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Historic Landmarks Commission recommends Astoria Historic Preservation Plan update to City Council
Summary
The Commission unanimously recommended the Astoria Historic Preservation Plan (2025–2035) for City Council adoption after consultant Rosemary Johnson outlined priorities, stakeholder outreach and a new economic conditions section; the plan is not regulatory but intended to guide grant-seeking and preservation priorities.
The Astoria Historic Landmarks Commission on May 20 voted to recommend the Astoria Historic Preservation Plan update (2025–2035) to the City Council for adoption after a presentation by planning consultant Rosemary Johnson.
Johnson said the last plan dated from 2008 had effectively expired in 2013 and that the city received a State Historic Preservation Office grant to prepare the update. She said the team added an economic conditions section to reflect changes since 2008, compiled stakeholder questionnaire responses (including preservation organizations and neighborhood associations), and incorporated input from the commission and a limited set of stakeholder surveys.
Johnson emphasized the plan is a guiding document rather than a regulatory code: "It is not a legal document as far as regulatory. It is a guiding document for the commission, for staff, for the city council to say, This is the goal," she said. The draft lists priorities—code clarifications, a survey and inventory of historic properties, an economic incentives program and public education—and pairs each action item with potential partners and potential funding sources that are not yet confirmed.
Commissioners asked about outreach and the connection to a separate historic disaster resiliency plan; Johnson said the resiliency plan will return to the commission after its draft is complete and that the preservation plan’s action items could improve grant competitiveness. Quinn Hayes, executive director of the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association, spoke in support and offered partnership assistance.
Commissioner Ross moved to recommend the plan to City Council (with any edits the commission places in the record); the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Johnson said staff will forward the draft and meeting comments to the City Council for consideration at its June 2 meeting.
The commission recorded that action items and partner lists in the plan are conceptual and that none of the listed funding commitments are confirmed; the plan uses priority levels (high, medium, low) rather than fixed completion dates to retain flexibility.
