Chapter 17.10 — HISTORIC DESIGNATION

Sections:

• 17.10.010 Purpose. 17.10.020 Designation process. 17.10.030 Amendment or rescission. 17.10.040 Local register.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide processes for the nomination and designation of locally significant historic resources and districts in an effort to recognize and promote the preservation of sites, structures, and areas important to the history of St. Helena. Historic designation allows for inclusion in the Historic Preservation Overlay as established in Section 17.21.040, Historic Preservation Overlay (HP), and shown on the Historic Preservation Overlay map. (Ord. 23-4 § 5 (Exh. A))

The St. Helena Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 26-4, passed May 12, 2026.

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A. Local Historic Resources. Local historic resources shall be designated by the planning commission in the following manner:

1. Initiation of Designation. Designation of a historical resource may be initiated by the planning commission or by the owner of the property that is proposed for designation. Applications for designation originating from outside the planning commission must be accompanied by such historical and architectural information prepared by a qualified architectural historian as is required by the planning commission to make an informed recommendation concerning the application, together with the fee set by the city council.

2. Review, Notice, and Hearing. The planning commission shall conduct a public hearing on a nomination for local historic resource designation. Notice of the public hearing shall be provided, and the hearing shall be conducted in compliance with Section 17.04.080, Public hearing notice, including mailed notice to the owners of any property proposed for such designation.

3. Findings and Decision. Following a public hearing, the planning commission may approve or disapprove a nomination for designation as a local historic resource. The commission shall record the decision and the findings upon which the decision is based. Approved designations will be added to the city’s local register. The planning commission may approve such designation only if it finds that the resource meets at least one of the following criteria:

a. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the city’s history and cultural heritage; or

• b. It is associated with the lives of persons important in the city’s past; or

• c. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values; or

• d. It has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in the city’s prehistory or history.

B. Local Historic Districts. Local historic districts shall be designated by the city council upon the recommendation of the planning commission in the following manner:

1. Initiation of Designation. The designation of a local historic district may be initiated by the city council or the planning commission.

2. Requirements for Designation. The designation of a local historic district is subject to evaluation by a qualified architectural historian and a finding by the approval authority that all of the following requirements are met:

• a. The proposed district is a geographically definable area;

• b. The proposed district possesses either a significant concentration or continuity of buildings unified by past events or aesthetically by plan or physical development;

The St. Helena Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 26-4, passed May 12, 2026.

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c. Considered as a whole, a sufficient concentration of buildings within the proposed district demonstrates integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship and association;

• d. The collective historic value of the buildings and structures in the proposed district is greater than the historic value of each individual building or structure; and

• e. The designation of the area as a historic district is reasonable, appropriate and necessary to protect, promote and further the goals and purposes of this chapter and is not inconsistent with other goals and policies of the city.

3. Planning Commission Hearing and Recommendation. The planning commission shall conduct a public hearing on a nomination for local historic resource district. Notice of the public hearing shall be provided and the hearing shall be conducted in compliance with Section 17.04.080, Public hearing notice, including mailed notice to the owners of any property proposed for such designation. Following the public hearing, the commission shall recommend approval in whole or in part or disapproval of the application for designation in writing to the city council, setting forth the reasons for the decision. The planning commission may approve a recommendation for a local historic district only if it makes the findings set forth in subsection (B)(2) of this section.

4. City Council Hearing and Decision. The city council shall conduct a public hearing on a nomination for local historic district. Notice of the public hearing shall be provided and the hearing shall be conducted in compliance with Section 17.04.080, Public hearing notice, including mailed notice to the owners of any property proposed for such designation. Following the public hearing, the city council shall by resolution approve the recommendations in whole or in part or shall by motion disapprove them in their entirety. The city council may approve a designation as a local historic district only if it makes the findings set forth in subsection (B)(2) of this section. If the city council approves a local historic district, notice of the decision shall be sent to property owners within the district. Properties identified as contributors to a local historic district shall be added to the HP Overlay. (Ord. 23-4 § 5 (Exh. A))

The planning commission and the city council may amend or rescind any designation of a historical resource or historic district in the same manner and procedure as are followed for designation. (Ord. 23-4 § 5 (Exh. A))

A. The sites and structures previously designated by the city council as having local historic significance through the adoption of Resolution 2019-54 (specifically Appendix A, Historic Resources List of General Plan, and as amended pursuant to the properties noted in the HP Overlay map) are hereby designated as local historic resources as defined in this chapter and hereby included in the local register.

The St. Helena Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 26-4, passed May 12, 2026.

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B. The planning commission shall maintain a register of designated local historic resources and districts (local register). (Ord. 23-4 § 5 (Exh. A))