City of Oxnard Cultural Heritage Review
The City of Oxnard contracts with the County of Ventura Planning Division to provide cultural heritage services for designated and potentially eligible historic properties within the City of Oxnard. In 1991, the Oxnard City Council adopted Resolution No. 10,135 for the City, thereby requesting that the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board serve as the City of Oxnard Cultural Heritage Board with the same composition, duties, and powers as provided in the County of Ventura Cultural Heritage Ordinance, found here.
Pursuant to the contract between the City of Oxnard and the County of Ventura, the County’s scope of services is limited to the following:
- Review of proposed projects at designated and potentially eligible historic properties within city limits;
- Provide historical landmark recommendations to the Oxnard City Council;
- Environmental review of projects affecting historic sites;
- Provide Mills Act contract (historical property contract) recommendations to the Oxnard City Council;
- Annual Mills Act inspection or review of sites under Mills Act contract; and
- Provide general assistance to members of the public and stakeholders associated with the administration of the City of Oxnard’s cultural heritage program.
Cultural Heritage Board meetings are held as needed on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 1:15 p.m. in the County of Ventura Government Center, Hall of Administration Building, Multi-Purpose Room, 800 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura, CA 93009, or as otherwise indicated in the posted agenda. Please contact the Cultural Heritage Board Staff Administrator to confirm the scheduled public meeting dates, times, and meeting locations.
The County of Ventura is not contracted to enforce violations of the City’s Cultural Heritage Ordinance. Complaints related to compliance with the Cultural Heritage Ordinance should be directed to the City of Oxnard Code Compliance Division at (805) 385-7940 or via email at code.compliance@oxnard.org for appropriate follow-up.
How do I know if my property requires Cultural Heritage Review?
The City of Oxnard has a rich historical, cultural, and natural heritage. The Cultural Heritage Ordinance establishes regulations and procedures for designation and protection of “items of special historical or aesthetic character or interest” within the City of Oxnard. This includes buildings, structures, sites, landscape features, and districts representing significant prehistoric and historic periods and themes of the City’s development. There are currently 23 designated County Landmarks in the City of Oxnard, including the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District and Landmark Area. In addition, there are two Points of Interest. There are an unknown number of potential Cultural Heritage Sites in the City that have not yet been identified or designated.
Cultural heritage review is necessary for projects proposed at properties designated as County Landmarks or located within the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District or considered eligible as potential Cultural Heritage Sites. City of Oxnard Planning Division staff actively refers projects to the County of Ventura once they determine that cultural heritage review is warranted. For initial project inquiries, City of Oxnard Planning Division staff can be contacted by phone at (805) 385-7858 or by email at planning@oxnard.org.
What does the project review process consist of?
Two types of reviews are conducted by the Cultural Heritage Board and staff depending on the designation of the site and the scope of work proposed. The first is by the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness. The second is by the issuance of a Certificate of Review. Certificates of Appropriateness are generally required for modifications to designated Landmarks, Historic Districts, and for demolition of potential Cultural Heritage Sites. Certificates of Review are generally required for proposed modifications to potential Cultural Heritage Sites where it does not result in demolition. Pursuant to the Cultural Heritage Ordinance and related Cultural Heritage Board resolutions, minor projects are reviewed and approved at the staff level, whereas major projects are taken to the Cultural Heritage Board for a decision. For reference, CHB Resolution 2022-19 identifies a number of relatively minor actions that can be approved at the staff level. For some sites, a historic resource report will be requested by staff or the Cultural Heritage Board before an evaluation is made. More information on Certificates of Appropriateness and Certificates of Review is included below.
Certificates of Appropriateness
Certificates of Appropriateness issued by the Cultural Heritage Board and staff do not function like other land use permits issued by the Ventura County Planning Division in that denial does not prevent the applicant from moving forward with a proposed project. Rather, there is a longstanding emphasis on education and providing guidance to applicants on how to better preserve historic resources. A Certificate of Appropriateness may be approved for a project as proposed, approved with applicant modifications, or denied by the Cultural Heritage Board. In the case of denial of a Certificate of Appropriateness, the Cultural Heritage Ordinance mandates a 180-day waiting period. The purpose of the waiting period is to allow time for collaboration between the Cultural Heritage Board, community preservation advocates, and the applicant to explore whether other arrangements can be made to avoid loss of a historic resource. After the 180-day waiting period, the applicant may move forward even if doing so results in the destruction of a designated cultural resource.
Certificates of Review
In the case of Certificates of Review, applicants for projects at potentially eligible Cultural Heritage Sites (except in the case of demolition) are provided recommendations in the form of a Certificate of Review that the applicant is encouraged to follow voluntarily. A 180-day waiting period is not mandated for these projects.
In order for a Certificate of Appropriateness or Certificate of Review to be issued by the Cultural Heritage Board or staff, it must be found that the scope of work will not adversely affect the designated Cultural Heritage Site’s values or unduly compromise the eligibility of a potential site to become a designated Cultural Heritage Site. To make this determination, the Cultural Heritage Board and staff use the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties in conducting its analysis of a subject property and proposed project. These are a set of guidelines and principles related to the treatment of historic properties, including preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction.
Information related to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards can be found here:
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/secretary-standards-treatment-historic-properties.htm. Most proposed actions fall within the scope of Rehabilitation. Refer to the ten Rehabilitation standards here: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/treatment-standards-rehabilitation.htm.
How do I apply for project review?
Applications for project review at properties within the City of Oxnard should be directed to the City of Oxnard Planning Division. City staff will screen the request and forward the scope of work to County of Ventura staff as necessary.
For any scope of work that is forwarded for cultural heritage review, the following materials are required:
- Completed application form
- Site plans and elevations as may be necessary (digital 24×36 and 11×17), including window and door schedule
- Architectural cut sheets for all proposed materials (windows, doors, roofing, siding, etc.)
- One set of color photographs. Photographs of all sides of the building(s) and surroundings, including neighborhood context. Include historic (and “before”) photographs if available.
- Recommended: Historic resource report or evaluation prepared by an architectural historian or historic preservation professional meeting the Secretary’s Standards. The report should include a property description and historical background, significance evaluation, integrity evaluation, and identify character-defining features. (Note: The county does not maintain a list of approved or recommended historic consultants, although the California Preservation Foundation maintains a Preservation Professionals Directory, which may be useful. That can be found here: https://californiapreservation.org/directory/. In addition, a keyword internet search may yield additional results.)
- Submit the applicable fee. For projects within the City of Oxnard, please contact the City of Oxnard Planning Division to coordinate fee payment pursuant to the City of Oxnard Planning & Environmental Services Division Fee Schedule.
Where can I get more information?
Questions regarding the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Program can be directed to Dillan Murray, Cultural Heritage Board staff, at (805) 654-5042 or by email at Dillan.Murray@ventura.org.
The City of Oxnard Planning Division staff can be contacted by phone at (805) 385-7858 or by email at planning@oxnard.org.
Contact Us
Ventura County Cultural Heritage Program
Dillan Murray
Cultural Heritage Board Staff
Dillan.Murray@ventura.org
(805) 654-5042
City of Oxnard Planning Division
planning@oxnard.org
(805) 385-7858
City of Oxnard Code Compliance Division
code.compliance@oxnard.org
(805) 385-7940
