Historic Master Plan
In an effort to call attention to our historic and cultural assets, the City has adopted a Historic Master Plan. The plan assists us with coordinating efforts, activities, and schedules with other organizations so that residents and visitors can enjoy Monterey’s history as a "seamless" experience. Historic buildings are preserved to show how our town looked in a past era.  Objects, artifacts, photographs, written records, and tape recordings help bring "history" to the present, increasing our understanding of yesterday and today.

The City has been gathering community input to help identify the parts of history that should be saved to best capture the people and events which have made Monterey the diverse and interesting place it is today. Adoption of the Historic Master Plan marked the start of a more active role in expanding protection of historic buildings.

The Historic Master Plan also outlines educational programs and ways to make Monterey's rich history available to all school groups and residents, such as through opening the Presidio of Monterey Museum and implementing other aspects of the Presidio Historic Master Plan.

Cannery Row, Downtown, and Old Town Surveys
As part of our ongoing effort to identify potential historic buildings and locations, we have completed a comprehensive surveys of Cannery Row and the Old Downtown.

Another area surveyed is the Old Town Neighborhood. Identification of historic resources allows property owners and the City to better coordinate preservation efforts, including special incentives that are available to historic properties, such as the historic grant program and the Mills Act property tax reduction program.

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