PROPOSED SOUTH LAND PARK HILLS UNIT NO. 7 HIStoRIC DISTRICT
Background
In 2017, the Community Development Department completed an award-winning project that established a framework for understanding buildings and structures from the mid-20th Century period. The city identified four individual landmarks and one potential historic district as part of the field survey. The four landmarks were listed in the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources in late 2018. Delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, staff is exploring nominating the South Land Park Hills Unit No. 7 neighborhood as a historic district that recognizes the notable unique architecture associated with the Mid Century period.
Recent Public Review Drafts
You can review the Mid-Century Modern Survey and Context Statement here.
Sacramento’s Eichler Tract: South Land Park Hills Unit No. 7
The South Land Park Hills Unit No. 7 Eichler Development was built by merchant builder Joseph Eichler and his Eichler Homes, Inc. from 1955 through 1956. The majority of Eichler’s Northern California developments occurred in the Bay Area, including Sunnyvale and San Mateo Highlands, and Palo Alto. Sacramento was one of Eichler’s most distant endeavors.
Eichler retained the services of the architecture firm Jones & Emmons to assist with the design his homes. Jones & Emmons became internationally renowned during their 18-year partnership (1950-1968) and were affiliated with Eichler Homes throughout the building company's life. In all, the firm designed approximately 5,000 of Eichler’s 11,000 California homes. The South Land Park Hills Unit No. 7 development is a significant Sacramento example of the architects’ design work and of Eichler’s professional and personal beliefs, which remained consistent throughout his career as a builder: that his homes should always be of the best modern design possible; that they be priced moderately; and that they be available to any buyer, without regard to race, religion, or national origin. Eichler was also the most prominent homebuilder in the country during the 1950s to practice such nondiscrimination policies. This distinguished him from many of his contemporaries. More information about Joseph Eichler can be found during late 2019 in the South Land Park Hills Unit No. 7 Historic Evaluation.
Proposed District Boundaries and Contributing Properties
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Nomination Overview
Residents are currently meeting with other homeowners and other stakeholders in the South Land Park neighborhood to explore the level of interest in designating South Land Park Hills Tract No. 7 a historic district and listing the district in the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources. Listing in the Sacramento Register comes with both benefits and restrictions that are shown in the table below.
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Benefits
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Restrictions
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Area would gain positive recognition as a historic district.
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Discretionary projects with the potential to significantly impact the building or district (i.e. demolition) would trigger a higher level of review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
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Each contributing property would be eligible for a bronze plaque pursuant to the conditions of the City’s bronze plaque program.
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Alterations to the exterior of the property, or publicly accessible interiors, would be subject to Preservation Site Plan and Design Review, which utilize the Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties or adopted design guidelines, in lieu of the property’s current design review process, known as City Wide Site Plan and Design Review which utilizes the currently adopted City Wide Design Guidelines.
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Each contributing property would be eligible for the City’s Historic Places Grant Program.
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Each contributing property would be eligible to apply for a Mills Act Contract. Mills Act contracts are agreements in which a property owner agrees to preserve and maintain their historic property in exchange for property tax evaluation by the County Assessor using a formula that usually, but not always, results in a tax reduction.
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For each contributing property, improvements could utilize the State Historic Building Code, including exemptions from current code, such as exemption from the CBC Title 24 energy efficiency standards.
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In addition, there is substantial economic research from across the United States indicating that landmark designation preserves property values, reducing this level of depreciation during real estate bust/boom cycles.
Staff Contact Information