Change is inevitable. Whether it be the upcoming Bus Rapid Transit Project on Reading Road, the zoning changes that took place a while back, or Apple moving the location of the play button in the Music app yet again- change is always coming whether we like it or not. But, of course, change isn’t always bad.
There are pros and cons to historic designation. As a homeowner who largely ends up having to DIY many of my home-repairs, I’m not thrilled with the prospect of having to buy a slightly more expensive window, or the possibility of my dream of finally putting a deck on my garage roof being denied (which I still can’t, as of yet, afford!)
However, the benefit of our community:
- getting better line of sight into how a flipper is planning on converting some of our homes into fourplexes with new entrances
- having a voice when a remote developer in Arizona decides it wants to bulldoze a mansion to put up some apartments
- and being able to help preserve the beauty of our homes and our streets
…is worth the additional expenditure and slight loss of control.
To this resident- the pros outweigh the cons.
If you are new to the historic designation discussion, please submit your questions through the contact form on our website. You can also reach out directly to the City’s Urban Conservator, Doug. He has offered many times for residents to reach out with their specific questions on how historic designation would impact a planned home project.
We are also planning on focusing our July 14 General Meeting on historic designation. This will be our fourth meeting focused on the topic. Many thanks to volunteers that have worked to bring this to our neighborhood over the past three years. Our goal is to (again!) have knowledgeable experts available to answer specific questions and help residents make informed decisions. Please come with a specific project that you want to do to your home and get guidance on whether or not HD would impact it or not. (It will be best if you have pictures of your home from your street with you as well.) I encourage you to attend and ask your questions.
Reginald Crutcher