July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Commission seeks to inform public
Letters to the editor
The Portland Historic Preservation Commission wishes to submit this letter regarding the recent establishment of this commission and the designation of the local downtown commercial historic district. The city council approved the creation of the district in December 2008 as part of an endeavor to improve economic development in downtown, preserve the heritage of the community and to establish a mode of incentives for property owners seeking to appropriately rehabilitate their properties.
Since the inception, the commission has and is working diligently to set up the historic district and its review processes so that the public may understand the purpose and new requirements of the designation.
Often in communities across the country when such districts are established, there is a period of time when there are doubts, questions or confusion about the intents and process of review in the district.
The commission wishes to be proactive and mitigate common misconceptions by continuing its educational methods through a series of articles or letters to the editor, beginning with this one. The commission will also be working on a series of short ads for the newspaper and radio to answer specific questions and working on providing further information on the city's website.
These articles will cover the history of the commission and how the commission may assist and benefit the public, detail and clearly describe the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) process, and share what other cities across the region, state and country are doing to utilize historic districts to their fullest potential.
Historic preservation is as much about economic development as it is about appreciating the past. It is not by coincidence that communities that have successfully created business friendly environments and attracted new residents are often the same communities that have strong commitment to preserving their historic neighborhoods.
As always, if you wish to contact the commission, additional questions may be directed to Joseph Jarzen, staff for the Preservation Commission at (317) 822-7939; Ami Huffman with Jay County Development Corporation; Jay/Portland Building and Planning or any of the commission members. The commission meets the third Wednesday of every month at the John Jay Center for Learning/Weiler Building at 5:30 p.m. The design guidelines, which the commission uses to guide its decisions, are available online at the city's website under the building and zoning: www.thecityofportland.net/zoning. Within the guidelines, there is additional information about the district boundaries, COA process and application and guidance for properly maintaining or rehabilitating historic structures.
Sincerely,
Joseph Jarzen
Staff, Portland Historic
Preservation Commission
Historic Landmarks
Foundation of Indiana,
Eastern Regional Office[[In-content Ad]]
Since the inception, the commission has and is working diligently to set up the historic district and its review processes so that the public may understand the purpose and new requirements of the designation.
Often in communities across the country when such districts are established, there is a period of time when there are doubts, questions or confusion about the intents and process of review in the district.
The commission wishes to be proactive and mitigate common misconceptions by continuing its educational methods through a series of articles or letters to the editor, beginning with this one. The commission will also be working on a series of short ads for the newspaper and radio to answer specific questions and working on providing further information on the city's website.
These articles will cover the history of the commission and how the commission may assist and benefit the public, detail and clearly describe the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) process, and share what other cities across the region, state and country are doing to utilize historic districts to their fullest potential.
Historic preservation is as much about economic development as it is about appreciating the past. It is not by coincidence that communities that have successfully created business friendly environments and attracted new residents are often the same communities that have strong commitment to preserving their historic neighborhoods.
As always, if you wish to contact the commission, additional questions may be directed to Joseph Jarzen, staff for the Preservation Commission at (317) 822-7939; Ami Huffman with Jay County Development Corporation; Jay/Portland Building and Planning or any of the commission members. The commission meets the third Wednesday of every month at the John Jay Center for Learning/Weiler Building at 5:30 p.m. The design guidelines, which the commission uses to guide its decisions, are available online at the city's website under the building and zoning: www.thecityofportland.net/zoning. Within the guidelines, there is additional information about the district boundaries, COA process and application and guidance for properly maintaining or rehabilitating historic structures.
Sincerely,
Joseph Jarzen
Staff, Portland Historic
Preservation Commission
Historic Landmarks
Foundation of Indiana,
Eastern Regional Office[[In-content Ad]]
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD