Commission to Focus on “Implementation Concern” With Recent Amendments to Historic Preservation Ordinance

The Historic Preservation Commission on Tuesday is expected to discuss amendments to the revised Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO) which became effective earlier this year.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.

The revised ordinance, which became effective in April,  requires a Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) when a demolition or a major project affecting a building 45 years old or older is proposed.  

Prior to the implementation of the HPO, eligible landmark districts were identified without a defined process, typically upon a request by a property owner.

Because of the HRE process, the city is now required to evaluate whether a building is eligible for either individual historical designation or for designation as a contributing structure to an eligible landmark or historic district. 

In its report, city staff enumerated the issues and concerns relating to the implementation of the amended HPO.

“As a result of the recent amendments, the City is now imposing these regulations on property owners that may not desire to have them imposed upon them,” the report states.

Staff also said that due to the probability of opposition by at least one property owner in a newly identified landmark district, it is highly likely that most determinations of landmark district eligibility would be appealed, potentially resulting in an increase in public animosity towards the city’s historic preservation efforts. 

The staff also expressed concerns about the HRE requirement for routine window replacement projects. 

In its report, staff recommended the adoption of a series of clean-up amendments to return the landmark district process to one that is a “neighborhood-driven process.” 

Specifically, staff is recommending to remove from the HRE requirement the evaluation for new landmark or historic district eligibility and limit to individual eligibility only, and to specify window replacement as a minor project unless two or more changes to the original window design are proposed. 

Since the HPO amendments became effective, city staff has processed 46 applications for HRE, with 47 additional applications currently pending.

Of the 46 completed HREs, nine were required due to proposed window replacement, 12 were required due to proposed front fac?ade additions, 14 were required due to proposed major alterations to front facades, one was required for a proposed second-story addition, and 10 were for possible demolition, according to staff report.