Historic Preservation Commission Minutes 2008 11 17

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Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes November 17, 2008 Page 2 of 5 Muth presented the members with a memo outlining what next steps are needed now that the tax has been approved. She noted the following: • There will be an estimated $340,000 available each year for the next ten years for preservation programs in the downtown/old town area. • The City Council will consider Ordinance No. 1544, Series 2008 for first reading on November 18 and for second reading and a public hearing on December 2. This ordinance will impose the 0.125% sales tax to commence January 1, 2009. • The money from the tax can be spent under the following general guidelines: • Incentives to preserve historic resources that qualify for listing on the Louisville Register of Historic Places; • Incentives to preserve buildings that contribute to the historic character of Old Town but do not qualify for listing on the Louisville Register of Historic Places; • Incentives for new buildings and developments in Old Town to meet additional guidelines to maintain and complement the historic character of Old Town; • Staff time to administer these programs; Muth asked for direction on the following: xx. • What programs would the HPC like to implement first? Staff's suggestions are: o Surveying of the entire commercial districtix(estimated to be approximately 70 buildings}; o Establishing a grant fund for rehabilitation and repairs; o Establishing a loan fund for rehabilitation and repairs; o Establishing new "historic" design guidelines for the downtown commercial district; o Purchasing plaques for already landmarked properties; o Getting permission from the Carnegie Library to scan their old assessor cards and purchasing a scanner to do so; • Should all funding be first-come, first-served or do we want to establish a distribution percentage for residential versus commercial building? • How do we want to distribute funds between buildings that qualify to be landmarked, those that may not qualify but contribute to the character of Old Town, and funding to encourage new development to meet new guidelines for historic character? • Do we want to establish a list of most important historic buildings i.e. a List of Historic Significance (similar to the Open Space Advisory Board's "Open Space Acquisition Rankings") to better help in determining where funds should be spent? • Should we consider conservation easements on any specific properties or facades? • Are there other programs you would like to consider for early implementation? Muth added that all programs, policies, and guidelines will require City Council approval after the HPC has fleshed out the programs and made a recommendation. Muckle stated that she thought the funds should be evenly distributed between the three areas of incentives: 1. for buildings that qualify for landmarking, 2. buildings that don't