Unfunded Mandates for Downtown Property Owners?

Did you know that the City just paid $100,000 to conduct a survey of historic properties in Georgetown? Is that an expenditure that falls within providing core services to Georgetown citizens, or is it a "feel good" expenditure that a select few in the city government support?

Here are the principal results and recommendations from Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc. (CMEC):

In total, 1,676 resources were documented during the 2016 survey and assigned a preservation priority. This includes 1,660 buildings, 13 structures, 2 objects, and 1 site. Most buildings are single-family homes or commercial buildings.

Plan for survey updates every 10 years; add areas of the city/ETJ that have not been previously surveyed. A large portion of the City and its ETJ have never been surveyed. There are mid-century neighborhoods west of I-35 along Williams Dive that have not been documented in full but have potential for significance. The 1984 survey evaluated a small number of agricultural properties in the ETJ. CMEC historians observed many more historic-age agricultural properties outside of the survey boundary that have never been evaluated. These agricultural areas are under threat of encroaching development and should be documented before they are lost.

Consider a boundary expansion of the currently National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-listed University Avenue—Elm Street Historic District.

Consider listing the Blue Hole Recreation Area in the NRHP

The review standards currently in place for the overlays should also apply to high-priority properties and contributing properties within existing and future NRHP districts.

Establish the City’s first local landmarks and create program/process for future designations, and pursue NRHP listing for High priority resources that are not already NRHP designated.

Citizens and property owners need to understand the implications of designating property "Historic".

1. It can be considered an unfunded mandate by the city on property owners.

For property owners, the designations can govern the permitting process for renovation projects.

Owners of medium-priority properties who wish to make renovations must submit applications to the city’s historic preservation office, and those with high-priority properties must follow a more detailed process with input and approval from the city’s Historic Architectural Review Commission.

2. It can also be considered a "taking" of property because its value is decreased because of the restrictions placed on use of the property in the future. An owner can not demolish and replace a structure or modify its exterior and sometimes its interior.

The designation of property as "historic" is just another mechanism for government to exert control over private citizens and their property. Any property owner that wishes their property to be designated historic should be free to pursue that designation. Any property owner that does not want such a designation should be free to reject that designation.

The same should apply to the establishment of a "historic district". Every property owner within the proposed district should agree or else they can opt out of being in the district.

The city government was established to serve the citizens, and that means all the citizens, not just a select few!