This project will be the first comprehensive historic resources survey in the City of Goleta. Without a survey, historic places important to Goleta residents may be lost to demolition. Information garnered from the survey will give property owners and developers greater certainty about the historic significance of a site so that they can plan accordingly. It will also inform thoughtful decision-making by City officials, property owners, residents, and preservation professionals. Survey results will shape community plans, facilitate environmental review processes, and assist in disaster planning and tourism efforts. The survey will not result in the designation of properties as historic landmarks, which requires more in-depth research and an application process. Survey findings will be presented and discussed during public hearings before the City Council.

In order to understand the historic significance of a given area, it is necessary to examine those resources within the appropriate historic context(s). A historic context statement is a written document that provides the framework for evaluating a property for historic significance and integrity. The purpose of a historic context statement is to place built resources in the appropriate historic, social, and architectural context so that the relationship between an area’s physical environment and its broader history can be established. It is not intended to be a comprehensive history. Instead, its purpose is to highlight trends and patterns critical to the understanding of an area’s built environment.

A historic resources survey is a process of systematically identifying, researching and documenting properties that reflect important themes in the city's growth and development such as architecture, city planning, social history, ethnic heritage, politics, industry, transportation, commerce, entertainment and others. Historic resources include buildings, structures, objects, cultural landscapes, natural features and groupings of resources or areas known as historic districts. Examples of types of resources, or "property types," that may be included in the citywide survey are residential subdivisions, banks, bridges, religious buildings, courtyard apartments, canneries, motion picture studios, and parks. 

Historic resources surveys can be used to:

1. Identify properties that contribute to the community’s character, that of its neighborhoods, or that illustrate its historical and architectural development, and, as a result, deserve consideration in planning;
2. Identify properties or areas whose study may provide information about the community’s past, and contribute to scholarship, which should be preserved or subjected to scientific investigation;
3. Establish priorities for conservation, restoration and rehabilitation efforts within the community;
4. Provide the basis for using legal and financial tools to protect and enhance historic resources;
5. Provide planners with a database from which to monitor and channel new development;
6. Increase awareness in the public and private sectors of the manmade environment and the need for preservation efforts; and
7. Enable local governments and federal agencies to meet their planning and review responsibilities under existing Federal legislation and procedures.

A survey typically begins with background research on a property, area, or district to provide a basis to evaluate significance. Survey teams then conduct field inspections in order to identify the resource’s architectural, physical, and visual qualities and characteristics; assess the impacts of changes or alterations; and document overall condition through photography. These field inspections assess the exterior of resources and are conducted from the public right-of-way. Survey teams do not need to obtain access to private property, nor do they ask questions of property owners or residents.

Individual resources and districts are evaluated for significance in accordance with criteria established for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and California Register of Historical Resources, and as Santa Barbara County Landmarks or Places of Merit.

Information about properties and districts will be recorded in a customized database, which will both integrate seamlessly into Goleta’s existing GIS framework and include all fields traditionally found in California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 series forms.

If your building is identified and recorded as part of the survey it means that professional surveyors found it eligible for listing in the California and/or National Registers. Identification in the survey is not the same as designation. Survey activity will not directly result in designation. Nominations to the California or National Registers are separate processes which include property owner notification and public hearings.

Survey results will be used in a variety of ways. They provide an important planning tool for various City agencies and departments to help inform community plan updates, zoning decisions, environmental reviews, plan approval and permits, disaster response, and cultural tourism programs.

All legal parcels in the City of Goleta will be part of the survey. The survey is a way of gathering information on properties within Goleta that may meet eligibility requirements for listing in the California and National Registers. Surveyors will only record information from the public right-of-way and no access to private property or contact with property owners is needed. 

There is no indication that property values go down based on inclusion in a historic survey; in fact, studies indicate that the value of homes in historic districts tend to appreciate at a slightly higher rate than similar building stock outside a district.

For information regarding the benefits of historic designation, contact Lisa Prasse, Planning Manager, Current Planning Division, in the department of Planning and Environmental Review at (805) 961-7542 or lprasse@cityofgoleta.org.     

Please contact Jaime Shaw at jshaw@cityofgoleta.org if you would like to share photographs or other materials that you feel may contribute important information to the survey.