The City’s newest Commission – Historic Preservation – is off and running. The Commission held its first ever meeting on February 22. The Historic Preservation Commission is an important next step in implementing the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, which was enacted by the City Council in April 2022. The goal of the Ordinance is to preserve and protect resources that, once lost, cannot be replaced or replicated.

Responsibilities of this new five-member Commission include:

• Making recommendations to the City Council regarding the designation of eligible properties as Historic Landmarks, Historic Districts, and Points of Historical Interest within the City and Mills Act requests.
• Making recommendations to the City Council regarding the rescission of or amendment to a historic designation.
• Reviewing and making recommendations to the Design Review Board on projects involving alterations to historic resources.
• Reviewing historic resources surveys and making recommendations to the City Council on periodic updates to the City’s Historic Resources Inventory.
• Making recommendations on any proposed design guidelines that may be developed by the City for project review or review of appropriate alterations or new construction within Historic Districts.
• Acting as an advisory board to the City Council, Planning Commission, Design Review Board, City Manager, and all City departments on all matters related to historic preservation.

The Commission meets on the 3rd Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m. You can participate by attending in-person in Goleta City Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive) or online via Zoom. You can also watch from the comfort of your home on the City website or on Goleta TV Channel 19.

Pictured: Historic Preservation Commissioners and City Staff