Decatur’s Historic Resources Survey Indentifies 13 Potential Historic Districts
Decatur Metro | November 17, 2009At last night’s city commission meeting, the commission accepted a detailed Historic Resources Survey of Decatur (page 15 of pdf), compiled by Keystone Preservation Associates and Morrison Design, LLC.
At a cost of $35,000, the months-long survey, which documented every single parcel within the city limits, was one of the outcomes of the ugly clash between residents, city boards, cats and dogs over a proposed Oakhurst Historic District in 2007. Among the many aspects of the initiative that confused and angered all parties was a lack of information on historic inventory within the neighborhood.
So the city ponied up the dough and funded an extensive survey that documented the entire city. According to a letter to the commission by Planning Director Amanda Thompson…
This report will help the city move forward with several long term preservation goals including awareness and appreciation of Decatur’s historic resources by making the survey results available online and determining a timeline and cost proposal for creation of National Register listings. We will also use the report to explore the world of heritage tourism and if that is a market the city is interested in pursuing.
Missing from the city’s stated goals is any mention of the creation of any additional local historic districts, which is the only way to physically regulate design in a neighborhood. (National Register status mainly provides tax incentives to residents to rehab property and creates red-tape for federal government-funded development)
That said, a portion of the survey was included among last night’s meeting materials and identifies 13 neighborhoods inside the city limits that would be eligible for some form of historic designation. They are…
- Chelsea Heights
- College Heights
- Columbia Theological Seminary
- Downtown (includes some properties in the existing Old Decatur local district)
- East Ponce de Leon Corridor
- Glennwood Estates
- Great Lakes
- Greenwood-Pattillo-Howard
- Lenox Place
- Oakhurst
- Parkwood
- West Clairemont
- Westchester Hills
Neighborhoods that do NOT qualify include…
- Adair Park
- Central Business District
- Decatur Heights
- Medlock/North Decatur
- Southeast Decatur
- West Decatur
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I would like to see the maps mentioned. Didnt notice them on the City website…wonder if all the findings will be posted somewhere.
Heritage tourism – is that a serious proposition? People will flock from seven states to see ramshackle cottages in Oakhurst. They’ll forgo Chattanooga and Dollywood for College Heights, they’ll reject Charleston for Glenwood Estates, they’ll take a left downtown and skip the Aquarium and the World of Coke just to get lost in the curvy streets of Great Lakes.
Tourism? This is only the first technique they’ll use, but there will be more.
This is going to be interesting.
Forgive a naive question.
Other than fancy streetsigns what is the upside to being designated a Historic district?
Is it just a ruse to micromanage what your neighbors can do with their own property?
The upside is subjective, depending on whether your sentiment leans more towards personal liberty or more towards collective value. That’s why it should be approached on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis where the affected residents are the ones who decide. As Ray Davies said, you gotta give the people what they want.
If I recall correctly from his posts, Lump lives in one. Depending on how he voted, maybe he can shed some light.
Scott is on point as always.
Just want to add that in a National Register historic district there is no actual physical protection of property unless your dealing with federally funded projects. It’s all carrots in the form of tax credits and deductions for folks that will spend more than the value of the home to renovate a structure.
It’s the local districts that cause so much fuss.
Not only is Scott “on point”, but he’s a Kinks fan, and that’s alright by me.
Sounds like time to bark up Harry Nilsson’s “The Point” in honor of these kind references. Just me and my Arrow.
The upside is protection against the egregious things a minority of property owners (who may or may not be residents) might choose to do with their property. In the case of the Clairemont district, it prevented the construction of the Cliff Valley School in the middle of a residential district. The residents have a strong voice in writing the local guidelines, and the fact is that most new suburban developments have much stronger restrictive covenants than anything likely to be contemplated in a historic district designation. (Of course, that may be why we don’t live out in cul-de-sac-land) Clearly a choice between collective values and strictly construed property rights, but in a place as densely populated as our little slice of heaven, collective values become pretty important. My $0.02 worth.
The Historic Resources Survey and the maps will be posted online within the next two weeks. The list of eligible neighborhoods refers to listing on the National Register of Historic Places, which means that at least 50% of the survey area contains historic (contributing) properties.
George – As far as the heritage tourism comment, heritage tourism is heavily promoted by the state and people actually travel around to historic courthouses, cemetery’s etc. The city recently established a Tourism Board and we are sharing the results of the survey to tie into their work.
In terms of next steps, city staff and the Historic Preservation Commission will be preparing a timeline and cost estimate for creating the National Register listings recommended in the survey to present to the City Commission for consideration. The National Register is an honorary listing that provides tax incentives to property owners who wish to rehabilitate their property according to preservation standards. It does not regulate property owners in any way, shape or form. It does provide a process to limit the impact of or prevent cell phone towers and road widening.
If you have any questions Regina Brewer, our preservation planner or I will be happy to answer them. All city emails are first name.last
Historic preservation topics can become very contentious and we want to do our best to maintain a civil, fact based dialogue that builds community.
Amanda Thompson
Planning Director
Amanda,
My sincere apologies – I was referencing the (apparently serious) claims by certain proponents of the recent Oakhurst LHD plan claiming that LHD would be a tourist draw along the lines of historic Charleston. I don’t mean to impugn legitimate historic/civic tourism, which I think is “neat.”
Parks, public places, historically significant civic structures and the like are surely areas for discussion.
But there are two things I took away after reading the survey overview.
1) listed as potential survey user/uses — preservation groups and n’hood orgs for the purpose of historic preservation
2) the majority of areas targeted for historic designation (local or national) are residential (!) rather than civic or institutional.
Whether intentional or not, this study could potentially be used as base for small minorities or special interest groups to advance unwanted LHD.
You’re right these discussion can be contentious – so I’d love to hear the city express neutrality and say that this is in no way an endorsement of LHD in Decatur.
Ramshackle cottages? Oakhurst ain’t exactly Vine City or the Bluff.
@hack – Maybe a little strong to make this point:
I once met a man who was born in my Oakhurst cottage in 1925. He grew up in that house, and couldn’t believe it was still standing. They lived there because they had to – they didn’t improve or expand it because they couldn’t afford to. There was no sentimentality about the thin, uninsulated walls, the boiling hot attic (where he slept), or the drafty, leaky roof. His family built it – but even they didn’t like it.