The draft of the city's new Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Ordinance is now available for review online, and the city invites all interested community members to provide feedback.

The draft ordinance is much longer and more in-depth than the original ordinance, and lays out a specific set of procedures and regulations to ensure the city's historic structures and resources are preserved. As laid out in the ordinance, the purpose of the document is "to promote the public healthy, safety and general welfare by providing for the identification, designation, protection, enhancement and ongoing use of Cultural Resources that represent the City's cultural, architectural, social, historical, economic and political heritage."

The city launched the process to review and update the 50-year-old Historic Preservation Ordinance earlier this year, with the goal of making an even greater effort to preserve and protect the history in San Gabriel. The update was also tied to a moratorium, spurred by concerns raised by residents about 'mansionization,' that was passed by the City Council prohibiting single family home demolition and second story addition in the R-1 zone. Recently, the council extended the moratorium on single family home demolition to October 2017, but elected to allow second story additions.

Throughout the entire process, the city held community meetings and kept local stakeholders informed. The city intends to continue to involve the public through the final ordinance approval, scheduled for 2017.

The draft ordinance can be found online. Comments should be submitted electronically to Senior Planner Larissa De La Cruz at ldelacruz@sgch.org by Jan. 30. There will also be a community meeting in mid-January where community members can ask questions and give input on the ordinance. Further details on the time and date of the meeting will be distributed soon.

For questions or more information visit sangabrielcity.com/historicpreservation or contact Senior Planner Larissa De La Cruz at ldelacruz@sgch.org or 626.308.2800, ext. 4625.