Historic Preservation Committee forms subcommittee to draft city council statement on citywide historic survey

The Historic Preservation Committee discussed the citywide historic survey and outreach results and voted to form a two-person subcommittee to draft a short statement to present to the City Council in July.

Staff reported that roughly 975 certified letters were mailed to property owners identified in the survey outreach; over 700 were confirmed delivered, many were returned as unreachable, 86 written forms were returned by property owners, and about 38 properties provided additional material (photos or documentation) for HRG to review. Because of the volume of incoming information and the City Council's busy agenda, staff said they will ask the council for a continuance and will return to HPC on June 11 to present any changes in determinations arising from the new material.

Committee members said the council statement should be short and written in plain language to address common homeowner concerns about what "potentially eligible" means, emphasize benefits and incentives, and explain how the process affects permitting and property changes. Committee members recommended using bullet points and existing public materials rather than dense legal text.

Staff member Jared offered to compile the materials already available online and the content of the outreach letters to give the subcommittee a ready set of public-facing bullet points and resources. The committee agreed that Chair Anne Houston and Vice Chair Noah Thomas would serve on the subcommittee. A motion to form the subcommittee to prepare a draft letter regarding the historic survey for City Council passed by roll call vote (Stratton Yes; Ular Yes; Thomas Yes; Houston Yes). The HPC indicated it will review the draft at a future meeting and present the statement to City Council when the item is scheduled.