Commission hears updates on HB 1347, Cherry Street cell tower, Sauce site, demolition-by-neglect and procedural changes

The Evansville Historic Preservation Commission used part of its March 12 meeting to receive a series of updates from staff and commissioners on pending legislation, proposed infrastructure, threatened buildings and internal procedures.

House Bill 1347: staff and a commissioner provided a legislative update about House Bill 1347, which would add a disclosure requirement in residential property sales that a property is within a historic district. A commissioner said the bill had passed the House and been referred to the Senate and that it was heard in the Senate Committee on Insurance and Financial Institutions, where it received a 7–0 "do pass as amended" recommendation. "It looks like it was heard in the insurance and finance committee this morning and, passed or to move forward with 7 votes in favor, 0 against," a commissioner said. Staff said the commission will monitor amendments as the bill advances through the legislature.

Cherry Street cell tower: staff reported being a consulting party on a proposed roughly 40-foot cell tower on Cherry Street near the First Baptist parking lot and said they asked the applicant to consider relocating the pole into a parking area to reduce visual impacts. The preservation officer said the project’s area of potential effect (APE) is about 1,000 feet and that if the proposed location intersects the preservation area the commission would have to take formal action. No final proposed alternative location had been confirmed at the time of the meeting.

Sauce (SOST) site: staff said they had heard informal reports that the owner of the Sauce site may not want to keep the southern building and had considered demolition of several buildings on the site. Staff said no formal application had been submitted and that design-review and demolition approvals would be required if demolition were proposed. Staff discussed the possibility of moving at-risk buildings to adjacent vacant lots or seeking Indiana Landmarks’ involvement; funding and logistics for relocation had not been resolved and remain under discussion.

813 Southeast Riverside (neglect): staff reported ongoing attempts to find a contractor or owner willing to take on the neglected property at 813 Southeast Riverside. Contractors had expressed interest but considered the project difficult because of the work needed and preservation constraints; the property’s bank owner was seeking options.

Demolition-by-neglect ordinance: staff said they were coordinating with the city corporation counsel to identify dates for a small working group to discuss drafting or finalizing a demolition-by-neglect ordinance. The commission discussed using a Doodle poll to assemble members and suggested coordinating with corporation counsel to develop draft language and meeting dates.

Internal procedures and time limits: Commission leadership said moving forward they will ask applicants to return with completed applications rather than allowing votes on incomplete applications, and that time limits on presentations and discussion may be necessary given the noon start time and other commissions’ schedules. The chair said such limits will be applied to keep meetings orderly and to avoid voting on technically incomplete materials.

No formal commission votes were taken on these updates during the meeting; commissioners and staff agreed to continue monitoring the legislative status of HB 1347, follow up with applicants on the Cherry Street tower, seek further information on the Sauce site, pursue coordination on the demolition-by-neglect ordinance with corporation counsel, and continue outreach for contractors on the 813 Southeast Riverside property.