A MISSION TO SAVE HISTORIC HOMES SAN FERNANDO CRAFTS NEW PLAN.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

SAN FERNANDO - After years of foot-dragging, the city has passed a sweeping historic preservation plan designed to save some of the San Fernando Valley's greatest architectural gems.

The plan has drawn accolades from Southern California's most respected preservation group - the Los Angeles Conservancy, which only a few years ago gave the city of San Fernando the grade D for its preservation efforts.

Approved recently by the City Council, the plan clears the last major hurdle to developing historic districts, registries and homeowner responsibilities to preserve old structures.

``It's a relief this has finally come down the pike,'' said Manuel Godoy, a historic commissioner who owns a 1905 national folk home.

``Right now, there's nothing to protect historic resources. There will at least be some kinds of checks and balances ... I don't think this is going to be Old Pasadena, but San Fernando can hold its own.''

The preservation plan builds on a 2002 initiative that identified more than 230 possible historic homes and businesses in the 2.3-square-mile city - the oldest community in the San Fernando Valley.

The new plan will guide development in the city of 23,000 people, setting up a preservation commission that will develop regulations to select and protect historic homes and commercial property buildings.

Under the plan, individual homes can be considered for the registry as well as entire neighborhoods, which would fall under a protected historic district.

Many San Fernando homes date back to the turn of the 20th century, when the Southern Pacific railroad first rumbled through the township.

The tiny city's concentration of humble Craftsman- and mission-style homes stands in stark contrast to the postwar tract homes that sprawl over much of the Valley's 250 square miles.

The plan will help preserve homes like the Lopez Adobe, a Spanish-style home built in the late 1800s. It is now a city museum and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Once homes are registered, homeowners can gain formal recognition of their homes' historic status, which could qualify them for property tax breaks and government grants. But officials have yet to determine what will qualify certain homes for the registry.

Over the next several months, officials will hold several public hearings and study sessions to define rules for deciding what can and cannot become part of the registry.

``I am for it, but I just want to make sure that this doesn't mean I can't paint my house blue if I want to paint my house blue,'' said Phillip Koch, owner of a 1924 Craftsman on MacNeil Street.

Officials point out that each city deals differently with paint color and structural changes to homes, a factor they will consider when creating new regulations. But they say they are unlikely to adopt standards that would force homeowners onto registries or require them to participate in historic districts.

Still, preservationists like Ken Bernstein, the director of preservation for the Los Angeles Conservancy, said without some level of forced participation in historic districts the regulations are useless.

``One hundred percent consent is a recipe for no historic preservation at all,'' Bernstein said. As it is, neighbors can't even agree on the weather, he quipped.

In Glendale, historic districts require that a majority of homeowners are onboard with a historic district, he said. And in Los Angeles, a historic district only requires City Council to designate it as such, though it's rare that council members will support a district without neighborhood consensus.

A major concern for some council members has been creating new rules that would place a financial burden on residents by forcing them to alter their homes.

But Bernstein points out that being in a historic district does not require property owners to restore their homes. Rather, it prohibits alterations that run counter to the historic character of the building or district.

Studies show historic districts tend to raise property values while preserving neighborhood character. And some observers say it could lure Hollywood producers looking for a good backdrop, raising the status of the neighborhood in outsiders' eyes.

And though new regulations are still months away, the city's turnaround was so impressive that the Los Angeles Conservancy will recognize its efforts next month. In judging the city, an independent panel noted the city's unique consideration of preservation's influence on economic development as it tries to revitalize an area with a diverse economic base.

``This shows the city has kept to its model, 'historic and visionary,''' said Severyn Aszkenazy, a San Fernando developer who has fashioned mission-inspired business complexes on early San Fernando architecture.

``If this is done well, it is a definite image-enhancer.''

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, map

Photo:

An old adobe-style house stands at 1100 Pico Street in the city of San Fernando, which has begun a major historic preservation plan to identify and protect architectural gems.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Map:

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

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