The Alhambra Chamber of Commerce is a partner to businesses, the city, and the community to create an environment where businesses have the greatest chance to succeed while enriching the community as a whole. The Chamber recently took up the issue of historic preservation of structures in the city, as the City has been working to implement an ordinance to protect historic structures. While the Chamber supports historic preservation, the policy as it currently stands creates limitations on businesses and property owners in the commercial core by requiring, based only on visuals and without a study, that these buildings be placed on the “potential list.” This alone adds additional financial or bureaucratic burdens on property or business owners. The Chamber has issued a position that, instead of being an opt-out program where the burden of proof is on the business or property owner, the Historic Preservation Ordinance should be “opt-in” for commercial buildings. You can view the letter the Chamber submitted to the City below:
Dear Historic Preservation Commissioners,
On behalf of the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce, I write to express our recommendation for an amendment to the historical preservation ordinance. The Alhambra Chamber of Commerce recommends that the City of Alhambra make its historical preservation ordinance opt-in, or otherwise if necessary include in their historical preservation ordinance the option for property owners of commercial and multi-family to opt-out from the designation consideration assessment list.
The Chamber further supports economic and other incentives for owners of historic properties to preserve these buildings. The Chamber supports historic preservation as a means to celebrate the community’s past and will continue to do its part to work with businesses to preserve the character of the city while still promoting economic growth. Generally, it should not be the responsibility of property owners of commercial and multi-family to preserve buildings because of their age if they can’t make them viable as spaces for economic activity, or if the ordinance would otherwise impose some undue financial or other burden on the property or business owner.
Our city needs to be appealing to businesses and property owners in order to grow and with the uncertainty in our current economy, it’s essential that ordinances do not hinder growth or encourage business owners to look at neighboring cities due to unnecessary burdens.
Alhambra should remain a top choice for businesses and residents alike. We believe that making the historical preservation ordinate an opt-in will facilitate a business friendly environment, one that is flexible, attractive, and growth-oriented. As a result, Alhambra will be better positioned to attract diverse businesses, generate employment opportunities, and boost the local economy.
We sincerely hope the Historic Preservation Commissioners recognize how much this will impact the property and business community and will take into consideration the current and future needs of the residents.
Thank you for your consideration and dedication to the betterment of Alhambra. Sincerely, on behalf of the Chamber Board of Directors,
Maria Gao
President, Alhambra Chamber of Commerce
