Carmel’s Historic Context Statement is Appendix I of the City’s General Plan and serves as the foundation for the City’s historic preservation program. Carmel-by-the-Sea has adopted comprehensive historic preservation policies as part of the General Plan and implements these policies through the Historic Preservation Ordinance (CMC 17.32). The context statement is an important tool in preparing State of California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) records and evaluating which properties qualify for inclusion on the Carmel Inventory of Historic Resources.
The current Historic Context Statement was originally adopted by the City Council in 1994, and subsequently updated in 1997, in 2008, and most recently updated in 2022. The 2022 update extended the context to cover a twenty-year period: 1966-1986. The extension was funded by OHP as a Certified Local Government (CLG) $30k grant and was authored by PAST Consultants. As the update got underway, it became clear to OHP staff, City staff, the Historic Resources Board, and the community that the entire context statement was in need of an update; however, as a grant-funded project, inflexible reporting and expenditure deadlines limited the effort to the 1966-1986 extension. Understood to be a “Phase I” update, the extension was approved by OHP, adopted by the City Council on December 6, 2022 and approved by the California Coastal Commission on July 12, 2023 (see Attachment 2).
In 2023, the City applied for and received a second OHP CLG grant to pursue a “Phase II” update. The City released RFP #23-24-2023 on October 27, 2023, seeking proposals from qualified professionals to assist in “Phase II” of the update. On January 9, 2024, the City Council passed Resolution 2024-009 approving a professional services agreement with PAST Consultants, not to exceed $79,380 and passed Resolution 2024-010 accepting the $40k CLG grant award with a $26,667 local match. On March 1, 2024, City staff initiated outreach to thirteen tribal representatives, inviting participation in this project.
On May 20, 2024, PAST Consultants and City Staff will provide a monthly progress update and seek feedback on a partial Draft (May 13, 2024) (Attachment 1).