Now that Jefferson City has a demolition ordinance in place to protect historic buildings, city staff plans to add another piece to the local preservation puzzle by strengthening the city's local historic district ordinance.
The Jefferson City Council passed the demolition ordinance 7-2 on Tuesday night, establishing a tiered system where properties 100 years or older or located in a locally designated historic district must go through a demolition clearance process. Properties 50-99 years old, local landmarks and buildings in the National Register District will go through the demolition review process, while properties less than 50 years old will not go through either process.
Several council members said they wanted to establish local historic districts in Jefferson City, as the city currently does not have any.
Local historic districts establish design guidelines for current and future properties in a particular area. To establish a local historic district, the application must contain 75 percent of property owners' notarized signatures and design guidelines.
The demolition ordinance gives "more teeth" to the demolition permit process, Ward 3 Councilman Ken Hussey said, but it only adds more preservation protection to historic buildings based on age. It does not set design guidelines for modifications and additions.
"If you want to actually protect neighborhoods or areas, that's probably the best way to do it," Hussey said. "Instead of doing 50 or 75 years citywide, try to get these districts established and then use the 100-year threshold as kind of the catch-all for buildings missed by those districts."
Ward 3 Councilwoman Erin Wiseman and Ward 4 Councilman Carlos Graham voted against the demolition ordinance, and Ward 5 Councilman Larry Henry was not present at the council meeting.
Wiseman told the council last week she thought establishing local historic districts would be more effective than passing the demolition ordinance. She told the News Tribune she thinks either the Jefferson City Historic Preservation Commission or residents interested in the districts should establish them.
"I think the historic districts really show that people are interested in history of the area," she said. "It shows that people care about the history of the area. It really tells us and our community that something special is going on there. It really gets that community involvement, and the community is telling us how important that neighborhood is at that point."
Jefferson City Senior Planner Eric Barron said when designing the demolition ordinance, he researched several cities in Missouri and surrounding states that have demolition ordinances. While several of these cities have local historic districts, he said, the majority do not have many.
Jefferson City's demolition ordinance was based primarily on Independence's ordinance, Barron said. Independence has one local historic district - the Truman Heritage District - which required the approval of 51 percent of affected property owners, Independence Public Information Officer Meg Lewis said.
Independence established the local historic district to maintain the historical integrity of the area closest to the President Harry S Truman home, along with the area known for his neighborhood walks.
"Design review allows for the retention of unique architectural features, higher-quality building materials and craftsmanship, and consistency of integrity," Lewis said. "It's these characteristics, along with walkable, sustainable streetscapes in neighborhoods and commercial areas, that often attract buyers to historic districts in the first place. The loss of these features would likely detract potential owners (and) business investors for commercial properties."
She added a local historic district also could stabilize and increase property values.
Homes in that district must go through a design review process when property owners want to make modifications. Lewis said one of the biggest challenges with the designation is the misinformation regarding the design guidelines.
"The city often hears that the historic designation mandates certain paint colors and that it dictates use, (but) paint is reversible and not regulated in Independence," she said. "Use, number of units in a building, property setbacks, etc., are all dictated by the property's zoning, not designation status. This is often misunderstood and can confuse property owners in a potential district."
Not far from Jefferson City, Fulton has five local historic districts - the Bell, Robertson, Court Street, Downtown and Westminster historic districts - established in 2002 by the Fulton City Council. There were significant people who impacted those particular streets or neighborhoods, and the community wanted to honor those individuals, Fulton Planning and Protective Services Director Les Hudson said.
Many buildings in these districts were constructed by famous architects like Fred Bell or were lived in by those who had an impact on the town, like former Fulton mayor and state representative Charles Wilson or Dr. Franc McCluer, president of Westminster College when Sir Winston Churchill made his "Iron Curtain" speech at the college.
"The history of a town means a lot to a lot of different people for a lot of different reasons, and those people who get into the different type thing and become part of a district, it's very important for them. They take it very seriously," Hudson said. "The folks in those districts are very proud of their districts and they take care of their buildings, and it helps preserve the history of a town."
To establish a local historic district in Fulton, several property owners must propose the district to the Fulton City Council, which would look at the history and significance of the area, Hudson said. The council has the final say on whether to designate the area.
Fulton does not required property owners in the local historic districts to comply with design guidelines because most property owners normally try to preserve the buildings anyway, he added.
Barron said one of Jefferson City's next projects is to improve the existing local historic district ordinance, as it is vague and provides only two criteria: the 75 percent of notarized signatures and design guidelines.
Lewis said when establishing a local historic district, "flexibility while maintaining integrity is key," and having public input to create guidelines "is invaluable to successfully regulating this."
Hussey said he thinks the 75 percent requirement is a "healthy threshold" because it ensures people are invested in the district and gives those opposed a chance to voice their opinions.
"It does impact everyone's properties, so I think a high threshold is warranted in that case," he said.
While the process won't happen overnight, Hussey said he thinks Jefferson City could have local historic districts in the next couple of years if city staff and the community remain engaged on the issue.
Wiseman said she would like the designation process to be community-led. If residents were interested, she would like them to pursue designating Elmerine and Forest Hill avenues as local historic districts.
Lewis said she encouraged local historic districts to help protect and preserve the history of neighborhoods while keeping them unique.
"Too many changes to building exteriors and streetscape features, demolition that leaves holes in blocks, and loss of a unique identity all detract from a livable, workable community," she said. "(A local) historic designation helps to protect that and keep buildings from becoming too cookie-cutter."