Post by Fed Up on Aug 17, 2006 4:39:59 GMT -5
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LOCAL NEWS: Freehold creates borough historic district
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/17/06
BY ALESHA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
Freehold now has an official Historic Preservation District.
The Borough Council unanimously voted last week to establish the designation and create a district commission to oversee it.
The seven-member commission, which is to be appointed by the mayor, will begin drafting design guidelines and taking an inventory of the historic properties, officials said.
Wayne Mason, a member of the present unofficial Historic Preservation Committee, said he is submitting names this week to Mayor Michael Wilson for consideration. He said he hopes the review and selection would be made within the next month or two.
Mason said the commission will use U.S. Department of Interior guidelines to help draft the downtown district's new design guidelines. The local guidelines, which must be approved by the Planning Board, would deal with design elements including architectural details and building materials, Mason said.
The commission will make recommendations to the Construction Department and Planning and Zoning boards on applications that affect the outward appearance of a property, he said.
Mason said he disagreed with some property owners, who said at a recent council meeting they are worried the ordinance might be too burdensome for them. Their concerns delayed adoption of the ordinance for two weeks and prompted a separate question-and-answer session with borough officials.
"I think the benefit will be that historic structures in town will be given due consideration," Mason said.
An inventory will be made of the structures in the historic district.
Mason said the commission and the guidelines will help the boards better protect and preserve historic structures in town.
"I think the Planning Board instinctively understood older buildings, but there wasn't anything in the way of an ordinance to help them guide these projects in the right direction," Mason said.
The ordinance was adopted Aug. 7 without changes.
Former Councilman Kevin Coyne, who helped spearhead the commission and district, said he was pleased with the ordinance adoption.
"We worked on this for a number of years, and a lot of hard work went into it," Coyne said.
"I believe — and I think a lot of people believe — it's an important step for our community," Coyne said. "By controlling our past, we have better control over our future."
Councilman Marc Le Vine agreed.
"The thing about Freehold that makes us special, most people agree, is the charming nature of our town, the fact that we do have a lot of history around us," Le Vine said. "We really can't lose that charm, because that's what separates us from a lot of other towns."
The district includes the center of town and sections of major intersecting thoroughfares of Main, South, Throckmorton and Court streets. Some structures date to the 1700s, but most were built in the last half of the 19th century, according to the ordinance.
LOCAL NEWS: Freehold creates borough historic district
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/17/06
BY ALESHA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
Freehold now has an official Historic Preservation District.
The Borough Council unanimously voted last week to establish the designation and create a district commission to oversee it.
The seven-member commission, which is to be appointed by the mayor, will begin drafting design guidelines and taking an inventory of the historic properties, officials said.
Wayne Mason, a member of the present unofficial Historic Preservation Committee, said he is submitting names this week to Mayor Michael Wilson for consideration. He said he hopes the review and selection would be made within the next month or two.
Mason said the commission will use U.S. Department of Interior guidelines to help draft the downtown district's new design guidelines. The local guidelines, which must be approved by the Planning Board, would deal with design elements including architectural details and building materials, Mason said.
The commission will make recommendations to the Construction Department and Planning and Zoning boards on applications that affect the outward appearance of a property, he said.
Mason said he disagreed with some property owners, who said at a recent council meeting they are worried the ordinance might be too burdensome for them. Their concerns delayed adoption of the ordinance for two weeks and prompted a separate question-and-answer session with borough officials.
"I think the benefit will be that historic structures in town will be given due consideration," Mason said.
An inventory will be made of the structures in the historic district.
Mason said the commission and the guidelines will help the boards better protect and preserve historic structures in town.
"I think the Planning Board instinctively understood older buildings, but there wasn't anything in the way of an ordinance to help them guide these projects in the right direction," Mason said.
The ordinance was adopted Aug. 7 without changes.
Former Councilman Kevin Coyne, who helped spearhead the commission and district, said he was pleased with the ordinance adoption.
"We worked on this for a number of years, and a lot of hard work went into it," Coyne said.
"I believe — and I think a lot of people believe — it's an important step for our community," Coyne said. "By controlling our past, we have better control over our future."
Councilman Marc Le Vine agreed.
"The thing about Freehold that makes us special, most people agree, is the charming nature of our town, the fact that we do have a lot of history around us," Le Vine said. "We really can't lose that charm, because that's what separates us from a lot of other towns."
The district includes the center of town and sections of major intersecting thoroughfares of Main, South, Throckmorton and Court streets. Some structures date to the 1700s, but most were built in the last half of the 19th century, according to the ordinance.