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Council hears draft historic-preservation code; members request community workshops before deciding
Summary
The Historic Preservation Board presented a draft ordinance and asked whether participation should be mandatory to qualify for CLG grants; councilmembers expressed reluctance to require mandatory participation without resident workshops and said the town could pursue targeted 'pockets' of designation.
The Historic Preservation Board presented a draft historic-preservation ordinance and asked the council whether homeowner participation should be mandatory (a requirement to qualify for Certified Local Government grants) or voluntary, and whether resident workshops should precede council action. Major Corrales, the board chair, explained that while an enabling ordinance is an "all-or-nothing" step to qualify for CLG grants, actual designation of contributing structures and districts occurs later through a survey that grant funds would support.
Several councilmembers said they favored community workshops and resident-led engagement before committing to mandatory participation. Concerns included the effect on homeowner renovation costs and whether all of the structures on the board's initial lists would meet the state's historic criteria. The chair said designation can be 'pockets' or districts and that a state-funded survey would identify qualifying structures.
Next steps
Council asked staff to arrange resident workshops to explain how the ordinance and designation process would work, and to return with additional information about grant opportunities and the implications for homeowners before a final ordinance vote.
Ending: No ordinance vote occurred; council requested broader community input and more detail on how designation and grant qualification would proceed.
