Capitol zoners' backers speak up

Note to governor answers protest

More than 30 downtown Little Rock residents have renewed an effort to abolish the Capitol Zoning District Commission, calling it a "nuisance to property owners and a hindrance to progress."

The call was issued in a letter addressed to Gov. Asa Hutchinson and to lawmakers last month, reviving an issue that percolated in the fiscal legislative session a year ago.

On Tuesday, the Quapaw Quarter Association distributed a letter addressed to the governor defending the commission.

"While directors on the QQA Board are not of one mind on the details or appropriateness of every single CZDC rule, the [board] strongly stands by the CZDC as a critical government entity that saved historic neighborhoods within its borders 40 years ago and that continues to act as an engine for revitalization and economic growth," according to the letter signed by Patricia Blick, the association's executive director, and Charles Cliett Jr., board president.

The commission, created in 1975 by the Legislature to oversee buildings in the neighborhoods around the state Capitol and the Governor's Mansion, consists of nine members who review building exterior changes and land use within the district.

The latest dispute comes amid passage of the commission's appropriation for the fiscal year beginning July 1. It totals $246,204, with most of it covering the salaries and benefits of the commission's three employees.

Senate Bill 64 became Act 35 when the governor signed it into law Jan. 30. The bill passed the House 97-0 with three members not voting and passed the Senate 28-0 with one lawmaker not voting and six others excused from voting.

Blick said in an email that her association responded to the letter because concerns remain, given that there still is time to file additional legislation. The deadline to file any legislation is March 6.

But if there is any effort among lawmakers to abolish the commission or fold its duties and responsibilities into the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the last legislator who tried to do that, state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, said he is unaware of it.

Hutchinson mounted the effort in the fiscal session last year, but he gave up after other members of the Pulaski County delegation expressed concerns.

Instead, lawmakers approved an amendment allowing commission decisions to be appealed to the Department of Arkansas Heritage, which supporters say allows for another layer of checks and balances for district critics who may believe a commission decision is unfair or unreasonable.

Late last year, the commission approved a set of condensed rules that it says will require residents to endure fewer steps when pursuing approval for changes in their properties.

"I am not familiar nor would I support any effort" to abolish the commission, the senator said Tuesday. "I've not heard of any, either. Let's give the rules a chance to work."

But the commission continues to frustrate some residents. Among the 32 residents who signed the letter that asked the governor to consider appropriating the commission funds "to a more worthy cause" was Cassie Toro. She has renovated several historic properties and has sat on the commission since last June, appointed by the governor. She declined to comment Tuesday.

Other signers included retired Pulaski County Circuit Judge Marion Humphrey as well as his wife, Vernita, and his son, Marion Humphrey Jr. Also signing was B. Patrick Cowan, a Little Rock attorney who fought the commission in court over the height of the fence in the front yard of his home.

Another signer, district resident Michael Cannon, said he fought the commission over improvements to what he said was a nonconforming property. After much time and expense, he gave up, and the property now is in foreclosure.

He said the commission has outlived its usefulness, contending that most of the residents purchased the homes with historic preservation in mind and would work to protect their investments.

"We get it," Cannon said. "We understand the integrity, the historical value of the neighborhood and the need to protect it."

The Quapaw Quarter Association letter provided a bevy of statistics showing the value of the commission as a "positive economic force," noting that average property values and vacancies per block are markedly better than in surrounding neighborhoods.

The letter said the purpose of the commission is to protect the state Capitol and the Governor's Mansion.

"There are only 50 State Capitols and Governor's Mansions in the United States," the letter stated. "These structures, and the areas surrounding them, deserve the highest level of protection."

Business on 02/08/2017

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