Conservation Districts Could Slow Teardowns
February 18, 2009 at 12:20 pm | Architecture & Urban Design, Preservation | Tags: Cultural District, Historic Preservation
The Star-Telegram is reporting that the city is considering allowing neighborhoods to vote to become a “conservation district,” which would require new homes to be of compatible scale with historic homes but would not be as strict as a full-on Fairmount-style historic district:
If the plan passes, residents would have to take a vote to establish a conservation district. Then the neighborhood could set standards about building heights, setbacks, driveways, lot sizes and the amount of the lot covered by buildings. Under the guidelines, the districts would have to cover at least one block, and a majority of homes would have to be at least 40 years old. The rules would be less restrictive than those for historical districts, where owners are often barred from tearing down houses and strict rules govern architectural styles and building materials.
Included are some quotes from councilmembers Burns and Burdette:
“The really key thing about this ordinance is individual neighborhoods will choose what they want to pursue. It’s not something that’s bestowed on them by the city,” said Councilman Joel Burns, who favors the idea. “There does need to be some sort of step in between having nothing at all and having a historic district.” Councilman Carter Burdette said the city needs to be aware of how the idea could affect property values. “We’re seeing lots selling at $200,000 for a 50-foot-[wide] lot,” in some parts of west Fort Worth, he said. “Nobody can pay $200,000 for a 50-foot lot and make enough money on a one-story house to make sense of it.” Also, restricting development might interfere with the city’s other goals, such as increasing the density of neighborhoods and promoting mass transit, Burdette said. “Whatever we adopt, we need to be very careful that it’s allowed to be applied neighborhood by neighborhood,” he said.
This is something that’s come about a lot in recent years, and I get a lot of questions about historic districts and preventing incompatible development (especially from the neighborhoods near the Cultural District). I do like that this is something that would be decided by residents, not by the city.
Thoughts?