State preservation coordinator urges Clarkdale to pursue CLG certification; commission approves ordinance update for SHIPO review

A representative of the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office told the Clarkdale Historic Preservation Commission on April 7 that the town is well positioned to become a Certified Local Government (CLG), but needs some ordinance clarifications and a refreshed survey to complete the application process.

Ariana Urban, SHIPO's Certified Local Government coordinator, said Clarkdale already has one of the key elements the Park Service looks for: an active local preservation commission. She emphasized the practical benefits of certification, including planning and survey grants and technical assistance. "Historic preservation is not anti-change," Urban told the commission, urging members to frame preservation as a tool for managing development rather than preventing it.

Why it matters: CLG status opens access to SHIPO-administered grants (Urban said SHIPO is required by the Park Service to distribute about $100,000 annually in CLG grants) and technical assistance that can fund surveys, planning and professional help but not direct bricks-and-mortar restoration. Urban said the CLG pathway also increases a town's access to design-review expertise and statewide preservation networks.

Key details from the presentation: Urban said the town's ordinance contains many strong provisions already (for example, design standards integrated into the code and incentives for rehabilitation). However, she warned a local provision that allows property owners to "opt in" or "opt out" of a local preservation overlay is likely to cause problems in the Park Service's review. To address property-rights concerns in Arizona while meeting federal reviewers' expectations, Urban proposed making individual historic landmark overlays the primary local designation method and keeping a secondary district option when property owners voluntarily form one.

Urban also reviewed technical requirements and next steps: the Park Service wants a refreshed inventory and a geospatial survey of historic properties (she said the survey need not be a full re-survey; a refreshed inventory that confirms which properties retain integrity is sufficient). A participant said the town's inventory includes about 173 properties in the historic district; Urban called a one-day drive-through refresh feasible for a compact town such as Clarkdale.

Commission action: After staff presented a separate housekeeping update to the town code (Article 17-8), the commission moved and seconded a recommendation to approve the current draft of Article 17-8 "with the understanding that SHIPO review would take place." The motion passed. Staff and commissioners said the draft would be coordinated with SHIPO before being transmitted to town council for formal action.

What the vote does and doesn't do: The commission's approval was a recommendation to move the draft forward with SHIPO input, not a final adoption by council. Urban offered to assist with ordinance language, public outreach, and council briefings as needed.

Next steps: Commissioners were asked to review the ordinance-draft changes and to expect a coordinated review with SHIPO before the item goes to council. Staff also plans to scope a refreshed survey and to pursue CLG grant opportunities once the local ordinance language is aligned with Park Service expectations.

Sources and attributions: Quotes and attributions in this article come from the April 7 commission meeting transcript. Ariana Urban is identified in the transcript as the Certified Local Government coordinator at the State Historic Preservation Office. The commission's motion to approve Article 17-8 contingent on SHIPO review appears in the meeting minutes and passed by voice vote.