BP Design Guidelines
Maintaining Our Homes in a Historically Designated District
CITY ORDINANCE AND DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE BLUFF PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT
Living in one of the city’s historic districts, such as ours, comes with both privilege and responsibility.
The 1982 City Ordinance for the Bluff Park Historic District and the 2018 Bluff Park Historic District Design Guidelines dictate how the City of Long Beach is helping preserve our neighborhood’s long history, integrity and beauty during these modern and changing times.
Residents and property owners in any building within the Bluff Park Historic District must be mindful of changes they wish to make to their homes.
In general all changes to the exterior of any building within an historic district require review and approval and a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) by the City’s Development Services Planning Bureau. This process applies to old and modern buildings, single-family and multi-family residences, apartments and condominium complexes.
Here are some examples of items requiring the City’s advance review and approval:
- New construction
- Additions to existing structures, including garages
- Garage conversions
- Construction of accessory dwelling units (ADU) or granny flats
- Changes to exterior materials, such as stucco, shingles, siding roofing
- Exterior painting
- Fences and patio walls
- Changes to windows, doors, doorways, front entries, driveways
Minor changes that meet the design guidelines are typically approved immediately. Major projects and applications that are inconsistent with the design guidelines are scheduled for a hearing in front of the City’s Cultural Heritage Commission which meets monthly and are open to the public. Applicants may appeal decisions to the City’s Planning Commission.
Here are informative links relevant to our historically designated neighborhood:
Bluff Park District Design Guidelines
Historic Preservation in the City
Historic District Guidelines in the City of Long Beach
Handout from the “Preservation of Our Historic Homes Meeting” on Nov 11, 2017
