventory create any presumption of historicity?” Nokes said. “Why are we fooling around with the inventory? It seems to me we should start with a clean slate.”

The city’s Heritage Committee will review the revised ordinance, though no date has been set, Speare said.

“We anticipate several meetings will be needed to get direction from the committee on some of the hot topics before we return to them with a draft ordinance,” Speare said.

As of Wednesday, 22 homeowners had submitted letters to the city requesting their houses be either downgraded or removed from the inventory.

The city rates its historic properties using a letter system. E represents those with outstanding historical architectural integrity; K stands for structures with very good historical integrity; and C is reserved for buildings that contribute to the overall character and history of a neighborhood but are not necessarily unique.

Homeowners can request their house’s rating be changed by submitting a letter to the city, according to a staff report. Laguna’s Heritage Committee would then evaluate whether the rating is accurate.