Post by Fed Up on Aug 23, 2006 8:25:26 GMT -5
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2006/0823/Front_Page/070.html
August 23, 2006
Historic commission OK'd; members to be named
FREEHOLD - The precious historic housing stock in Freehold Borough now has some real protection because the town can now boast its own historic commission.
An ordinance to establish the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission and Historic Preservation District and Guidelines was unanimously approved at a Freehold Borough Council meeting on Aug. 7.
According to Wayne Mason, member of the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, this ordinance is "a good thing."
Mason has been involved in the process of trying to protect the stock of historic properties since the concept came into being several years ago.
According to the ordinance, the Historic Preservation District includes properties and structures in the downtown B-1 and B-2 business zones and the corridors leading to those zones. These are the structures believed to be most vulnerable to possible demolition.
Home property evaluations will fall into three categories: buildings that are genuine historic structures that have not undergone much alteration; structures that are historic in nature and have changed over time; and the construction of new buildings. The purpose of the ordinance is to protect Freehold's historic buildings from drastic remodeling and demolition.
Mason said that committee members are looking forward to working with property owners as well as the town government to help manage the historic district.
"We want to make the town look as good as possible," he said. "And we want to protect the town's historic resources."
The ordinance, which has been in the works since 2003, was initially due for a second reading at an earlier meeting in July, but ran into a glitch. It seemed that not all property owners in the area affected by the proposed ordinance were happy about the possibility of creating a historic commission.
Ruling on that second hearing was postponed in order to accommodate a handful of property owners who attended the July meeting to express their concerns on how the ordinance would affect them.
Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina called a special meeting for those business owners and invited Mason to speak at the meeting and address the concerns of those property owners.
"Some property owners were not as familiar with the ordinance as we were," Mason said. "Many of their concerns were already addressed in the ordinance. Once we knew their questions, we were able to point them to the right place in the document that addressed those concerns.
"Some people, however, are skeptical about the value of a historic commission, and you may not necessarily win them over until that value is demonstrated," he added.
Mason also said that many people are wary of new regulations.
The meeting with eight property owners was amicable, according to Mason. Mason said this was a very small percentage of the property owners in the downtown area.
The owners asked if they would be informed as to whether or not their property would be considered "contributing" or "noncontributing." For a building to be considered contributing, it must be old enough to fit into the historic district criteria. Noncontributing means the building is too new and does not meet the guidelines.
Mason told owners that members of the committee will "walk the district and evaluate each property, and then inform each property owner of the status of their building.
"We're looking for balance and compatibility," Mason explained, referring to the mix of both new and old buildings in the downtown area.
The job of the commission will be to review proposed changes to the exterior of structures in the historic district. The historic features of a building, as well as the historic character of the surrounding area, will be taken into consideration when a proposal to alter the building comes before the commission.
Working on the guidelines for the district is next on the list, according to Mason. He said that members will follow the guidelines set up by the federal Department of the Interior. Mason added that those guidelines will be tailored to fit Freehold's unique historic character.
Mason said that the seven members and two alternates for the commission will all be appointed by Mayor Michael Wilson in the near future.
"I think this is a good tool for managing the town and will give sufficient consideration to our historic resources," Mason said. "We have followed the same path as other towns. We're not in uncharted territory."
August 23, 2006
Historic commission OK'd; members to be named
FREEHOLD - The precious historic housing stock in Freehold Borough now has some real protection because the town can now boast its own historic commission.
An ordinance to establish the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission and Historic Preservation District and Guidelines was unanimously approved at a Freehold Borough Council meeting on Aug. 7.
According to Wayne Mason, member of the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, this ordinance is "a good thing."
Mason has been involved in the process of trying to protect the stock of historic properties since the concept came into being several years ago.
According to the ordinance, the Historic Preservation District includes properties and structures in the downtown B-1 and B-2 business zones and the corridors leading to those zones. These are the structures believed to be most vulnerable to possible demolition.
Home property evaluations will fall into three categories: buildings that are genuine historic structures that have not undergone much alteration; structures that are historic in nature and have changed over time; and the construction of new buildings. The purpose of the ordinance is to protect Freehold's historic buildings from drastic remodeling and demolition.
Mason said that committee members are looking forward to working with property owners as well as the town government to help manage the historic district.
"We want to make the town look as good as possible," he said. "And we want to protect the town's historic resources."
The ordinance, which has been in the works since 2003, was initially due for a second reading at an earlier meeting in July, but ran into a glitch. It seemed that not all property owners in the area affected by the proposed ordinance were happy about the possibility of creating a historic commission.
Ruling on that second hearing was postponed in order to accommodate a handful of property owners who attended the July meeting to express their concerns on how the ordinance would affect them.
Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina called a special meeting for those business owners and invited Mason to speak at the meeting and address the concerns of those property owners.
"Some property owners were not as familiar with the ordinance as we were," Mason said. "Many of their concerns were already addressed in the ordinance. Once we knew their questions, we were able to point them to the right place in the document that addressed those concerns.
"Some people, however, are skeptical about the value of a historic commission, and you may not necessarily win them over until that value is demonstrated," he added.
Mason also said that many people are wary of new regulations.
The meeting with eight property owners was amicable, according to Mason. Mason said this was a very small percentage of the property owners in the downtown area.
The owners asked if they would be informed as to whether or not their property would be considered "contributing" or "noncontributing." For a building to be considered contributing, it must be old enough to fit into the historic district criteria. Noncontributing means the building is too new and does not meet the guidelines.
Mason told owners that members of the committee will "walk the district and evaluate each property, and then inform each property owner of the status of their building.
"We're looking for balance and compatibility," Mason explained, referring to the mix of both new and old buildings in the downtown area.
The job of the commission will be to review proposed changes to the exterior of structures in the historic district. The historic features of a building, as well as the historic character of the surrounding area, will be taken into consideration when a proposal to alter the building comes before the commission.
Working on the guidelines for the district is next on the list, according to Mason. He said that members will follow the guidelines set up by the federal Department of the Interior. Mason added that those guidelines will be tailored to fit Freehold's unique historic character.
Mason said that the seven members and two alternates for the commission will all be appointed by Mayor Michael Wilson in the near future.
"I think this is a good tool for managing the town and will give sufficient consideration to our historic resources," Mason said. "We have followed the same path as other towns. We're not in uncharted territory."