Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) Chair Sara C. Bronin and ACHP Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee Chairman Charles “Sonny” Ward today brought together key thinkers in historic preservation and housing to discuss the ACHP’s recent Housing and Historic Preservation Policy Statement and to identify opportunities to implement its principles through local and statewide approaches.
The ACHP’s policy statement, adopted in December 2023, acknowledges the critical role older and historic buildings can play in efforts to promote housing affordability and supply. The statement encourages state and local governments to incentivize and facilitate rehabilitation projects through tax credits, zoning reform, and expedited permitting processing, among other strategies.
“The Advisory Council’s recent policy statement should be a call to action for preservationists around the country to develop and advance innovative approaches that ensure our historic buildings can be successfully rehabilitated to meet pressing housing needs,” Chair Bronin said. “Today’s extraordinary meeting of housing advocates and preservationists in California surfaced a variety of ways in which preservation can be a key tool for communities to address their housing challenges.”
Chairman Ward said those fortunate to attend the roundtable witnessed a spirited conversation that affirmed local government officials, developers and preservationists can address California’s housing crisis together.
“Engaging with Chair Bronin, local officials, and historians, we have underscored the critical need for a cohesive strategy that aligns historic preservation with housing innovation,” Ward said. “Our discussions have laid the groundwork for actionable policies that support both the safeguarding of our cultural heritage and the development of sustainable housing solutions.”
Roundtable participants included the following people:
- Ken Bernstein, Principal City Planner, Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources
- Aaron Eckhouse, Local and Regional Policy Programs Director, California YIMBY
- Adrian Scott Fine, President and CEO, Los Angeles Conservancy
- David Garcia, Policy Director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley
- Shane Phillips, Housing Initiative Project Manager, UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
- Julianne Polanco, California State Historic Preservation Officer
Roundtable participants addressed current challenges, recent California housing legislation impacting historic sites, and innovative ways to advance historic preservation and housing in California.
“At the City of Los Angeles, we are grateful for the ACHP’s leadership in advancing policy and creating space to address the intersection of housing and historic preservation,” Ken Bernstein said. “This is particularly important at a time when Los Angeles and California are grappling with how to provide diverse housing opportunities and affordability while preserving the distinctive historic assets in local communities.”
Adrian Scott Fine said the discussion showed preservation is a viable option as Los Angeles looks for housing affordability solutions.
“Throughout Los Angeles, we’ve seen affordable housing and historic preservation work together through adaptive reuse projects, sensitive infill development, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and rehabilitations,” Fine said. “Preservation and affordable housing do not need to be pitted up against one another, as we have a lot of common goals, and preservation brings tools and strategies that can help address the growing housing crisis. The ACHP’s policy statement provides a great starting point as we explore statewide and local solutions that make sense for Los Angeles.”
Learn more about housing and historic preservation here.