Date: Fri 12-Apr-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Historic-District-ballot

Full Text:

Historic District Ballots Sent Out

Ballots were mailed this week to property owners who have expressed an

interest in becoming part of the proposed historic district in the borough.

The ballots are due back by May 2 at 5 pm. A two-thirds majority is required

to approve formation of the district, which is a scaled-down version of the

proposed district which was narrowly defeated in five previous tries.

A public hearing was held last Thursday, April 4, in the lower meeting room of

the Booth Library on the proposal. Only a handful of people attended the

hearing and only William Lavery spoke.

Judge Lavery, who lives at 10 Main Street, asked why the boundary on the

eastern side of Main Street does not start at No. 14 since that is the first

building which will be in the district.

James Gaston, a member of the Borough Board of Burgesses who is also on the

Historic District Study Committee, said Main Street is being designated as a

historic roadway which links the district together. "The appropriate reference

point is the cross street, which is Glover Avenue and Sugar Street (Route

302)," he explained.

But a 12-page "meets and bounds" explanation which details the exact

boundaries of the historic district also has been prepared at the suggestion

of the State Historical Commission, Mr Gaston said.

After the hearing, the study committee met to vote on the recommendations made

by the state commission and to produce a final copy of the report which was

presented to the Board of Burgesses at their meeting Tuesday evening.

Of the 89 properties in the original plan, 52 are in the scaled-down version.

Forty of these are classified as residences, although some also contain

offices. The others are public and commercial properties, two churches and the

Meeting House.

In addition to preparing the "meets and bounds" description, the study

committee adopted a suggestion by the state commission that the property at

16-18 South Main on the Ram Pasture removed from the district because there

isn't a good visual and physical link between it and the rest of the district.

"The commission recommended that this property be designated instead as a

historic property and we plan to discuss this with Peter Lane, who owns the

property, at a later date," said Kathy Jamison, the study committee chairman.

The committee also removed two other properties, No. 8 Main Street, owned by

Mary M. Holian, and No. 41, owned by the Newtown Congregational Church, from

the proposed district at the request of the owners.

The Burgesses accepted the final report and directed Clerk Doreen Spencer to

mail out the ballots..

On March 13 the state commission gave its approval to the Newtown's proposal,

the key to which is the designation of Main Street as a historic roadway. The

committee received the support of the burgesses, the Planning & Zoning

Commission, the Borough Zoning Commission, First Selectman Bob Cascella, and

the Newtown Historical Society. Copies of the study report were mailed to all

property owners who would be included in the district and also were on file

for public inspection in the town clerk's office in Edmond Town Hall and with

the borough clerk.

"I think that having only a few people come to the public hearing and the

Board of Burgesses meeting speaks well of the plan and the job that was done

in keeping everyone well informed," Mr Gaston said.

The proposed district runs about a mile along Main Street, from the

intersection of Route 302 north to north to Johnnycake Lane and along parts of

West Street, Currituck and Church Hill Road.

Thirty two property owners who were in the original proposal decided not to

participate in the scaled-down version. Some supporters, including Paul

Loether of the State Historical Commission, said they are confident that once

the historic district is in place, some of these property owners will change

their minds and opt to join.