community
Long Beach
community Details
Year Incorporated
Population
Long Beach has been reevaluating many of its historic preservation programs, which have been in place for a number of years.
On August 18, 2015, the Long Beach City Council rejected a proposed provision that would have allowed owners of historic properties to “opt out” of preservation. Instead council members voted 8-0 in support of “Version A” of the amended Cultural Heritage Commission Ordinance which improves the City’s preservation program yet still retains all the important tools. The City’s Cultural Heritage Commission openly opposed this change and in July voted to send the draft ordinance amendments forward only if they did not include the proposed owner consent provision.
In 2009, the city updated its historic preservation ordinance and adopted a historic context statement, the first phase of a multi-year plan to complete Long Beach’s first citywide historic resources survey.
Designated historic resources in the city number over 100 local landmarks and seventeen historic districts.
In 2010, Long Beach adopted a new historic preservation element as part of the city’s General Plan update. The city has been a Certified Local Government since 1992.
The city had offered the Mills Act property tax abatement program as a preservation incentive for many years but suspended it in 2006; discussions on reinstating the program are currently taking place.
Most of the following resources are specific to Long Beach. For general resources related to local preservation and our Preservation Report Card, please visit our Report Card microsite.
Historic Preservation Ordinance
Historic Preservation Resources
Guide to CEQA (Conservancy website)
If any of these links are broken or incorrect, or if you would like to suggest other resources for preservation in Long Beach, please let us know by emailing info@laconservancy.org.
A
The scoring details for this community appear below.
Preservation Report Card
The scoring details for this community appear below. To see scores for all communities, compare specific communities and categories.
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Total Score
230
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Historic Preservation Ordinance (150) / Honorary Ordinance (10)
150
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Dedicated Historic Preservation Commission (5)
5
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Dedicated Preservation Staff (15)
15
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Total Score
230
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Historic Preservation Ordinance (150) / Honorary Ordinance (10)
150
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Dedicated Historic Preservation Commission (5)
5
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Dedicated Preservation Staff (15)
15
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Ability to Designate Historic Districts (15)
15
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Owner Consent Not Required for Designation (10)
10
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Active Landmark Designation (at least annually) (5)
0
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1980s; 2010
Survey of Historic Resources: Citywide (15) / Partial (10)
10
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Survey Updated Within Past 5 Years (5)
5
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Mills Act program has been suspended for the past five years, with no new contracts accepted while the city reassesses the program’s feasibility.
Mills Act Incentive Program (10)
5
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Additional Incentives (5)
5
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Certified Local Government (5)
5
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Historic Preservation Element or Plan (5)
5
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Extra Credit (1-25)
0
