January 2009 Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Recommendations

On January 12, 2009, the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board finalized major recommendations regarding historic properties and districts in the Central Business District (CBD). While most of the discussion focused on refinements to the Fine-Grain Zoning approach for historic districts and properties, the Landmarks Board did make a recommendation regarding new buildings at the Lake Merritt edge. You can see the staff report here: January 12, 2009, LPAB Staff Report

A significant issue being discussed is the preservation of view corridors into the CBD and views of historic buildings such as the Tribune tower and City Hall. There are numerous policies on preserving views listed in General Plan documents including the 1998 EIR for the General Plan, the Land Use and Transportation Plan, and the Open Space Conservation and Recreation Plan. Each of these documents contains policies promoting the preservation of views and view corridors and each proposes mitigations, including limiting building heights through zoning. The Landmarks Board identified a number of “scenic vistas” to be preserved in the CBD, including views from Lakeshore Ave.


Secondly, because most of the area of Lakeside Drive where building height limits are sought is an Area of Primary Importance, the Landmarks Board addressed the area directly. It should be noted that the Landmarks Board has not made specific height recommendations for any area of the CBD, including along Lakeside Drive. For Lakeside Drive, the Board’s recommendation is to limit the lot area utilized by new buildings. Specifically, new buildings may only cover 50% or 70 feet (whichever is less) of the direction of the lot running parallel to Lakeside Drive. For example, if the portion of a lot paralleling Lakeside is 200 feet long, a new building is limited to 70 feet and must leave the remaining 130 feet open in order to preserve the view corridors into downtown.

The Board’s recommendation does not address building heights which is an issue that still needs to be addressed since ZUC staff is still recommending heights of 170 and 275 feet along Lakeside Drive. We will continue to pursue reduced building heights with the Planning Commission.