Orange Park board reviews draft historic-preservation ordinance, awaits town attorney and council action

Members of the Town of Orange Park Historic Preservation Board spent most of their meeting reviewing a draft historic-preservation ordinance intended to make the town eligible for Certified Local Government (CLG) status and related grant programs, but they did not adopt the draft and deferred further action pending review by the town attorney and eventual council consideration.

The board discussed the history and purpose of the draft ordinance, which board members said was meant to protect midcentury and older architecture in Orange Park, enable surveys and district nominations, and position the town for state and National Main Street funding. The board repeatedly described the draft as the product of several years of work by volunteers, local preservation advocates and consultants and said the Florida State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) had provided preliminary sign-off that the draft meets CLG-related standards.

Board members said the draft would create a historic-preservation overlay and a process for surveys, inventories and designation of historic districts; it would not itself…