San Mateo teenagers can apply until Sept. 16 for a seat on the city's new Historic Resources Commission.

The city is filling two youth commissioner spots open to residents or students ages 13 to 17. Applications close Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m., the City of San Mateo said on X on Friday, Sept. 11. The application window opened in late July.

The seven-member commission will include five adults and two youth members. Its role is to advise the City Council on historic preservation and help carry out the city's Historic Preservation Ordinance, according to a city post on Facebook in late August.

The City Council adopted the Historic Preservation Ordinance on May 18, according to city records. The vote was 5-0, CBS News Bay Area reported. The council also adopted a separate commission ordinance and a Citywide Historic Context Statement on May 4. Together, the measures created a framework for identifying and protecting historic properties in San Mateo as part of the city's General Plan 2040.

The ordinance has drawn pushback. A group of homeowners filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging the rules allow homes to be designated as historic without the owner's permission, CBS News Bay Area reported in July. Mayor Adam Loraine said at a council meeting, as CBS News Bay Area reported July 10, that the designation mechanism grew from an understanding that some properties carry historic significance most residents would recognize. He added that no properties were being designated at that time.

Laurie Hietter, president of the San Mateo Heritage Alliance, told CBS News Bay Area in July that she looked forward to the commission moving the preservation process forward. "Under this ordinance, nothing really changes for anyone renovating their house, historic or non-historic," Hietter said.

The city has not announced when the commission will hold its first meeting or what its initial agenda will cover.

Applications are available at cityofsanmateo.org/4967/Historic-Resources-Commission.