Council 05.19.2008

[Stan Austin]

Historic Designation OK’d – Canines KO’d? Council president Michael Dever brought the May 19, 2008 council meeting to order at 7:40. After a year of hard work by the Lakewood Planning Commission, the Heritage Advisory Board and advocacy by the Lakewood Historical Society council finally passed revisions to the zoning code providing for Historic Preservation Districts (HPD) and Historical Property (HP) designations. Most readers are familiar with Historic Districts such as Bird Town. That designation is a result of completing a long application process to the National Historic Register. Ultimately, it is hoped that the Bird Town Historic District will retain its unique character and will result in appreciable benefits to the larger Lakewood community and the property owners in that area. While that is to be commended, a gap in the zoning code became apparent several years ago. The owner of a house at Lake and Nicholson, facing foreclosure, had applied for several demolition permits. At that time there were no conditions to obtaining a razing permit. Neighborhood homeowners were very concerned about the eventual use of a very beautiful house and property. Then councilman Edward FitzGerald hosted a public meeting at the high school to allow concerns to be heard. The basic outcome of that meeting was the realization that the city had few tools in the way of laws on the books or even programs to deal with such a situation. Even the Lakewood Historical Society while gravely concerned was unable to step in. So, the Lakewood Planning Commission started the long process needed to revise the zoning code so that the City had laws to deal with individual situations as well as establish a process to allow for an expansion of the theme of historical preservation. Generally, an area – a street or streets, could request that the Heritage Advisory Board assist in the application process to designate an HPD. The Heritage Advisory Board acts as a technical assistant and resource for the designation. Individual and commercial properties could also request an Historical Property designation. After such a designation property owners would have to go to the Architectural Review Board (ARB) with plans for any major exterior changes. This is currently required anyway. The ARB would then apply historic criteria to the proposal to see if it reflected defined historic standards. A homeowner would continue to be able to institute general maintenance repairs without review. According to Planning Commission Chairman William Grulich this would help Lakewood maintain its unique character and architectural diversity. Grulich added, “There are benefits to home and business owners from tax credits, which may allow people to afford more improvements. This legislation would not have been possible without the dedicated work of Rick Sicha, Tom Einhouse, John Pyke, Heather Rudge, and councilman Kevin Butler.â€