District outline set (09/23/2008)

The potential boundaries for the historic preservation district in Portland have been mapped out.

Portland Historic Preservation Commission members met Monday and reviewed the map, which includes downtown businesses, clubs and churches. They voted to recommend that the Portland City Council approve the district, with a few minor changes.

The proposed district begins on South Meridian Street at Third Street and runs north to North Street.

The purpose of the commission is to map out the district and create a set of guidelines for any future changes to the facades of downtown buildings. The goal is to preserve the historic integrity of the structures.

Kristi Sturtz of Sturtz Public Management Group, who is serving as a consultant to the commission, said the proposed district is based on the boundaries of the National Register of Historic Places listing for the city. Commission members recently had the opportunity to tour some of the downtown buildings and give input on the potential district boundaries.

Some of the properties in the proposed historic district also are included in the tax increment financing district, Sturtz added. This means TIF funds could be used to make improvements to the buildings.

The proposed boundaries of the district jog east and west in some places to capture churches.

Although some of the churches included in the preliminary map of the preservation district are not along Meridian Street, the board felt it was important to include them because the structures were created about the same time as other downtown buildings, said Jane Spencer, commission president. She estimated the churches were built within 10 to 15 years of the downtown structures. Among the churches included in the proposed district are Asbury United Methodist Church, West Walnut Street Church of Christ, Trinity United Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church.

Also included in the proposed district are the Elks Club and the Fraternal Order of the Eagle building.

Sturtz reviewed the map with commission members on Monday. She pointed out certain areas where she felt properties should be added or deleted and asked commission members for their opinions.

Commission members decided to include some parking lots not on the map, such as the one west of The Commercial Review building on West Main Street, and add recent building additions, such as the one to Trinity United Methodist Church. They also decided to delete East Jay Middle School from the district, but keep Freedom Park, although it currently does not have any buildings. Some residential properties accidentally included in the map also will be deleted.

The next step in the creation of the historic preservation district is to notify the property owners within the proposed district. The owners must be notified that their properties are in the district at least 14 days before a public hearing on the map is held. The hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 27 at 5:30 p.m. The event is expected to take place on the first floor of the John Jay Center for Learning.

The map of the district boundaries is expected to go to the city council for approval in November, Sturtz said.

Also Monday, the bylaws for the commission were approved by commission members Barry Hudson, Spencer, Don Gillespie, Emily Roberts, Kristi Corle and Pat Szakaly. Milo Miller Jr. did not attend the meeting.[[In-content Ad]]