TO: ARCHITECTURAL AND PRESERVATION COMMISSION
FROM: BRAD JOHNSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: MAY 27, 2026
SUBJECT:
Title
STUDY SESSION ON HISTORIC REGISTER LISTINGS IN THE CITY OF CLAREMONT
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SUMMARY
This study session is intended to provide an opportunity for the Architectural and Preservation Commission to discuss the process for designating properties as cultural resources for listing on the Register of Structures of Historic or Architectural Merit in Claremont (Claremont Historic Register). Other topics likely to be covered include applicable provisions of the Claremont Municipal Code related to historic resources and information regarding potential effects of having a property listed on the Register. The study session may also include a discussion of the need to include new groups of resources that are largely missing from the Claremont Historic Register, most notably early modern and mid-century modern structures that exist in the City.
Relevant sections from the Claremont Municipal Code have been attached. Commissioners are being asked to review these code sections and be prepared to ask questions and discuss the various topics with fellow Commissioners and staff at the meeting.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the Architectural and Preservation Commission:
A. Hear the Staff presentation; take public comment; discuss the attached code sections and related materials; identify any areas of concern, ambiguity, or procedural confusion; increase understanding of the City’s historic designation and review procedures; and provide feedback regarding implementation of the City’s historic preservation program moving forward; and
B. Find this item is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
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ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there is the following alternative:
• Continue the study session for further discussion regarding specific issues that have been identified by the Commission
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The cost of preparing the staff report and presentation and conducting this study session, estimated to be $1,500, is included in the Community Development Department Operating Budget as part of the implementation of the Cultural Resources Ordinance.
ANALYSIS
Background
This study session has been prompted by concerns raised by the Commission at recent Commission meetings. Topics have included:
• What are the steps of the review process for designating a resource, and what role does the Commission play in that process?
• How can homeowners be involved in this process?
• How can the City further increase its communication with the public and homeowners about the register listing process?
• What benefits come from being listed on the Claremont Register?
• What are the implications of being listed on the Claremont Register?
• What is the noticing process for listing a cultural resource?
• How does the City evaluate whether a property meets the criteria for historic designation?
• What information or educational materials could help property owners better understand the designation process?
• What level of documentation or historical research is typically needed to support a designation?
• What is the Planning review process for properties that have been listed on the Claremont Register?
• How does this process differ from the review process for undesignated properties?
Staff has briefly discussed some of these questions with the Commission but hopes that a more detailed discussion, with the benefit of having reviewed the relevant code sections, will elicit further discussion and improve the Commission's overall understanding.
History of the Register
The Claremont City Council adopted the Register of Structures of Historical and Architectural Merit of the City of Claremont (“Register”) in 1980 following an exhaustive inventory of the City’s eligible historic resources. The aim of the creation and adoption of the Register was to further the General Plan’s objectives to foster appreciation for Claremont’s historic resources and to focus attention on their ongoing protection. At the time the Register was created in 1980, approximately eighty percent of the properties that comprise the current Register were listed via City Council Resolution number 80-279. Two additional large batches of Register Listings were made during the 1980’s, with 95 added in 1985 (Council Resolution Number 85-212) and another 84 being added in 1987 (Council Resolution 87-174). Since that time, a handful of other properties have been listed in the Register individually. Most of these were added to ensure the property qualified for a Mills Act contract with the City. Currently, there are 1,036 properties listed on the Register.
On January 27, 1998, the City Council adopted formal procedures for the Architectural Commission to follow when designating new additions to the Register. These procedures remained in place until 2024, when they were replaced and codified under Section 16.302.090 of the Claremont Municipal Code as part of the City’s new Cultural Resources Preservation Ordinance (“Preservation Ordinance”).
Current Procedures for Adding Properties to the Register
The City’s 2024 Preservation Ordinance lays out a new process for designating Cultural Resources (adding new properties to the Register) in Section 16.302.080 and assigns review responsibilities to the City Staff, Architectural and Planning Commission, and City Council (CMC Sections 16.302.040 - 070). Generally, this process requires staff review of any application for designation (listing), followed by review and recommendation by the Architectural and Preservation Commission and approval or denial by the City Council. Figure 1 describes the steps in the City’s current Cultural Resource designation process.
Figure 1
Register Criteria
The City’s 2024 Preservation Ordinance also codifies a new set of criteria for adding structures and/or sites to the Register. The previous set was overly general, and the new criteria are consistent with the State’s criteria for listing in the State’s historic register. The ordinance requires that any property or other resource be at least 45 years old and meet one or more of six criteria before it can be added to the Register (CMC Section 16.302.080). The City’s new criteria for the designation of Cultural Resources are:
The City of Claremont Municipal Code also contains further distinguished criteria for historic districts, historic signs, and heritage trees and groves.
Design Review
Once a property is listed on the Claremont Register or identified as a contributor to a Historic District, exterior alterations that could significantly affect the historic resource may require approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness (“COA”) prior to commencement of work. The purpose of the COA process is not to prevent change or reinvestment in historic properties, but rather to ensure that alterations are designed and constructed in a manner that is consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, which generally means in a manner that preserves the character-defining features and architectural significance of the resource while still allowing for reasonable and appropriate property improvements.
The Claremont Municipal Code establishes both Staff-level (“Minor Project Review”) and Architectural and Preservation Commission-level (“Major Project Review”) processes depending on the scale and potential impact of the proposed work. Minor alterations that do not materially affect the integrity or character-defining features of a historic resource may either be reviewed administratively by staff or may be exempt from a COA entirely. Examples may include compatible window replacements, alterations to non-contributing accessory structures, limited rear additions, roofing replacement with matching materials, landscaping, painting, interior alterations, and ordinary maintenance. More substantial alterations, demolitions, relocations, or additions affecting the primary historic resource are generally reviewed by the Commission at a public hearing. In reviewing proposed projects, the staff and the Commission evaluate consistency with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, adopted City design guidelines, the General Plan, and applicable State laws. The Municipal Code expressly recognizes the need to balance historic preservation objectives with property owner rights, housing laws, ongoing investment in private property, and reasonable modifications necessary for continued use and maintenance of historic structures.
The review process is intended to be collaborative and flexible whenever feasible. Staff routinely works with applicants and property owners to identify design solutions that preserve important historic features while accommodating additions, remodels, accessibility improvements, new accessory structures, and other desired property improvements. The overall intent of the City’s preservation program is to encourage stewardship and compatible reinvestment in historic properties rather than prevent thoughtful change.
Incentives
Preservation of a historic property (Cultural Resource) in the City of Claremont allows the property owner(s) to take advantage of a number of benefits and incentives. These are offered in order to encourage preservation, which creates value and benefits to the entire Claremont community. Direct financial incentive programs listed in the Cultural Resources Ordinance include:
1. A reduction in property taxes through the Mills Act process;
2. Relaxation of development standards for additions to designated structures and/or property;
3. A reduction in the fees for the appropriate building permits required to do improvements;
4. Expedited processing of permit applications;
5. Inclusion in materials and social media to be distributed to residents and tourists;
6. Identification plaques for designated improvements;
7. Use of the California Historical Building Code; and/or
8. Such other incentives as the City Council may, from time to time, implement.
Other economic incentives may be available through:
9. Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits; and/or
10. California historic tax credits under SB-451 Personal income and corporation taxes: credits: rehabilitation of certified historic structures.
CEQA REVIEW
This public study session is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15378 because the study session is informational in nature, does not constitute a commitment to any action, and will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change to the environment. Therefore, no further environmental review is necessary.
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a paper copy, please contact Melissa Sanabria at msanabria@claremontca.gov.
Notice of study session was published in the Claremont Courier on May 15, 2026, as a Legal Ad. In addition, on May 14, 2026, notices were sent to the owners of each of the seventy-nine affected properties.
Submitted by: Reviewed by:
Brad Johnson Christopher Veirs
Community Development Director City Planner
Prepared by:
Jordan Goose
Associate Planner
Attachments:
A - Chapter 16.302 Cultural Resources Preservation
B - Historic Preservation Timeline