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City of Glendale — Regular Meeting (2023-05-25)

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City of Glendale ● 5850 West Glendale Avenue, Suite 212, Glendale, Arizona 85301-2599 ● (623) 930-2800 
Planning 
Memorandum 
DATE: 
27 April 2023 
TO: 
Historic Preservation Commission  
FROM: 
Alex Lerma, Planning Division  
SUBJECT: 
National Register Historical District & Historical Preservation Overlay 
District  
 
Planning staff would like to bring this item before the Preservation Historical Commission for 
informational purposes only. The City of Glendale identifies historical sites in two ways, either 
by historical district or by a historical overlay district. Both the historical district and historical 
overlay district serve to separate purposes and are regulated by different entities. This memo will 
provide a step-by-step process by which a property or properties can obtain either a historical 
district or historical overlay classification.   
 
Listing a property through the National Register 
 
The National Park Service administers the National Register of Historic Places. The National 
Register is the official Federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant 
in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.  
 
To qualify for the National Register, properties are generally eligible for listing at least 50 years 
old. Properties less than 50 years of age must be exceptionally important to be considered 
eligible for listing. 
To qualify for placement on the National Register of Historic Places, a property typically has to 
be associated with an event, person or design that has some historical significance, or else it 
needs to provide some information about history. 
 
Private individuals and organizations, governments agencies, preservation societies, historical 
societies and American Indian tribes often initiate this process and prepare the necessary 
documentation. You don’t have to own the property to nominate it for inclusion on the National 
Register of Historic Places.  
 
Not every property is eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. 
Generally speaking, a property will be evaluated based on the quality of its significance to 
culture, architecture, archaeology, engineering and history in America as well as based on the 
workmanship, materials, setting, design and location of the property. Properties can be 
structures, buildings, entire districts, specific sites or other objects.

City of Glendale ● 5850 West Glendale Avenue, Suite 212, Glendale, Arizona 85301-2599 ● (623) 930-2800 
The way a property gets listed in the National Register of Historic Places is that the forms for 
nomination and documentation go to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the state 
where the property is located. The SHPO can take one of several options: reject the property, ask 
for more information, list the property just with the state, or send the forms to the National 
Register of Historic Places for listing. Once the forms are received, The National Register of 
Historic Places conduct a similar review process. 
Listing a property through the National Register can have several benefits. Local communities, 
states and the nation benefit from having tangible links to the past events, people, and artistic 
expressions that have molded the character of our nation at a local, regional or national level. 
Property owners whose properties are listed in the National Reregister are eligible for a number 
of grant and tax incentives as well as technical assistance in rehabilitation and maintenance of 
their historic property. Listing properties also has financial benefits for communities by 
contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods and business districts and by promoting 
tourism. 
 
Historical Preservation Overlay Zoning Classification 
 
The purpose of the HP (Historical Preservation) overlay zoning district is to support the 
identification, preservation, and enhancement of the city’s significant historical, architectural, 
cultural, and archaeological resources in the interest of the welfare of the citizens of Glendale.  
 
A request for the HP Overlay District will have to meet the following findings:  
 
• Protect, preserve, and enhance the significant elements of the city’s historical, 
architectural, cultural, and archeological heritage.  
 
• Encourage the identification and recognition of significant historic resources. 
 
• Encourage the sensitive adaptation of historic properties to modern uses;  
 
• Assur that new construction, additions, alterations, and demolitions to both historic and 
non-historic properties within Historic Preservation District are carried out tin a manner 
which is not detrimental to the historic integrity of these districts.  
 
• Encourage the identification and protection of prehistoric and historic archaeological 
resources.  
 
• Protect and preserve those properties within the city which may not have a popular appeal 
but are valuable to the community in terms of tourism, education, neighborhood character 
and identity, and economic development.  
 
• Preserve and enhance the city’s attractiveness wanting to relocate, and other visitors, 
thereby supporting and promoting commercial development and economic benefit to the 
city’s economy; and

City of Glendale ● 5850 West Glendale Avenue, Suite 212, Glendale, Arizona 85301-2599 ● (623) 930-2800 
• Encourage the stabilization, rehabilitation, and conservation of the existing housing 
stock, including the prevention of needless demolition of structurally sound building in 
order to strengthen the city’s neighborhood.  
 
Permitted uses and development standards in the Historic Preservation District are regulated by 
the underlaying zoning district. Those underlay development standards may be superseded by the 
design guidelines adopted at the time of the district designation.  
 
Based on the HP Overlay being a zoning district overlay, the process of obtaining such overlay 
will be the same as processing any zoning case. The item will require a citizen’s outreach 
process, Planning Commission hearing and concluding with a City Council hearing.    
 
The HP Overlay will essentially apply additional requirements to a property for preservation 
purposes. These additional requirements include Certificate of No Effect/Appropriateness prior 
to applying for a building permit for building additions or modifications. Ordinary maintenance 
or repair, including painting, of any structure in the HP Overlay which does not alert or modify 
the historic character of the structure will not require a Certificate of No Effect/Appropriateness.  
 
No demolishing permit will be issued for any part of the house, building, or other structure in 
Historic Preservation District without approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness.  
 
The main benefit of classifying a property with the HP Overlay is to preserve and to protect the 
historical site. As previously discussed, any major alterations or removal of building of any 
property with an HP Overlay zoning district will be required to go through the Historical 
Preservation Commission for approval.