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4

HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

Sacramento’s historic and cultural resources include not only buildings, monuments, places, landscapes, and archaeological remains, but also traditional customs, important infrastructure, and sites where important events once took place. Collectively, these resources tell the story of our shared heritage. As Sacramento looks forward to its next era of growth, it is essential to celebrate the contributions of all segments of the population so that all community members can take pride in their identity and transmit that to future generations. By preserving and enhancing our diverse historic and cultural resources, we can help foster a distinctive sense of place and lay the foundation for an economically viable, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable city.

The Historic and Cultural Resources Element of the General Plan establishes a comprehensive framework to identify and protect valuable historic and cultural resources, thoughtfully integrate new infill development into the existing urban fabric, and encourage community education and appreciation of the city’s historic and cultural resources. Although not required under state law, this Element underscores the City’s commitment to these important community resources. Related strategies for placemaking, infill compatibility, and inclusive economic development are addressed in the Land Use and Placemaking and Economic Development Elements.

Historic Context

Sacramento’s physical and cultural development has been shaped by varied and overlapping elements throughout its history. Its location at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers within a fertile valley has made it a center of human settlement since the first Native American peoples came to the area. What is now the city of Sacramento occupies the ancestral homelands of the Nisenan and Plains Miwok peoples. These cultures that thrived at the rivers’ confluence still exist today and are part of the past, present, and future of the city. Following the arrival of Europeans, the large native population was reduced first by disease and later by enslavement, or forced removal, following the discovery of gold in 1849. Sacramento quickly became a hub of non-native transportation and commerce in the region, growing further in importance with its selection as the State capital in 1854. Development continued with the arrival of the railroads and construction of streetcar lines in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, while the agricultural abundance of the Central Valley and influx of residents from diverse, multi-ethnic backgrounds contributed to the city’s economic vitality and rich cultural diversity. These multi-faceted layers of history have contributed to Sacramento’s unique physical landscape, which today includes a wide range of housing and other building types and a variety of architectural styles.

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Residence of John Stevens, president of the Pioneer Box Factory, ca. 1890

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7th and J Street, 1938

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Central Pacific Railroad, 1865

⬚ figure Sacramento’s early development was oriented around its rivers, which provided important regional trading access.

Existing Resources, Districts, and Landmarks

Sacramento has a rich legacy of historically and culturally significant buildings, structures, objects, sites, and districts that contribute to its distinctive sense of place and help to tell the story of the community. This section summarizes the large and diverse range of historic and cultural resources in the city of Sacramento that have been formally designated by the federal, state, and local governments. While there are a large number of designated historic resources, many properties have not yet been evaluated for potential historic significance, including those that are currently under 50 years of age but will become “age-eligible” for historic evaluation in the future. For example, historic resources may be identified in mid-century modern residential neighborhoods and areas that were annexed into the city during the 20th and 21st Centuries to the north, south, and east of the Central City.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES

Archaeological sites recorded in the region include village sites, smaller occupation or special use sites, and lithic scatters. Native American habitation sites within what is now the city of Sacramento are concentrated in locations with higher spots along the rivers, creeks, and sloughs that provided water and sources of food. Recent discoveries in the city have helped further understanding of the settlement pattern and lives of the original inhabitants of the area.

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s most comprehensive inventory of historic resources. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service and includes buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts that possess historic, architectural, engineering, archaeological, or cultural significance at the national, state, or local level, including those identified as National Historic Landmarks. Typically, resources over 50 years old are eligible for listing in the National Register if they meet the listing criteria for significance and if they retain sufficient historic integrity.

CALIFORNIA REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES

The California Office of Historic Preservation oversees the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register). Resources listed on the California Register may also be listed on the Sacramento Register or the National Register of Historic Places. Some resources are listed automatically on the California Register by virtue of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of the federal preservation programs administered by the National Parks Service, or by being listed as a California Historical Landmark (number 770 and above). Resources can also be listed on the California Register by action of the State Historical Resources Commission through a nomination process administered by the California Office of Historic Preservation. The city of Sacramento contains California State Landmarks such as Sutter’s Fort, the Sacramento City Cemetery, railroad buildings, hotels, banks, residences, churches, and the California Capitol complex.

The California Register of Historical Resources is an inventory of significant architectural, archaeological, and historical resources in the State of California. California Historical Landmarks and National Register-listed properties are automatically listed in the California Register. In addition to the properties listed on the National Register, and therefore also listed on the California Register, the city of Sacramento currently contains 13 properties that are solely listed on the California Register.

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CALIFORNIA POINTS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST

California Points of Historical Interest are “sites, buildings, features, or events that are of local (city or county) significance and have anthropological, cultural, military, political, architectural, economic, scientific or technical, religious, experimental, or other value.” Points of Historical Interest designated after December 1997 and recommended by the State Historical Resources Commission are also listed in the California Register. California Points of Historical Interest in the city of Sacramento include the Curran Farmhouse, Eastern Star Hall, George Hack House, River Mansion, St. Elizabeth’s Church, and Edwin Whitter Ranch.

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SACRAMENTO REGISTER OF HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

The Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources is established through Title 17 of the City Code. Criteria for listing a property on the Sacramento Register are included in the City Code and are similar to those for listing on the National or California Registers. The Sacramento Register records adopted landmarks; adopted historic districts; special planning districts, survey areas, and individual resources; and pending Sacramento Register nominations.

To date, over 800 individually landmarked historic and cultural resources have been listed on the Sacramento Register, together with 30 historic districts (see Map HCR-1). Most of the city’s existing locally designated historic districts are in geographical proximity to each other and are concentrated within the Central City, which contains Sacramento’s original 1848 street grid. The historic districts include tree-lined residential neighborhoods, vibrant commercial corridors, government and civic centers, and industrial hubs, all of which reflect the broad spectrum of Sacramento’s evolution and physical development from the earliest decades of the capital city’s founding to the mid-twentieth century. More than 1,400 contributing resources to City-designated historic districts were added to the Sacramento Register following the completion of the Historic District Plans project in late 2019, and two historic districts were removed from the Sacramento Register.

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Map HCR-1: Historic Districts and Landmark Parcels

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Preservation Framework

The City of Sacramento’s commitment to preserving its historic built environment is evident in the number of individual efforts that have been made to recognize, catalogue, and protect historic properties since the City’s historic preservation program began in the 1970s. The historic preservation program started in 1974 with the City Council’s adoption of Sacramento’s first preservation ordinance. This was followed by the appointment of the first Preservation Board in 1975. Since then, the historic preservation program has evolved into a citywide Certified Local Government program with a seven-member Preservation Commission and a Historic and Cultural Resources Element of the City’s General Plan. New programs, including the Mills Act program and Historic Places Grant program, have been implemented to help residents maintain historic buildings and provide financial incentives for historic preservation projects throughout the city. Together, these varied efforts comprise a robust local preservation program that helps Sacramento reach its historic preservation goals.

⬚ figure Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building

CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT STATUS

Sacramento is a Certified Local Government Program (CLG). The program – formed by a partnership between the National Park Service, California State Office of Historic Preservation, and local governments across California – awards annual federal grants to assist with the implementation of local historic preservation programs.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE

The City’s historic preservation regulations are located in Chapter 17.604 of the City Code. This chapter establishes the City’s preservation program and preservation commission, and designates staff to implement the program. The chapter also sets forth mechanisms to identify significant historic, prehistoric, and cultural resources, structures, districts, sites, landscapes and properties within the city; provides mechanisms and procedures to protect and encourage the preservation of the city’s historic and cultural resources; and provides standards, criteria, and processes, consistent with state and federal preservation standards and criteria, for the identification, protection, and assistance in the preservation, maintenance, and use of historic and cultural resources.

PRESERVATION COMMISSION

The City’s Preservation Commission consists of seven members of the public, most of whom are architects, design professionals, or historians. The Commission is responsible for developing and recommending historic preservation policies and programs to City Council; reviewing, nominating, and recommending properties for listing on the Sacramento Register; and considering and acting on proposed development projects that may impact historic resources.

PRESERVATION SITE PLAN AND DESIGN REVIEW PROCESS

Proposed development and construction projects involving properties that are designated historic landmarks, potentially eligible historic resources, or located within a historic district are reviewed by City historic preservation staff through the City’s Preservation Site Plan and Design Review process (SPDR). This ensures that projects are consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, relevant historic district plans, development standards, design guidelines; and the City Planning and Development Code (i.e., title 17 of the Sacramento City Code). Permits to demolish or relocate buildings or structures that are at least 50 years old are also reviewed by City preservation staff.

PROGRAMS AND INCENTIVES

The City of Sacramento’s historic preservation ordinance is supplemented by several wide-ranging programs and financial incentives. These programs aid Sacramento’s overall preservation-related efforts by enhancing public education and awareness of the city’s important historic and cultural places, expanding the range of historic resources that receive recognition, and providing sources of funding to support preservation projects.

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HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAMS AND INCENTIVES

Mills Act

The Mills Act Historical Property Contract Program is intended to offset the cost of preserving historic properties by offering property owners a property tax reduction in exchange for agreeing to preserve and maintain their historic building. A property must be listed on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources, the California Register of Historical Resources, or the National Register of Historic Places to be eligible for the program.

Sacramento Historic Property Plaque Program

Owners of historical properties that have been designated by the City of Sacramento as either a Historic Landmark or a Contributing Resource within a City-designated Historic District are eligible to apply for a Sacramento Historic Property Plaque.

Old Sacramento Special Sign District

The Old Sacramento Special Sign District ordinance, Chapter 15.152 of the City Code, sets sign regulations to preserve and maintain the historic character of the Old Sacramento Historic District, which is a National Historic Landmark. These regulations help Old Sacramento recapture the physical environment as it appeared during the Gold Rush era of the late 1800s.

Historic Places Grant Program

The City of Sacramento administers the Historic Places Grant Program. The grant program is a matching grant program that funds projects between $1,000 and $24,999 and is intended to facilitate the preservation of historic properties (residential and commercial structures and sites) throughout the city of Sacramento.

STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES

Some change is inevitable as historic buildings continue to be used over time. Recognizing this, historic preservation design standards and guidelines are valuable tools intended to help property owners, residents, developers, and design professionals carry out projects at historic properties that enable continued and new uses, while retaining the characteristics that make the properties historically significant.

Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (SOI Standards) provides standards and guidance for designing and reviewing proposed work on historic properties. The SOI Standards are used by federal agencies and are also frequently used by local government bodies across the country, including the City of Sacramento, to review proposed rehabilitation work on historic properties under local preservation ordinances.

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Historic District Plans Design Standards

The Sacramento Historic District Plans were adopted in 2019 and provide a basis for managing growth and change in many of the city’s historic districts by guiding alterations to existing buildings and new development that respect the historic character that defines these special places. To this end, the Historic District Plans provide design standards that are tailored to the distinctive characteristics of each individual historic district. The Historic District Plans are based on and consistent with the SOI Standards, so consistency with the Historic District Plans is typically considered a project that is consistent with the SOI Standards.

Historic District Objective Design Standards

Following the passage of Senate Bill 35 (2017, Wiener) and Senate Bill 330 (2019, Skinner), the City of Sacramento developed Historic District Objective Design Standards. These Objective Design Standards reflect the need to speed up and streamline new housing construction in Sacramento while recognizing the distinctive physical characteristics and significance of the City’s historic districts.

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The filming of an oral history interview for the African American Experience Project

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Resource Preservation

Preservation of historic resources and the overall context in which they are located is an important City objective. The policies in this section aim to preserve historic and cultural resources and support the City actively protecting, maintaining, and identifying historic and cultural resources, including consultation with appropriate organizations and individuals early in the planning and development process to identify opportunities and minimize potential impacts to historic and cultural resources.

GOALS AND POLICIES

HCR-1.1 Preservation of Historic and Cultural Resources, Landscapes, and Site Features. The City will continue to promote the preservation, restoration, enhancement, and recognition of historic and cultural resources throughout the city.

HCR-1.2 Maintenance and Preservation. The City will continue to encourage maintenance and preservation of historic and cultural resources to promote the continued vitality of its neighborhoods.

HCR-1.3 Compatibility with Historic Context. The City will continue to review new development, alterations, and rehabilitation/remodels for compatibility with the surrounding historic context and consistency with design guidelines/standards, including the Historic District Plans. The City shall pay special attention to the scale, massing, and relationship of proposed new development to complement surrounding historic environments.

HCR-1.4 Historic Districts. The City will continue to establish and maintain historic districts to provide for the preservation and restoration of those areas that are of historic significance.

HCR-1.5 Historic Surveys and Context Statements. Where historic resource surveys are outdated, or for areas that have not been surveyed, the City shall seek funding to conduct new historic resource surveys and/or prepare context statements. In these efforts, the potential eligibility of all properties 45 years and older for listing in National, California, or Sacramento registers shall be evaluated.

HCR-1.6 Early Project Consultation. The City will continue to strive to minimize impacts to historic and cultural resources by consulting with property owners, land developers, tribal representatives, and the building industry early in the development review process as needed.

HCR-1.7 Contextual Features. The City shall promote the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and/or reconstruction, as appropriate, of contextual features related to historic resources, including maintenance and reconversion of parkway strips to landscaping; maintenance and replication of historic sidewalk patterns; use of historic streetlamps and street signs; and maintenance or restoration of historic park features.

HCR-1.8 Ongoing Maintenance. The City shall support the maintenance and safety of historic properties and resources through a combination of education and incentives, to avoid the need for major and costly rehabilitation, and to reduce risks to historic properties that are suffering from deferred maintenance.

HCR-1.9 Disaster Preparedness. The City shall seek to minimize or avoid adverse impacts to historic and cultural resources from natural disasters. To this end, the City shall promote seismic safety, flood protection, and other building retrofit programs that preserve, enhance, and protect these resources consistent with their historic design character.

HCR-1.10 Demolition. Consistent with Secretary of the Interior Standards, the City shall consider demolition of historic resources as a last resort, to be permitted only if rehabilitation or adaptive reuse of the resource is not feasible; demolition is necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its residents; or the public benefits outweigh the loss of the historic resource.

HCR-1.11 Energy Retrofits of Historic Resources. The City shall provide information and incentives to encourage energy efficiency retrofits to historic buildings in a manner that will protect the building’s significant features and characteristics.

HCR-1.12 Incentives for Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of Historic Resources. The City shall continue to encourage and support restoration and adaptive reuse through implementation of Mills Act contracts, grant programs, and other preservation incentive programs.

HCR-1.13 Indigenous Cultures. The City shall seek ways to recognize the peoples who first lived in, traveled, and traded in what is now the Sacramento area, by working with tribal representatives to preserve their identity, culture, and artifacts. Methods for recognizing tribal history and imagery may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Public art that provides a Native American perspective including works by Native artists;

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Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

• Naming of parks and places that reflects local Native American heritage and/or restores tribal names;
• Parks and recreation programming that increases awareness of tribal heritage and culture (including through interpretive displays) and allows opportunities for craft sharing;
• Incorporation of traditional native plants into landscape design palettes.

HCR-1.14 Archaeological, Tribal, and Cultural Resources.

The City shall continue to comply with federal and State regulations and best practices aimed at protecting and mitigating impacts to archaeological resources and the broader range of cultural resources as well as tribal cultural resources.

HCR-1.15 Treatment of Native American Human Remains.

The City shall treat Native American human remains with sensitivity and dignity and ensure compliance with the associated provisions of California Health and Safety Code and the California Public Resources Code. The City shall collaborate with the most likely descendants identified by the Native American Heritage Commission.

HCR-1.16 Endemic Traditions.

The City shall seek ways to recognize the endemic traditions of various communities in Sacramento, including African American, Hispanic, Native, and Asian American communities, to promote the retention of Sacramento’s intangible cultural heritage, which may include oral traditions, performing arts, social practices and festive events, legacy businesses, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship.

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HCR-1.17 Evaluation of Archeological Resources.

The City shall work in good faith with interested communities to evaluate proposed development sites for the presence of sub-surface historic, archaeological, and tribal cultural resources that may be present at the site. These efforts may include the following:

• Consideration of existing reports and studies,
• Consultation with Native American tribes as required by State law,
• Appropriate site-specific investigative actions, and
• Onsite monitoring during excavation if appropriate.

HCR-1.18 Evaluation of Potentially Eligible Built Environment Resources.

The City shall continue to evaluate all buildings and structures 50 years old and older for potential historic significance prior to approving a project that would demolish or significantly alter the resource.

HCR-1.19 Access to Energy Retrofits.

The City shall continue to work with federal, State, and regional agencies and partners to seek funding opportunities for economically disadvantaged property owners to pursue climate-adaptive energy retrofits and electrification of existing historic buildings.

HCR-2 A comprehensive, citywide preservation program that identifies, protects, and assists in the preservation of Sacramento’s historic and cultural resources.

HCR-2.1 Administration of Functions and Programs.

The City shall retain qualified Preservation staff, including a Preservation Director, and provide support to administer the City’s preservation functions and programs, including the Preservation Commission.

HCR-2.2 Certified Local Government.

The City shall maintain its federal status as a Certified Local Government (CLG) and make full use of its authority to designate local landmarks and historic districts and apply for state and federal historic preservation grants.

HCR-2.3 Sacramento Register.

The City shall maintain and update the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources on a regular basis, including proactively identifying and listing additional unidentified landmarks and historic districts, and deleting resources that do not meet the criteria for listing.

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HCR-2.4 Incorporating Preservation into Comprehensive Planning.

The City shall continue to consider historic and cultural resources in its current and long-term comprehensive planning efforts. To this end, the City shall incorporate specific preservation goals, policies, and programs into Community Plan and Specific Plan updates and neighborhood planning efforts, as appropriate.

HCR-2.5 Code Compliance.

The City’s Code Enforcement, Building, and Preservation Planning Division staff shall work collaboratively to identify historic properties under code enforcement actions and facilitate repair work that brings historic properties into compliance, consistent with preservation best practices, including utilizing the State Historical Building Code to support preservation goals.

HCR-2.6 Coordination with Other Entities.

The City should coordinate, network with, and support public, quasi-public, and private entities (e.g., Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, Capitol Area Development Authority, Native American Tribes) in their preservation efforts.

HCR-2.7 Funding and Financing Mechanisms.

As part of its preservation efforts, the City shall explore funding and financing mechanisms, such as public/private partnerships with business, education, and advocacy groups, in order to facilitate the preservation, rehabilitation, and/or adaptive reuse of historic resources.

Public Involvement

Broad-based public involvement is essential to historic preservation. Feedback from the public and the articulation of their values ensures that the important elements of Sacramento’s history are preserved while adequately responding to an evolving world and the desire for change. It also ensures that historic preservation efforts reflect Sacramento’s rich diversity so that the full range of the city’s history may be told and recognized.

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS

Sacramento’s historic preservation efforts are supported by several local organizations and community groups. These range from university and college students, such as the Public History Program, to non-profits like Preservation Sacramento and Sacramento Modern, and neighborhood groups such as East Sacramento Preservation. These groups advocate for historic preservation, provide valuable input about new City development plans and policies, and enhance local awareness and understanding of historic preservation through educational programs and events.

HERITAGE TOURISM

Heritage tourism contributes to Sacramento’s economy in a variety of ways. Many historic buildings and sites – such as the State Capitol, Tower Bridge, Sutter’s Fort, and Old Sacramento Waterfront – have become icons that define Sacramento’s image, both locally and around the world. Sacramento’s history also provides the foundation for many of the city’s most recognizable and beloved cultural institutions, including the Crocker Art Museum and California State Railroad Museum, and inspires the development of heritage-related events and activities throughout the year. Places, attractions, and events that are grounded in Sacramento’s history and culture attract visitors to Sacramento, create new jobs and business opportunities, aid in the protection of historic resources, and provide benefits that improve the lives of local residents.

A large part of a successful preservation program is the local support of its community and their belief in the importance of the history and prehistory contributing to local sense of place, culture, and economic development. The policies in this section support and provide for increasing public awareness and appreciation of the value of Sacramento’s historic and cultural resources.

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GOAL AND POLICIES

HCR-3 Increased awareness and appreciation of the city's heritage and its historic and cultural resources and the contribution they make to local sense of place, culture, and economic development.

HCR-3.1 Education and Awareness. The City shall foster an awareness of the importance of preserving the city’s heritage and cultural and historic resources in a manner that embraces and celebrates the community’s social and cultural diversity. This can include the following:

• The use of placemaking strategies that commemorate places of special social historical significance through public art practices,
• Community planning policies, and/or
• Cultural heritage celebrations.

HCR-3.2 School Programming. The City shall encourage and provide technical assistance to public and private schools in integrating local and architectural history into their curricula.

HCR-3.3 Heritage Tourism. The City shall work with the local tourism industry, property owners, businesses, non-profit organizations, and other public agencies to develop and promote Heritage Tourism opportunities, integrating efforts with ongoing initiatives for economic development and promotion of the creative economy.

HCR-3.4 Recognizing Preservation Efforts. The City shall support and recognize private and public preservation work by celebrating the stewards of historic and scenic resources who have completed particularly admirable rehabilitation projects and to others who have made special contributions to the preservation effort.

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HCR-3.5 Economic Benefits. The City shall increase awareness of the economic benefits of preservation by providing information to owners of historic properties.

HCR-3.6 Public Participation. The City shall continue to encourage public participation in the process for evaluating and preserving historic and cultural resources.

HCR-3.7 Old Sacramento Special Sign District. The City shall continue to implement the City’s Old Sacramento special sign district regulations to recognize and promote the historic ambience of Old Sacramento historic district.

HCR-3.8 Provision of Information. The City shall continue to incorporate information on historic resources into its Geographic Information System (GIS), Automated Permit System (APS), website, and video production. The City shall make information available on its website.

IMPLEMENTING ACTIONS

Plans and Programs

HCR-A.1: Preservation Emergency Response. The City shall incorporate historic preservation and historic resource surveys and evaluation into existing and future mitigation, response, and recovery processes.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department (lead); Office of Emergency Management (support)

Timeframe: Mid-term (2030-2035)

HCR-A.2: Heritage Tourism Plan. Through its Preserve America Community designation, the City shall develop and implement a Heritage Tourism Plan, partnering with public agencies, non-profit organizations, and private entities as appropriate.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department (lead); Office of Innovation and Economic Development (support)

Timeframe: Long-term (2036-2040)

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HCR-A.3: Education and Awareness. The City shall take actions to foster an awareness of the importance of preserving the city’s heritage and cultural and historic resources. Such actions may include the following:

• Identification and recognition of historic resources through its plaques and markers, murals, and other placemaking programs;
• Networking with other agencies, regional universities and colleges, Preservation Sacramento, Sacramento Modern, Native American tribes, and other organizations to promote historic preservation;
• Exploring opportunities to partner with local historic, cultural, community, and business organizations to establish and operate interpretive programs, such as walking/audio tours or “story poles;” home tours; permanent displays and signage; informational pamphlets; banners; and special events celebrating local history and culture; and
• Maintaining an accurate and up-to-date preservation website and pamphlets to promote the appreciation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and preservation of Sacramento’s historic and cultural resources.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department

Timeframe: Mid-term (2030-2035)

Planning Studies and Reports

HCR-A.4: Historic Context Statements and Survey. The City shall strive to expand, complete, and update historic context statements and surveys to maintain a basis for evaluating the significance of properties. These historic context statements and surveys should include the following:

• The history of underrepresented communities and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color groups in Sacramento, and
• The city's developing corridors (Stockton Boulevard, Franklin Boulevard, Freeport Boulevard, Northgate Boulevard, Del Paso Boulevard, etc.)

Additional context statements and surveys shall be prepared in support of future General Plan Updates and Specific Plans.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department

Timeframe: Ongoing

HCR-A.5: Post-Disaster Plan. The City shall develop a plan for post-disaster demolition and repair that protects historic resources against unnecessary loss of historic fabric and speculative demolitions.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department

Timeframe: Long-term (2036-2040)

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Regulations, Standards, and Development Review

HCR-A.6: Incentives and Enforcement. The City shall continue to incentivize the use and maintenance of historic properties through the following:

• Regulatory, technical, and financial incentives and enforcement programs to promote the maintenance;
• Rehabilitation, preservation, and interpretation of the city’s historic and cultural resources; and
• Discouraging neglect of listed historic properties. Examples may include the Historic Places Grant Program, the Bronze Plaque Program, and Mills Act Program.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department

Timeframe: Ongoing

HCR-A.7: Guidance Documents. The City shall develop planning and design guidance documents to assist property owners with understanding appropriate rehabilitation and energy efficiency retrofit options for historic and potentially eligible properties that will comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department

Timeframe: Long-term (2036-2040)

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HCR-A.8: Conditions for Resource Discovery. The City shall establish and implement procedures for the protection of historic, archaeological, and tribal cultural resources, consistent with the following:

• In the event any materials, items, or artifacts are discovered during excavation at a project site that may have historic, archeological, or tribal cultural resources, the project proponent and/or contractors should cease all work in the vicinity of the discovery, notify the City’s Preservation Director or Manager of Environmental Planning Services, and coordinate with the City to determine the appropriate response, including further efforts for discovery and treatment of potential resources.
• In the event any human remains are discovered during excavation, the project proponent and/or contractors shall comply with state law, including notifying the Sacramento County Coroner and following all procedures required by state law, including notifying the Native American Heritage Commission in the event the remains are determined to be Native American in origin.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department

Timeframe: Near-term (2024-2029)

HCR-A.9: Native American Cultural Resources. The City will explore creating a program for granting access to or transferring excess municipal land holdings to Native American tribes for ceremonial purposes, or if Native American cultural resources are located or planned to be located on the parcel. The City will conduct outreach with Native American tribes throughout the program development process.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department (lead), Department of Public Works (support)

Timeframe: Near-term (2024-2029)