Date: Fri 19-Jan-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

historic-district-Main-St

Full Text:

Panel To Proceed With Scaled-Down Historic District

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

The Borough's Historic District Study Committee has decided to proceed with a

proposal to create a scaled-down version of the historic district that was

narrowly defeated in four previous tries.

"Of the 89 properties (in the original proposal), the owners of 55 - more than

half - have said that they still want to participate," explained Kathy

Jamison, the committee chairman.

The committee's proposal gave property owners the choice of participating in a

historic district. Those who opted out wouldn't be included.

"We got together last week and looked at what shape this historic district

would take," Mrs Jamison said. "Although it won't include every property,

there would be no large gaps. It looks like a comb with some teeth missing

from it.

"We believe it's important enough that we are willing to go ahead and give it

a try."

Borough Burgess James Gaston, an attorney who lives on Main Street, said that

when the committee queried those property owners who originally were

supporters, only six chose not to participate while four others, who weren't

among the original supporters, asked to be included.

"That gives us 96 percent of what we started with - that is strong support,"

he said. "Once the historic district is in place, I believe there will be

another 6 to 12 (property owners) who will ask to be included. Many of them

have told me they are just waiting to see what happens."

Mrs Jamison said the boundaries of the new proposed district would be

"essentially the same" as the original proposal. It would stretch from No

16-18 South Main to 82 Main Street, along West Street to No 11, along

Currituck to No 10 and on Church Hill Road to The Bee.

She said the 55 properties whose owners who have expressed an interest in

being in the historic district include 42 residences and 13 other properties:

commercial buildings, churches, and public properties such as Edmond Town Hall

and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.

"Of the 42 residences, 15 were built - at least in part - in the 1700s, 16

were built in the 1800s and the remaining 12 were built in this century," she

said. "I think it is interesting that the owners of the 12 houses built in

this century want to be in the historic district.

"The historic district will tell the story of the growth and development of

Newtown. As part of the neighborhood, all houses worth including whether they

are very old or, like mine, built in the 1940s."

The owners of 34 properties decided not to participate. Many were among those

who voted against the proposal when it failed, by 2« votes, to get the

two-thirds majority required in the last referendum. Others, including Stan

Verry, the former Historic District Study Committee chairman, and Linda

Shepard, the former committee secretary, withdrew their properties recently,

saying a district which does not include all of the properties is not the same

as the original concept they supported.

Mrs Jamison said that the committee's next step is to finish the report which

must be submitted to the Connecticut Historical Commission.

"We hope this will be done by the end of January," she said. "Copies will be

sent to the Borough Board of Burgesses and Borough Zoning Commission and it

also will be in the town clerk's office for public review."

The state has 65 days to respond to the report.

"If there is no response, that is considered under the statute to be an

endorsement, but we will wait until April before taking a vote," she said.

"Notice of a public hearing must be published, the hearing will be held,

ballots will be sent out and voters have 15 days to return the ballots."

Mrs Jamison pointed out that only those property owners who have indicated

they wish to be in the historic district will be sent ballots. But she said

she wouldn't be surprised if persons who opposed the historic district still

showed up at the public hearing to speak against it.

"We expected opposition," she said. "But because we really do feel that in the

long run this (historic district) will help us to preserve Main Street, we

believe we must go ahead."

Mr Gaston said he hoped those property owners who don't want to be in the

district would not try to stop those who do.

"We have respected their wishes," he said. "I would hope they would respect

our wish to be included. That is what democracy is all about."

Mr Gaston said that once town's new sewer system is completed, the pressure

for commercial development on Main Street will follow.

"We've already seen what is happening to the center of town now that the

sewers are coming - look at the plans for the Big Y shopping plaza," he said.

"There's some new interest in the Hawley Manor and it's likely that John

Vorous will be going ahead with his plans (to rebuild the Yankee Drover). We

are very fortunate that Mr Vorous wants to be in the historic district, to

make an inn consistent with the character of Main Street."