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Belvidere committee sends Perry School to historic‑preservation commission for review
Summary
After a lengthy discussion about neighborhood impacts from the vacant Perry School, the committee voted to refer the property to the Belvidere Historic Preservation Commission to determine whether it meets local landmark criteria and to hold a public hearing.
The Belvidere Committee of the Whole voted June 22 to refer Perry School to the Belvidere Historic Preservation Commission for evaluation and public hearing on possible local landmark designation.
Mayor opened the discussion noting the school’s long history and neighborhood importance and said he had asked staff to explain the implications of landmarking. "I wanted the council to hear it as well," the mayor said. Gina, the city staff member who explained the program, told the committee that local landmark designation controls exterior aesthetics and requires a certificate of appropriateness for many exterior changes, but it does not force a building to stay open or regulate interior uses. "It doesn't force it to stay a school, it can't force it to stay open," Gina said, adding that local designation can make demolition more difficult because the preservation commission would need to review such an application.
Council members described concerns about boarded windows, vandalism and potential neighborhood decline if the building remains vacant. Alderman Peterson urged action to ensure "somebody's looking out for what's going on in my neighborhood." Several aldermen also noted that tax credits for rehabilitation are generally available to private buyers but not to tax-exempt owners such as a school district, and that zoning (the site is institutional) would affect potential reuse and might require rezoning for residential conversions.
Alderman Albertini moved and Alderman Hoenes seconded a motion to refer the matter to the Historic Preservation Commission for a determination of whether Perry School meets local landmark criteria; the committee approved the referral by voice vote. The commission will publish notice, hold a public hearing and then forward a recommendation to city council, which would take final action by ordinance if it chooses to designate the property.
The referral is procedural: it asks the preservation commission to review eligibility under the city’s criteria and hold the required hearing; it does not change the school district’s ownership, maintenance responsibilities or zoning.
