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Historic commission asks staff to draft revised COA application form
Summary
Commissioners debated balancing completeness and usability in the certificate of appropriateness application and asked staff to prepare a draft combining useful checklists and links; staff expects to return a draft at a future meeting.
The Janesville Historic Commission spent most of its Feb. 4 meeting discussing revisions to its certificate of appropriateness (COA) application form and directed city staff to prepare a draft for the commission to review at a future meeting.
Commissioners debated two competing priorities: a thorough, checklist-style application that gives reviewers the details they need versus a shorter, user-friendly form that homeowners without contractors can complete. Several members recommended combining the best elements of example forms from Evansville and Batavia, Illinois — adopting a clear checklist for common categories such as porches, fences and outbuildings while keeping the form concise.
Brian, city staff, said the COA application “is intended to be used much more so by you as members of the commission, than than we as staff,” and noted the building division currently triggers review when a building permit is required. He suggested adding web links to statutes and the Secretary of the Interior standards and said staff commonly directs applicants to those resources.
Miriam, a commission member, argued for thoroughness: “When I see the Evansville 1, as a homeowner who lives in a historic home, I take this form really seriously that I would sit down and really think about it and really take the time and go through it,” and said a longer form signals the commission intends to take applications seriously.
Members proposed specific changes: add checkboxes for porches, fences and new construction; include a section mirroring the Wisconsin historic tax credit checklist (the commission noted a $10,000 tax-credit threshold discussed in the meeting); provide example drawings or graph paper pages for project sketches; add links to cited statutes and the Secretary of the Interior’s standards; and make the form fillable online. Mackenzie (city staff) said the office can draft a revised application and recommended the commission review a physical draft before final adoption.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the draft itself but directed staff to prepare a proposed revised COA form for review at a subsequent meeting (staff suggested March as a possible target). Members also suggested the city publish links and consider a short public-service video to help homeowners complete the form.
Commissioners closed the discussion by agreeing the form should be a living document that can be adjusted as needs arise.
