Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997 Historic District Commission Annual ReportDEPARTMENT OF PLkN#Nq6kND NEIGHBORHOOD DEY 0ftW-NT 316 N. CAPITOL AVENUE - I.wswc, MI 48933-1236 • (517) t$3I¢p 6 (FSy�)p*36 PLANNING OFFICE David C. Hollister, Mayor February 22, 1998 Mayor David Hollister and Members of the Lansing City Council Lansing, Michigan Re: Historic District Commission 1997 Annual Report Honorable Mayor and Members of the Lansing City Council: On behalf of the Historic District Commission, we extend our appreciation to the Mayor and City Council for support in 1997. We affirm our dedication to making a significant contribution to improve Lansing's neighborhood revitalization and economic development. We believe that 1997 has been a watershed year for historic preservation. The Historic District Commission has endeavored to communicate that the purpose of preservation is a revitalization tool rather than a goal. Our vision is a bustling city, not a museum. Lansing's vintage buildings are unique in the broader community. These buildings are marketable assets upon which we can build and rally. Residential and commercial neighborhoods represent connective tissue which make individuals part of a city. Our built environment involves a major investment which is more cost effective to maintain than to replace. Our activities in 1997 are building blocks for what we wish to accomplish in 1998: *Establish the Capitol Historic District to assist the substantial revitalization efforts of this City by using a tool which is well used by our peer cities throughout the State. *Harmonize aspects of the Building and Housing Code to better facilitate coordination of efforts in historic districts and to improve the appearance and value of older areas throughout the city. *Include historic preservation sections in each of the City's Comprehensive Plans and create a free-standing Historic Preservation Comprehensive Plan. *Develop an Ambassador Program for educational outreach programs, complete and print educational materials, initiate photo contest. 0 Please Recycle "Equal Opportunity Employer" Mayor Hollister and City Council Members Page Two February 22, 1998 We hope that in 1998 the Mayor and City Council will appropriate funds for printed materials, the annual Preservation Week display and for historic district signs. Lack of traditional historic district signs creates confusion about the location of existing districts. The Lansing Historic District Commission looks forward to a substantive year collaborating with elected officials, staff and our City's residential, business and institutional population. We acknowledge that historic preservation has tended to be a misunderstood concept in Lansing but we sincerely want you to know that we all share a deep and abiding concern for the success of a robust Lansing. By acknowledging the worth and value of the past created by our Lansing forebears, the current generation of Lansing residents can visualize that we are each instrumental in creating a present and future Lansing. This is an essential aspect of "making it happen". The day will come when what we accomplish will be part of Lansing's past. Will what we do be worth remembering? Respectfully submitted, LANSING HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Stephanie L. Whitbeck, Eleanor K.. Love, Chair Secretary Attachment: 1997 Annual Report 199 7 ANNUAL REPORT LANSING HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION *Approved the establishment of the proposed Capitol Historic District to help maintain the critical mass of houses on the land and help spread the restoration of quality of life, beautification, value and tax base in the area which has consistently experienced the greatest amount of demolition pressure and is often the focus of revitalization efforts. The ultimate establishment of the historic district is the highest priority of the Commission. *Voiced the need for harmonizing aspects of the Building and Housing Codes (i.e. appropriate painted front porches, etc.) in order to improve the appearance, value and quality of life in older areas. A level of success is that agencies who receive funds through the City of Lansing, such as the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition, Franklin Street and Habitat for Humanity, have modified some of their specifications. These specification issues need to be codified so that when work is required throughout the City's older areas, the final result becomes an asset to the City's considerable revitalization efforts. This continues as a major priority of the Commission. *Advocated for administrative harmonizing of Code Enforcement and Building Code Division procedures in the Cherry Hill Historic District. Code Enforcement and Building Division responsibilities in historic districts need to be codified in the Building and Housing Codes. Historic District requirements are currently only articulated in the Planning Code. Building inspectors and code enforcement personnel are first alerted to their responsibilities through the Codes they enforce. This is a major priority of the Commission. *Advocated for inclusion and integration of historic preservation principles in the City's planning and development activities as a key to neighborhood revitalization and economic development. -Participated in all of the Joint Chair Meetings (Planning Board, BZA and HDC) convened by the Department Director. - Participated in the PSD Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee. -Testified before the Lansing City Council and Council committees to establish the proposed Capitol Historic District and concerning endangered buildings. Notified residents from numerous neighborhood associations throughout the City about Lansing City Council public hearings concerning the preservation of Lansing's historic resources. A major issue of the Commission is that the City's Comprehensive Plans each include sections on historic preservation and that a free standing Historic Preservation Comprehensive Plan be adopted by the City as a key aspect of a well-rounded revitalization strategy. *Advocated for historic preservation strategy tools at the State level. Testified before the House Taxation Committee and House Urban Policy and Economic Development Committee concerning historic tax credits (HB 4669 and HB 4670). *Raised the community's conscience about the existence and value of Lansing's unique vintage structures as marketable assets upon which we can build a revitalization strategy. Two Commissioners had Points of View articles published in the Lansing State Journal. *Collaborated with groups, individuals and neighborhood organizations. -Reached out to Franklin Street Housing, Habitat for Humanity, the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition, Friends of Durant Park, the Model Block Program and the City's Development Division with design assistance and funding proposals. -Worked with the Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Genesee Neighborhood Association in the nomination of the proposed Capitol Historic District. -The Commission and Planning staff worked with the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and the State Historic Preservation Office in planning a state-wide preservation conference in Lansing for spring, 1998. Staff assisted the Main Street Design Review Committee. *Joint ventured with the Lansing Capital Sesquicentennial Commission and the Historic Society of Greater Lansing in Sesquicentennial events including the opening reception and the historic architectural scavenger hunt in downtown Lansing. Commission members . participated in financing the opening reception. One HDC Commission member served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Sesquicentennial Commission. *Sponsored the week-long preservation week display and opening night reception in the lobby of City Hall. The photo and artifact display focused on Lansing's Past, Present and Future and highlighted endangered buildings and provided a forum for neighborhood groups to showcase neighborhood assets. The display and reception was planned, executed and financed by Commission members. Community members assisted in staffing the exhibit throughout the week. *Sponsored a Lugnuts game event within the preservation community to bring together HDC Commissioners, Planning Board members and staff, Michigan Historic Commission members and preservationists from the Old Town Commercial Association, the Downtown Neighborhood Association, the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition, the Greater Lansing Historic Society and Main Street. The City provided the venue; Commission members financed the refreshments. *Approved three applications for the City's Historic Preservation Program as part of the CDBG housing revitalization program for low to moderate income residents. Applicants are screened by staff to assure that federal requirements on income eligibility are met. The CDBG program is a housing revitilization program, not an income replacement program. -2- *Issued two Certificates of appropriateness for exterior street view changes for work initially ordered by the City's Code Enforcement Division in the Cherry Hill Historic District. *Provided affordable design guidance to a property owner in the Cherry Hill Historic District which resulted in a low cost repair rather than the expensive re -siding originally contemplated by the owner. *Received State approval of Lansing's application for recognition as a Certified Local Government to assist the City's eligibility for State and Federal preservation funds. *Received and implemented an Historic Preservation Grant from the State to survey older areas of Lansing for its Comprehensive Plans. *Susan Cantlon was hired by the Department as its first Senior Preservation Planner. Ms. Cantlon has been instrumental in coordinating issues between the various divisions and activities in the Department. She is beginning to expand into general Warming Board and Zoning desk work. *Developed educational material including a Preservation Resources Directory, a coloring book for Old Town, material for the proposed Capitol Historic District and general educational material. Participated in the development of "Looking Up in Lansing: A Historic Architectural Scavenger Hunt" booklet. *Began oversight of the Study Committee for the proposed Capitol Historic District. *************** -3-