Last night (April 4, 2001) the Richmond Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HPAC) met to consider recommending to the City Council the designation of five properties as "historic resources" to be placed on the "Richmond Historic Register." The HPAC voted unanimously to recommend the following: 

1. The Kaiser Permanente Field Hospital on Cutting Boulevrd

2. Fire Station 67A on Cutting Boulevard

3. The Whirley Cranes located at former Shipyard No. 1

4. Two World War II era day care centers: The Maritime Child Development Center on Florida Avenue and the Ruth C. Powers Child development Center on Maine Avenue.

5. Atchison Village 

These five properties are those named in the legislation establishing the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historic Park. This was the first time the HPAC has held a public hearing to consider placing properties on the Richmond Historic Register. The Richmond Historic Structures Code, the ordinance establishing the HPAC, was passed by the City Council in 1999, and the HPAC was established in the fall of 2000. The regulatory aspects of the Historic Structures Code are performed by the Design Review Board, while the educational and identification of historic resources are carried out by the HPAC. See http://bpc.iserver.net/codes/richmond/index.htm for the entire Historic Structures Code.  

The purpose of the Richmond Historic Structures Code is to: 

1. To encourage public knowledge, understanding, appreciation, and use of the City's past;

2. To foster civic pride in the beauty and personality of the City and in the accomplishments of its past;

3. To enhance the visual character of the City by encouraging new design and construction that complement the City's historical buildings;

4. To increase the economic benefits of historic preservation to the City and its inhabitants;

5. To protect property values within the City;

6. To identify as early as possible and resolve conflicts between the preservation of historical resources and alternative land uses;

7. To conserve valuable material and energy resources by ongoing use and maintenance of the existing built environment;

8. Provide a procedure for detailed application of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as it pertains to historic cultural resources as defined in Section 21084.1 of the California Environmental Quality Act;

9. Achieve designation as a Certified Local Government under 36 CFR Part 61 and satisfactorily perform responsibilities delegated by the State of California;

10. Provide for detailed application of Federal legislation affecting historic properties, including Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 USC Section 470f, Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act (Section 4(f): 49 USC Section 303 and 23 USC Section 138, Highways; and 49 USC Section 2208(b)(5), Airports) and the Public Buildings Cooperative Use Act (40 USC Sections 490.601a, 606, 611 and 612a);

11. Maintain a system for the survey and inventory of historic properties;

12. Provide for adequate public participation in the application of public policy in historic preservation, including the process of recommending properties for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register, or the Richmond Historic Register;

13. Provide owners of historic properties reasonable economic uses;

14. Provide a constitutional right of owners for due process for restrictions or proposed restrictions on the use of historic properties. 

There are ten members of the HPAC including: 

1. Robert Strauss, Chair, representing the Richmond Planning Commission

2. Diane Hedler, Vice Chair, member at large

3. Mary Ellen Jones, Secretary, representing the Contra Costa County Historical Society

4. Emma Jean Clark, representing the Richmond Museum Association

5. Charles Duncan, representing the Design Review Board

6. Rebecca Ines, representing the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission

7. Judy Morgan, representing the Richmond Chamber of Commerce

8. Mildred Dornan, representing the point Richmond History association

9. D'Emanuel Grosse, representing the Rosie the Riveter Committee

10. William Jones, member at large 

Richmond is rich in historic resources, which if recognized, can be a great source of pride for the "City of Pride and Purpose." Perhaps more importantly, recognizing and preserving our historic resources can help in the recognition of the unique character of our diverse neighborhoods, draw interest and recognition from people outside Richmond, attract visitors and economic development, create jobs, improve property values, stabilize neighborhoods and improve our image.