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Design board to take comment on proposed revisions

SALEM –The Salem Design Review Board will take public comment during a hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday regarding proposed changes to the group’s review of zoning projects in historic districts to now include the downtown and eliminate the option for a property owner to opt out.

“We were reviewing the ordinance to make sure it covered what needed to be included and make sure it was clear,” DRB Chairman Ginger Grilli said.

Two sets of letters were sent out, one to property owners in the South Lincoln Avenue historic district and one to property owners in the downtown historic district, to explain the three main areas of revision for the historic preservation ordinance section 1149 and their right to comment during the hearing.

Apparently when the ordinance first passed and the two historic districts were established, putting them under the purview of the DRB for any work done on the exterior of a building in a district, the paperwork for the downtown historic district was never filed with the Columbiana County Recorder. As a result, only properties on South Lincoln Avenue came under review by the DRB when any changes were being made to the outside of a structure.

The ordinance also gave property owners a chance to opt out, meaning they could opt out if they didn’t want their property to be included in the historic district and under review by the DRB. The proposed revision will take that option out, meaning properties in the districts won’t be able to opt out – they’ll all be in the district and have any changes to their property exteriors reviewed by the DRB for historic appropriateness.

In the South Lincoln Avenue historic district, Grilli said properties who opted out years ago will be grandfathered and remain opted out until the properties change hands, then the new owners will fall under the historic district requirements, which include review of any changes to the exterior by the DRB.

She also explained that over the years since its inception, the historic preservation ordinance had several components removed related to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties — they want all the components returned, including sections regarding roofs and windows.

Besides reinstating all the Secretary of the Interior standards and removing the opt out clause, the proposed ordinance revision amends the section regarding what happens if the DRB and property owner can’t come to an agreement on the work to be done. If the two sides didn’t come to an agreement, after a waiting period, the application for the work was considered approved. Grilli said they’re proposing that no means no. If an agreement isn’t reached by the end of the waiting period, the application is denied and can be appealed.

She said part of the need for downtown historic district properties to come under review has to do with grant funding. Since the properties weren’t being reviewed, they didn’t qualify for Community Development Block Grant funding.

During a recent city council Economic Development Committee meeting, Sustainable Opportunity Development Center Executive Director Michael Mancuso said the DRB historic preservation ordinance needed to be revised before the year ends because the city could then be eligible to apply for a large block of CDBG funding to help with a proposed children’s museum project downtown and help with other properties downtown.

Salem Planning & Zoning Officer Chip Hank said he sent out letters to more than 300 property owners between the two historic districts, with well over 200 in the downtown alone.

Most of the phone calls Grilli said she’s received regarding the letters deal with whether a property is included and what does it mean to the property owner. She said simply that if any work is being done on the exterior of the property, the property owner must go through the extra step of having the DRB review what’s proposed to ensure it’s appropriate for the historic nature of the neighborhood.

“This does not affect the inside of the building or use of the building. We’re telling them what their building can look like,” she said.

She also said they try to be flexible with people. They don’t control color. They’re basically looking at how a property appears from the street. The DRB issues a certificate of appropriateness based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historical Properties, looking at windows, roofs, additions, new construction and also demolition. She admitted not all buildings can be saved, but they may ask an owner to preserve certain items or allow pictures to be taken if a building has to come down and it’s safe to do so.

There’s no fee for a DRB review and there’s not always a necessity for a hearing. The DRB has the ability to vote electronically. If someone requests a hearing or the chairman or Hank think a hearing may be necessary, then they hold a hearing.

Grilli said the next step after this public hearing regarding the revisions will be another meeting of the DRB to review the comments and finalize the ordinance, then the legislation will go to city council for action.

According to maps of the historic districts, the downtown district encompasses properties from the alley between Second Street and Third Street over to Wilson Street and Columbia Street and includes Reilly Stadium and the school lot, then extends to the west to Howard Avenue then east to Rose as if it extended to the south corner of Reilly’s lot. The South Lincoln Avenue district runs along South Lincoln Avenue from Pershing Street to just below Summit Street.

mgreier@salemnews.net

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