National Park Service recertifies Congress Street Historic District; board discusses sharing guidance on tax-credit eligibility

PORTLAND, Maine — At its June 4 meeting the Portland Historic Preservation Board was informed that the Congress Street Historic District was recertified by the National Park Service, a step that preserves contributing properties' eligibility for federal and state rehabilitation tax credits.

"The Congress Street Historic District was recertified by the National Park Service to ensure that, contributing properties in that district are still eligible for, federal rehabilitation, federal and state rehabilitation tax credits," staff member Scheckler told the board.

Scheckler said the Historic Preservation Office has not historically posted such recertification letters on the city's website because tax-credit eligibility is complex; staff typically direct inquiries to the Maine Historic Preservation Commission for certification. "We haven't historically really shared that information, like, actively on the website because the nature of tax credit eligibility is fairly, like complicated. So, I think, it's something we could look at of whether there's a better way to kind of put that information on our website. But really, when people ask about tax credits, which is the primary relevance of that, we direct them to speak with the Maine Historic Preservation Commission which would have to do, to certify that," Scheckler said.

Board members suggested asking the communications department whether the recertification merits a public announcement or a clearer online posting to guide property owners and applicants seeking tax-credit information. No formal action was recorded on publication; the matter was presented as a communication and informational report to the board.