47.9 F
Wrightsville Beach
Friday, March 29, 2024

Historic landmark commission discusses updating guidelines, mapping project

Must read

The Wrightsville Beach Historic Landmark Commission discussed ratifying its guidelines to become a certified local government (CLG) during a meeting Monday, July 13. The CLG program allows municipal governments access to federal grant money to restore historic structures.

“The Historic Landmark Commission has operated under the same rules, guidelines and procedures since its formation in 1992.They need to be updated to meet the state historic preservation standards,” said Zach Steffey, a Wrightsville Beach town planner. “The town staff members have also prepared a revised rules and procedures document. The commission is also asked to consider the revised rules and procedures document and make recommendations about how the document should be updated.”

Steffey emphasized the importance of earning CLG status.

“Ideally, I’d like to move us toward the certified local government program. … If we became one, it would open us up to an opportunity for funding to do historic preservation projects. It would be a good opportunity for grant funding,” he said.

Steffey suggested commission members research the ordinances of CLG communities in North Carolina.

“When you look at places like Raleigh, having a historic commission is really important,” he said. “We could also look at some of the other beach communities and see, if they have a historic landmark commission, what guidelines they have. The nature of the architecture here at Wrightsville Beach is going to be a little bit different than what you see in Raleigh. … The city of Wilmington also has guidelines, and those might be more in tune with the unique architecture in the area. Those might be good to pull from, as well.”

Steffey also discussed the commission’s mapping project, which will identify and describe each historic property on the island.

“If you go to the Town of Wrightsville Beach home page and you go to the Historic Landmark Commission section, I have the map embedded into the website,” he said.

Steffey suggested updating each landmark on the map with a one-paragraph summary.

“Some places don’t have write-ups on them. They just have the year they were built and then a picture,” he said.

The mapping project will protect historic properties, Steffey said.

“The main goal is to raise awareness about which properties are designated on the island. It’s also a good tool for folks to ensure that there’s no development that’s going on these historic properties,” he said. “It’s a good safeguard. If the contractors go on the website, since it is linked to our planning and inspections page, they can see if what they’re building near is a historic structure. … It would be a fear of ours that folks would not realize a property is historic and start working on it.”

Steffey said the map will be a good educational reference for locals and tourists, as well.

“It’s also a good opportunity for the community to view these properties and learn more about them. … It would provide a good cultural opportunity.”

email [email protected]

Previous article
Next article
- Advertisement -spot_img

More articles

- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest articles