San Leandro, CA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Chapter 4-26, adopted by Ordinance No. 2003-014 and amended by Ordinance No. 2022-021, sets up three designation tiers: City Landmark, Merit Resource, and Historic District or Historic District Contributor. Any property owner can nominate their own property for Merit Resource status, but only the City Council, Planning Commission or a property owner can initiate a City Landmark nomination, and City Landmark designation does not require the owner's consent, while Merit Resource designation does. A historic district needs a petition signed by at least 51% of property owners within its proposed boundary.

Applications go to the Commission Secretary, a staff member of the Library-Services Department, along with State Department of Parks and Recreation documentation forms; the Planning Commission reviews the application at a public meeting and either acts directly on a Merit Resource or recommends action to the City Council for a City Landmark or Historic District. Once a resource is designated, Section 4-26-1100 bars anyone from altering its exterior without a certificate of approval measured against the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, and Section 4-26-1200 bars demolition, destruction or removal without a certificate of approval issued by the City Council.

Owners must keep character-defining features in good repair under Section 4-26-1500. A certificate of approval expires one year after the final decision unless a building permit issues and substantial work begins, or an extension is granted. Decisions of the Community Development Director may be appealed to the Planning Commission within 15 days, and Commission decisions to the City Council within 15 days, with a hearing set within 45 days of the City's receipt of the appeal.