SHELBY — The Shelby Historic Preservation Commission on Friday discussed next steps with the Shelby Center Historic District after receiving state grant approval.
The grant funds from the State Historic Preservation Office are to assist the commission with writing design guidelines for properties within the historic district’s outlined area.
The amount of the grant has not been announced. It will be determined after a consultant helps to draft the guidelines.
Prepared by: C. Colon, Richland County Regional Planning Commission.
“It will end up being a document which outlines the guidelines of how to restore appropriately,” said Lacy Bessette, secretary of the Shelby Historic Preservation Commission.
The guidelines are based upon the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. These are nationally recognized standards when a historic property undergoes a preservation or rehabilitation project.
Community input will also be sought as the guidelines are drafted for the city.
The commission will host a series of public meetings and forums to talk with building owners and community members about particular details they’d like to see included.
Dates for those sessions will be announced.
The guidelines are used by the commission to assist its approval process when building owners within the historic district apply for a certificate of appropriateness.
Once approved, a COA allows the project work to continue.
It’s common for historic preservation commissions to create guidelines, typically a lengthy document. Still, Bessette said the city has been operating without one while waiting for grant approval.
The Shelby Historic Preservation Commission has purview, per city ordinance, over locally designated properties, separate from the National Register of Historic Places.
The Shelby Center Historic District outlines mainly the downtown properties of the city, including a few just outside of the current zone. The newest additions include the Shelby Pure Milk Barn on Whitney Avenue and the mausoleum at the Shelby-Oakland Cemetery on Gamble Street.
“There’s always going to be situations where we have to extrapolate and use the guidelines as a framework to help make more personalized decisions,” Bessette said.
Grant funds received will assist with costs from the consulting firm, which will help draft and design the guidelines, as well as facilitate public forums.
“Rather than making random and spontaneous decisions, the guidelines provide a good outline (for building owners),” Bessette said.
Click here to learn more about the Shelby Historic Preservation Commission and for information regarding upcoming public forums.
