FAYETTEVILLE -- The Historic District Commission wants to know what residents think about creating a preservation ordinance.
A survey went online this week with four questions for residents of the historic Washington-Willow neighborhood. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the district stretches from College Avenue east to Walnut and Olive avenues and Rebecca Street south to Spring Street. It covers several homes on about 35 acres.
A discussion about creating a historic preservation ordinance started late last year and culminated with a community meeting in February. Although listed on the National Register, Washington-Willow and the other four historic districts in the city have no regulations in place restricting demolition or significant alteration of structures.
That requires creating a local historic district by ordinance. The city only has one -- the white hangar housing the Arkansas Air Museum at the municipal airport, which the city also owns.
At least 51 percent of property owners have to agree to become part of a local historic district. The commission decided to start with Washington-Willow.
City Planning Director Andrew Garner said Thursday creating a local historic district would change the nature of the commission's role with the city.
"If it ends up going forward and people seem to be in favor of adopting a preservation ordinance, I think it would be useful for the commission to start thinking about yourselves and how that would transition," he said. "The Historic District Commission really has never been an enforcement body. It has been at this point education, research, outreach and things like that."
The commission also worked out the logistics of processing mailed surveys and approaching residents door to door.
As far as going beyond the Washington-Willow District, commissioners tossed around ideas such as having a table set up at the Farmers Market or reaching out to the Washington County Historical Society. That way the commission could drum up support for the general idea of local preservation districts, Chairwoman Christine Myres said.
"That's going to be a whole different kettle of fish," she said.
In other business, Garner told the commission a proposal to create a Meadow-Spring Historic District on the National Register has been going back and forth between city and state officials. The district would encompass parcels mostly along the edges of Spring Street south to Center Street and West Avenue east to Church Avenue.
The commission came up with the idea about two years ago. The city has since hired a consultant to do the legwork on a formal proposal. Garner said it should make the state review board of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program's August agenda. If approved, it would go on for National Register consideration.
Commissioner Teresa Turk said residents in the University Heights neighborhood also are interested in getting on the National Register.
NW News on 04/13/2018