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HLC to mail designation-interest letters to 2019 candidates, adds preliminary North Locust district review to project matrix
Summary
The commission directed staff to send designation-interest letters to properties identified in a 2019 workshop (including 11 properties that have had exterior permits) and agreed to add a preliminary discussion of potential historic districts north of McKinney along North Locust to its project matrix; both items passed unanimously.
The Denton Historic Landmark Commission voted unanimously to direct staff to send designation-interest letters to all properties on a list compiled at a 2019 historic preservation workshop, including 11 properties staff records show have had exterior modifications. Commissioners also agreed to add a preliminary discussion of potential historic districts north of McKinney along North Locust to the commission’s project matrix.
Staff said the 2019 workshop produced a prioritized list of candidate properties; about 70 community participants provided input at the workshop, and the packet shows priority rankings for each property. Staff offered three options: (1) send letters to every property on the list; (2) send letters only to properties that have not had exterior modifications; or (3) send no letters. Commissioners debated starting with properties that have not undergone exterior changes to reduce nuance in eligibility assessments, but many concluded staff should mail letters to the entire list, then phase more detailed follow-up for properties with significant exterior alterations.
Commissioners called out several candidate properties during the discussion, including a property identified as 14 Chapel Drive (described in the packet as the “Little Chapel in the Woods”), the former fire station at about 1515 (later used as a State Farm office), and other locally notable sites on or near North Locust. Staff noted the 11 properties flagged as having exterior permits were identified from the city’s permit records; the list will serve as a starting point for outreach to determine owner interest in formal designation. The commission also agreed to pursue further preliminary work on whether a local historic district along North Locust should be studied and to include that topic on the matrix for future consideration.
A motion to send letters to all properties on the list (option 1) carried unanimously. A separate motion to add the North Locust historic-district preliminaries to the commission’s matrix also passed unanimously.
