Can a historic property be demolished or altered?
Yes. If a local jurisdiction grants demolition permits “by right” through a ministerial process, a historic property could be demolished. If demolition permits are discretionary, a historic property can still be demolished, but not without a formal process to determine alternatives to demolition, a Statement of Overriding Conditions and adequate compensatory mitigation. In California, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) outlines the process to determine the fate of threatened historic properties.