Augusta commissioners meet with preservation board, weigh changes to appeals, enforcement and training

Augusta commissioners held a special work session on the city’s historic‑preservation ordinance, focusing on enforcement powers, the appeals process for denied certificates of appropriateness (COAs), board training and administrative improvements such as online COA submission.

The meeting, called by Commissioner Catherine Smith Rice, assembled the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), representatives of Historic Augusta and staff from the Planning and Development Department to discuss language in the ordinance that commission members and staff said is vague or creates procedural burdens for applicants.

Why it matters: The HPC regulates changes in three named historic districts — Somerville, Downtown Augusta and Old Town — and its decisions affect federal and state tax incentives and downtown redevelopment. Commissioners and preservation advocates said uncertain rules or a lengthy appeals path can discourage maintenance or rehabilitation and risk leaving cleared sites undeveloped.

David Barbee, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, described how the COA process operates and the commission’s experience approving most requests. “I would say 90% of the COAs that have been brought before us, we have approved,” Barbee said, explaining that approved COAs are valid for six months and applicants may appeal denials…