FAYETTEVILLE -- The city's Historic District Commission wants to hire a consultant who will work out the details of a historic preservation ordinance for the Washington-Willow neighborhood.
Putting the documents together for a formal request for proposals will happen as staffing permits, Planner Quin Thompson told the commission Thursday.
Preservation awards
Local historian Jerry Hogan received the Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Service from the Historic District Commission on Tuesday. The 2018 Best Practice Award also went to Hogan and author Tony Wappel for their efforts in writing The Square Book: An Illustrated history of the Fayetteville Square, 1828-2016.
Source: Staff report
"We're not sure when we're going to put that forward to council, but it's one of our priorities to continue with the momentum we have," he said.
The commission since last year has talked about creating an ordinance with regulatory teeth for altering or demolishing historic structures. The discussion sparked after the 150-year-old Stone-Hilton house at Lafayette Street and Willow Avenue was torn down last summer.
The Washington-Willow neighborhood, along with four other historic districts, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, being on the national register is a mostly ceremonial designation, and any regulatory power would have to come from a local preservation ordinance.
The commission received 113 responses from a four-question survey posted online and mailed to residents in the Washington-Willow district. Commissioner Rhianon DeLeeuw also canvassed the neighborhood. Only answers from respondents who live or own property within Washington-Willow were considered, reducing the total to 94. About 260 letters were sent out.
The residents had four options they could consider -- adopting a local preservation ordinance for the neighborhood, adopting an overlay district with higher architectural design standards than zoning requires, both, or doing nothing.
The majority, nearly 40 percent, supported both a local preservation ordinance and an overlay district. About 20 percent supported just the ordinance. Nearly 20 percent wanted only an overlay district. Less than 20 percent of respondents said they'd prefer to make no changes to the standards for the neighborhood.
Commissioners recommended Thompson reach out to other Arkansas cities with local preservation ordinances to see how they put together their guidelines.
"There are resources out there," Chairwoman Christine Myres said. "It's great to know that we're moving forward."
The Arkansas Secretary of State website has standards listed for a local preservation ordinance, but the city wants an ordinance tailored specifically to the neighborhood, Thompson said. The idea is that a consultant would meet several times with neighbors and recommend guidelines agreeable to a majority of the residents living there.
Hiring a consultant will require a budget adjustment, which a council member would have to sponsor. The full council will have final say on an ordinance.
NW News on 06/15/2018
