Historic Resources Inventory Update

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Help Shape the Future of SLO's History

We are updating the list of historic properties in two strategic phases over the next few years in San Luis Obispo to ensure that the City’s historic resources are preserved for future generations. We want to hear from the community throughout this process!

This is your chance to help preserve the places, stories, and communities that make San Luis Obispo unique. Whether you own a historic property, live in a historic neighborhood, or care about how our city’s past is honored, your input matters.

Get Involved

🗓️ Key Public Meetings this fall:

Cultural Heritage Committee – Sept. 29, 2025
Planning Commission – October 22, 2025
City Council – December 2, 2025

Project Timeline

We are currently in Phase 1 of the Historic Resources Inventory update which entails updating the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance and Historic Context Statement.

Phase 1
Phase 2

Phase 1 of the HRI Update includes the following:

Historic Preservation Ordinance Update (HPO) & Historic Context Statement (HCS) Updates

What’s changing:

HPO - Revised historic resource designations
Updated significance evaluation criteria & guidance for future HRI surveys

Draft Update Documents

Historic Preservation Ordinance Update

Historic Context Statement

What is the Historic Resources Inventory (HRI)?

The HRI is the City’s official list of properties that are historically significant and worthy of preservation. It includes:

760+ properties across San Luis Obispo
Properties eligible for preservation incentives like property tax savings (Mills Act)

The HRI helps guide decisions about changing, preserving, and restoring our City's historic places and ensures our City’s history is protected for future generations.

Why Are We Updating It?

The current inventory is over 35 years old and many properties haven’t been reviewed using today’s standards.

Updating the HRI will:

Ensure listed properties meet current standards for evaluating historic significance
Reduce confusion and time for property owners
Include underrepresented stories—like Native American heritage, immigrant communities, labor history, and LGBTQ+ contributions
Help the City maintain its Certified Local Government (CLG) status with the State of California

Our Approach

Project Overview

To ensure the continued protection of our city's historical assets, the City of San Luis Obispo’s Community Development Department is updating the Historic Preservation Ordinance and Historic Context Statement.

This effort marks the first step in a two-phase project to revise our Historic Resources Inventory (HRI), which catalogs 760 historic places (this number may change with the inventory update). In Phase 1, we will focus on revising the rules and historical information to create clearer preservation priorities and evaluation standards. This critical groundwork will pave the way for Phase 2, where we will conduct a comprehensive review and update of the entire inventory.

This strategic approach will help us determine which projects require special review, ensuring that our historic properties and districts are preserved for future generations.

Project Goals

Assessment & Recommendations

The City has partnered up with an experienced historic consultant, Page & Turnbull, to provide recommendations for needed updates. The consultants’ recommendations initially included the two phased approach described above and preliminary recommendations on updates of the Historic Preservations Ordinance and Historic Context Statement. Following a more detailed assessment of the City’s historic preservation framework and a study session that included a presentation by our consultants with the City’s Cultural Heritage Committee, an audit memorandum with final recommended revisions to the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance was provided.

Brian Leveille
Principal Planner – Community Development
bleveille@slocity.org, 805.781.7166

City of San Luis Obispo, CA

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