Date: Thu 29-Feb-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

historic-district-hearing

Full Text:

Hearing Set On Historic District Plan

A public hearing will be held at 8 pm Thursday, April 4, in the lower meeting

room of the Booth Library on the proposal to create a historic district in the

borough.

Last Thursday evening the Planning & Zoning Commission gave its support to the

proposal by the borough's Historic District Study Committee to create a

historic district that would be composed of only those properties whose owners

want to be included.

Two weeks ago the State Historical Commission gave its approval to the novel

approach, the key to which is the designation of Main Street as a historic

roadway that serves as a link between the properties. The committee also has

the support of the Borough Board of Burgesses, the Borough Zoning Commission,

First Selectman Bob Cascella, and the Newtown Historical Society.

Copies of the 1995-96 Report of the Historic District Study Committee for the

Proposed Historic District were mailed to all property owners who would be in

the district. Copies also are on file for public inspection in the town

clerk's office in Edmond Town Hall and with the borough clerk.

Of the 89 properties in the original plan, 55 are in the scaled-down version.

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

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

Meeting House.

The study committee proposed boundaries that would be essentially the same as

the original proposal: From No 16-18 South Main near Lovells Lane north to 82

Main Street at Johnnycake Lane; along West Street No 11 at Castle Hill Road;

along Currituck to No 10 and on Church Hill Road to No 5. Since the Ram

Pasture and the former Lovell's Garage property aren't included in the

proposed district, the State Historical Commission recommended that the

property at 16-18 South Main be designated as a historic building outside the

district because there isn't a good visual and physical link between that

property and the rest of the district.

After the hearing, ballots will be sent only to those property owners whose

properties are in the proposed district. The property owners have 15 days to

reply. A two-thirds majority is required for the proposal to pass.

Thirty four 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.