Lacey inventory lists 343 properties; staff asks commissioners for verification process and volunteers

City staff presented a consolidated historic-property inventory and asked the Lacey Historical Commission for feedback on verification and public presentation. Aaron explained the methodology and current counts and urged the commission to help establish the next steps for research and verification.

“As of now, there are 343 properties on the inventory. 57 are potentially eligible for the historic register, and 115 are undetermined, and 95 have been demolished,” Aaron told commissioners, while cautioning that previous evaluations were completed at varying levels of expertise and should not be taken at face value. He said some determinations were reconnaissance-level and some were more intensive; staff plans on-site visits for ambiguous cases and proposed corrections to the state historic-preservation database (WISAARD) based on updated findings.

Commissioners asked about including properties in the city’s urban growth area and about clustering near Wonderwood Park; staff said many of those parcels will likely be annexed and could be added to the city inventory. Several commissioners suggested creating a verification process or subcommittee and using volunteers for drive-by or field checks. Staff also proposed a public-facing web map and asked for commissioner input on what the map should show.

Why it matters: The inventory is the city’s working list for identifying candidates for local and national register nomination and for planning preservation priorities. Staff recommended further verification before nominations and offered to bring inventory process recommendations back to the commission for approval.

Next steps: Staff will continue to refine the inventory, perform site visits for properties whose status is unclear, draft a verification rubric for commission review, and develop a public web map with input from commissioners and GIS staff.