HAPB weighs shifting review authority from staff to board and use of Secretary of the Interior standards

Board members, staff and the planning director spent the bulk of the meeting reviewing proposed revisions to the municipal code (Section 7 and related sections) that would change review authority for historic properties.

John Barrick, a long-time HAPB member who prepared the proposed edits, described language that would clarify the board’s responsibilities and in some drafts shift specific review authority now held by the historic resources manager to the board. Nicole Tremblay, senior planner for the City of Venice, reviewed the proposed edits line by line and advised the board on which additions restated existing duties and which would create new duties or require code-wording changes.

Harry Klinkhammer, historical resources manager, cautioned against fully eliminating the staff-level, one-on-one review and guidance that applicants now receive. “To just completely remove that very important face to face layer of the process, I would caution you about that,” Klinkhammer said,…