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Consultant presents draft 10‑year Historic Preservation Plan; plan emphasizes access, underrepresented histories and tools
Summary
A consultant summarized the final draft of Wildwood's 10‑year Historic Preservation Plan, describing eight goals and 73 strategic actions that emphasize Route 66 heritage, regulatory tools, underrepresented histories, heritage tourism and expanded engagement. Staff said the plan does not change zoning and further steps include Planning & Zoning and City Council review.
Consultant Marsha Boyle presented the final draft of Wildwood's 10‑year Historic Preservation Plan, describing five vision elements and eight goals supported by 73 strategic actions intended to guide the city's preservation work.
Boothmarked as a planning document rather than a regulatory change, the consultant said the plan will not automatically designate properties or alter zoning: "This is a planning document ... it's not going to change anybody's zoning," she said. The plan groups actions into short (0–5 years), medium (6–10 years) and long term categories and includes ongoing measures and 22 long‑term actions beyond the plan horizon.
Highlighted goals include enhancing the visitor experience along the Route 66 corridor, refining regulatory tools and designations to protect threatened resources, and preserving sites that document underrepresented histories (including Indigenous and African American stories). The plan calls for increased staff capacity, improved web information and heritage tourism initiatives. It also lists specific examples, from a possible Route 66 "passport" partnership to corridor‑wide interpretive work and a proposed land‑acknowledgment initiative.
Public comment: Lynn Link of the Wildwood Historical Society, speaking as a Ward 6 resident, urged stronger municipal authority to protect historic resources and warned that preservation without enforceable local tools becomes an ineffective "wish list." She called for education of decision makers and careful mitigation where adjacent development threatens historic structures.
Next steps: Staff said the plan will go next to the Planning & Zoning Commission and then to City Council for ratification; the draft is available on the city website for public review.
