ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - In an effort to better protect and recognize Elk Grove’s historically significant properties, city planning staff held an open house on June 27 to educate and gather input on the planned Elk Grove Register of Historic Resources.

Senior planner Kyra Killingsworth said the register would provide a way to give local recognition to places that have played in an important role in Elk Grove.

“We’re acknowledging that we really do cherish these properties, and with a local list, we can possibly have more grants opportunities or incentive opportunities for these resources, for these people to have options to help preserve the properties,” Killingsworth said. She was pleased with the attendance, saying it showed active interest in the proposal from historic-property owners in the city.

The register is planned to start with 42 properties, most concentrated in Old Elk Grove, and all but a few are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Killingsworth hopes more properties will be added over time.

Staff said the local register doesn’t change much for those whose property is already on the national list but the local register would allow for recognition of resources that might not meet the criteria for national listing.

Listing as a historic resource can give an owner access to tax breaks and special building codes designed to help them maintain the building’s historic integrity. Owning a designated historic property comes with responsibilities, such as a duty to keep the property in good repair and a requirement to get approval for certain exterior changes.

Historic-house owners Arthur Lavoie and his wife, Maribel, attended the workshop to see how the register would affect them. When they bought an Elk Grove house built in 1859, people they knew worried it was haunted.

Ghosts weren’t a problem but living in a historic house brought issues more bureaucratic than supernatural, they said. As the couple applied for permits or sought information on tax breaks, they found a lack of clarity on whether to talk to the city or the county.

“Now they have all the steps for everyone to go through on what they need to do for a historical property. We had to do it all on our own because nobody really knew,” Lavoie said.

Lavoie was happy to see the development of the local register.

Planning manager Antonio Ablog said the city plans to review a few factors when deciding whether to add a property to the list, including when it was built, whether the property maintains its historic style and what role it played in Elk Grove’s past. 

Staff will present the feedback they gathered and a proposal for the register at a future Elk Grove Historic Preservation Committee meeting. If the committee supports the project, it will proceed to the Planning Commission and then Elk Grove City Council.

For more information about the Elk Grove Register of Historic Resources, visit the city’s webpage on the topic at bit.ly/4eOWC5U (case sensitive).