TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file presentation on the Race and Suburbanization Historic Context Statement. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The Race and Suburbanization Historic Context Statement (the Context Statement) is the result of an internal review of existing City Historic Preservation documents by City of Long Beach (City) staff in 2015. The review included past initiatives, including review of the 2009 Citywide Context Statement. As a result of this review, City staff identified the need to update recent history into City Historic Preservation documents including cultural history, civil rights, housing rights, and discriminatory practices that affected the City’s growth patterns, as related to different communities in Long Beach. In January 2019, the Development Services Department’s (Department) Planning Bureau initiated this project and engaged the firm of Historic Resources Group. The effort and subsequent Context Statement were aided by a Certified Local Government grant, awarded by the California State Office of Historic Preservation.
This effort is part of a larger citywide racial equity and reconciliation initiative (the Initiative) in recognition of the history of racism within the nation and Long Beach and its impact on residents. All City departments are actively engaged in the Initiative. The Department’s response to the initiative includes but is not limited to, analyzing and recognizing the City’s full history and preserving it so that this history can influence future land use policies and zoning regulations.
The Context Statement was presented to Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) on July 26, 2022, the Equity and Human Relations Commission on August 3, 2022, and for adoption by the CHC on August 30, 2022. The final Context Statement was also presented as an informational item to the Planning Commission on October 6, 2022.
Historic Context Statement Report
The Context Statement is a study of how discriminatory practices and the fight fo...
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