(Spirit Lake)– About 25 to 30 business owners in downtown Spirit Lake Wednesday evening heard the ins and outs of a program designed to protect the integrity of historic buildings.
Sharifa Jones, a Historic Preservation Specialist with the Iowa Lakes R C & D was the guest speaker. She told the crowd 12 Iowa communities have adopted design review guidelines for their downtown areas…something Spirit Lake is considering. Jones says there are several advantages to the program in that it not only protects historic resources, but that it ensures quality of new construction; encourages proper maintenance; enhances a community’s quality of life and it protects property values.
Jones said there are some challenges to getting such a program off the ground, which would have to be done by adopting an ordinance. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission would also play a significant role in the process. Then there’s the issue of consistent enforcement of the standards and determining who’s going to be in charge of enforcement.
Jones added that establishing design standards can open the door for state and national historic designations and that it can help qualifying building owners obtain financial incentives for projects.
An example of that, Jones says, is Iowa’s Main Street Program, which the city of Spencer adopted several years ago. Bob Rose of Spencer Main Street was at Wednesday’s meeting and reported some 39 properties in Spencer are in the program, making them eligible for historic tax credits for projects to restore and maintain historic buildings.
