Planning Services

Historic Preservation 

Thousands of communities across the country promote historic preservation to improve neighborhood livability, quality of life, and to minimize negative impacts on the environment.  Many property owners are attracted to the adaptability and quality of construction in historic structures.

Background of the East Third Avenue Design Guidelines Project

Neighborhood residents, the Historic Preservation Board (HPB), and a Steering Committee worked collaboratively to produce a cooperative system of dialogue and values-clarification. In workshops participants discussed positive attributes of the neighborhood, explored design concepts that make it unique and identified design issues that cause concern about future development.

Examples of appropriate and inappropriate design on East Third Avenue.

Goals for the District

The overall design goal for the East Third Avenue Historic Avenue District is to preserve the integrity of its individual historic structures and the character of its streetscape.

Goals:

• Maintaining the character of a historic building through elements such as form
• Mass and materials should be considered in any alteration
• Preserve key character-defining features and details.
• Accounting for the relationship of the building to neighborhood design elements such as street trees, secondary structures, historic street elements, front yards and walkways, is a high priority.

Incentives for Preservation

While these economic benefits are substantial, special incentives also exist to help offset potential added
costs of appropriate rehabilitation procedures. Income tax credits are offered at the state and federal levels for appropriate rehabilitation.  Please contact the Planning and Community Development Department for more information on Tax Credits.