Goal ES-9

Goal ES-9:

Protect important historic architectural resources for the aesthetic, educational, economic, and scientific contribution they make to South San Francisco’s identity and quality of life.

Intent:

To help preserve, enhance, and educate the community about South San Francisco’s historic architectural resources through regular inventories, resource identification, adaptive reuse, and development site surveys. 

Policy ES-9.1: Maintain a Historic Resources Inventory.

Maintain and update a Historic Resources Inventory at regular intervals to promote awareness of these community resources and as a tool to further their preservation. Give priority to identifying and establishing Historic Districts.

  • Action ES-9.1.1: Explore the feasibility of a Downtown Historic Commercial District development.

    Explore the feasibility of establishing a Downtown South San Francisco Historical Commercial District to promote the revitalization and redevelopment of the area while supporting existing small business owners in the district from being displaced.

  • Action ES-9.1.2: Prepare Downtown urban design guidelines.

    Institute Downtown urban design guidelines and require design review of developments in the proposed Downtown South San Francisco Historical Commercial District to ensure that the height, massing, and design of buildings furthers Downtown’s character.

  • Action ES-9.1.3: Expand historic markers and maps to promote and celebrate history.

    Expand resources such as historic maps, historic markers, or self-guided walking tours to promote and celebrate historic preservation in South San Francisco.

  • Action ES-9.1.3: Expand historic resources education through partnerships.

    Work with neighborhood groups and historic preservation advocacy groups on events, materials, and efforts to educate the public on the positive benefits of historic preservation generally and in specific neighborhoods.

  • Action ES-9.1.4: Preservation resources.

    Prepare a vision for the preservation of historic resources using the Mills Act, State Tax Credit Program, or other available tools.

Policy ES-9.2: Identify historic resources.

Encourage the voluntary identification, conservation, and re-use of historical structures, properties, and sites with special and recognized historic, architectural, or aesthetic value.

Policy ES-9.3: Encourage adaptive reuse of historic resources.

Encourage historic resources to remain in their original use whenever possible. The adaptive use of historic resources is preferred, particularly as inns, vacation rentals, light commercial use, museums, educational facilities, or visitor-serving uses, when the original use can no longer be sustained.

Policy ES-9.4: Protect hardscape and cultural landscape elements.

Protect and preserve historic sidewalk stamps, street signs, lampposts, street trees, and other hardscape and cultural landscape elements, in addition to designated historical buildings, structures, and sites that contribute to the historic character of a neighborhood, and the city.

Policy ES-9.5: Require historic surveys as part of development project requirements.

Require the submittal of historic reports and surveys prepared as part of the environmental review process.

  • Action ES-9.5.1: Historic evaluation.

    Update project planning application requirements to require the historic evaluation of existing structures that are at least 50 years old