Midtown Historic District Informational Session – December 8, 2014

On December 8, 2014, the Midtown Neighbors’ Association and City of Atlanta Department of Planning held an informational Q&A about Historic District Overlays and impact on Midtown. Notes from that meeting are inside:

Midtown Historic District Informational Session
Meeting Date: December 8, 2014
Meeting Time: 7:00 pm
Meeting Location: Grace Methodist Church Fellowship Hall
Number of Attendees: 67
Meeting Notes

• Rick Farmer introduced Leslie Canaan – Atlanta Urban Design Commission staff member
• Leslie introduced herself
  • Discusses meaning of being a historic district
  • Informs residents that “No application is currently on file”
  • Explains job of Atlanta Urban Design Commission
    • Protects historic sites that are deemed significant
  • Discusses the handout that she brought to meeting
  • What does it mean to be a historic district
    • Review any changes to building – need permit to proceed (maintenance not included)
  • How do they decide what is appropriate – try to keep historic fabric
  • Staff works with neighborhood to decide upon guidelines
  • Most projects reviewed at staff level
    • $10 filing fee and 2-3 day turn around
  • Discussed composition of UDC
    • Architect, historian, historic preservationist, realtor, lawyer, etc.
    • Usually 3 weeks to review – permits are approved, approved with conditions, deferred, denied
  • UDC not interested unless neighborhood itself is interested in becoming designated
    • Must have significant support to move forward
  • Collier Heights last neighborhood designated
  • Discussed costs to neighborhood
    • Filing fee for each property – so anyone purchasing a home can find out about district

Questions

1. Speaker 1 – asked about previous designation attempts?
   • Leslie – explained different types of designations (landmark, historic, and conservation districts)
2. Speaker 2 – What is process?  How is decision made?
   • Leslie – Minimum of 10 homeowners must how interest, several meetings, etc.  If there is no interest they usually do not proceed
3. Speaker 2 – How do you make determination?
   • Leslie – We would meet again, sign sheets, etc.
4. Speaker 2 – No specific procedure? Who comes up with rules?
   • Leslie – Procedure is to meet with neighbors, etc. (see above)
     • Committee is usually formed to produce guidelines, come together again and react to guidelines
5. Speaker 2 – I used to live in MLK Historic District and I hated it, huge mess, etc. I will never live in a historic district again…
6. Speaker 3 – I have no position as of now but if it will be done in orderly manner we need some body that represents us
   • Tony – MNA represents neighborhood.  If you live in Midtown you are represented by MNA.
7. Leslie – Collier Heights formed small group to discuss things
   • Speaker 2 – MNA does not represent him
   • Leslie – Yes, MNA does represent you, you are at this meeting…
8. Speaker 4 – No one has told them the upside. Why should we do it? What is motivation?
   • Speaker 5 – Wants MNA to justify the need for this
   • Leslie – Historic fabric is lost every day and this is a way to protect that.  Harder to demolish buildings, protects existing houses, etc.
9. Speaker 5 – How are commercial and multi-family houses handled?
   • Leslie – This depends on boundary of district, structures, guidelines
10. Speaker 6 – Who determined boundaries
    • Leslie – Neighborhood works with UDC staff to determine boundaries, might be different from NR district boundaries
11. Speaker 2 – Can an individual designate their own home (instead of district)?
    • Leslie – Yes
12. Speaker 8 – How do we know what NR district boundaries are?
    • Leslie – SHPO can give you this information (provides website)
13. Speaker 9 – How would historic preservation guidelines interact with zoning?
    • Leslie – HP regulations take precedent, but if issue is not specially mentioned it is covered by zoning
      • Some HP districts only deal with architecture and not use, some deal with use as well, depends on guidance.
      • You can set up guidelines however you want them
14. Speaker 2 – Is there any appeal process?
    • Leslie – Yes, appeal staff to UDC.  Appeal UDC to Fulton County Superior Court
15. Speaker 10 – What do “expanded districts” mean (from handout she provided)?
    • Leslie – District boundaries were expanded after initial designation
16. Speaker 11 – Wants someone from MNA to present case for change
    • Rick – Terry Bond wanted to investigate this and appointed Rick head of “Historic Midtown Commission”
      • Development pressure, rebounding economy, tear downs, etc. all sparked concern and desire to investigate potential designation further
17. Speaker 11 – Went through this 7-10 years ago, wants neighborhood to support this.
18. Speaker 12 – Any comments on perceived value to neighborhood?
    • Speaker 13 – Increased value of properties over time, stabilized value, etc.
    • Leslie – Houses will not triple in value over night, but district generally do increase in value at greater rate than surrounding communities
19. Speaker 13 – What info is left from last designation attempt?
    • Rick – We have a lot of material, will not use old draft regulations, need to re-take photos, update property information sheets.
20. Speaker 13 – Who is “we”?
    • Rick – Right now just 3 of us, but will increase in numbers if we go forward
    • Howell – I am a committee member
      • Gave his history of living in and being involved with Midtown
21. Speaker 14 – What kind of enforcement would happen?
    • Leslie – Historic material is irreplaceable so we depend on neighbors to report violators and police themselves
22. Speaker 15 – Process/lack thereof is troubling.  If you get designated can you make regulations as loose/tight as you want?
    • Leslie – Yes, regulations vary from district to district.
      • Uses Grant Park as example (only façade), Collier Heights, etc.
      • Depends on what neighborhood wants
      • Allow for economic hardship for residents (not developers)
23. Speaker 16 – Is designation permanent?
    • Leslie – Yes
24. Speaker 2 – Sounds like train has left station.  I don’t think there is a problem with how things are now.  Put together a reason why we need it.
    • Leslie – UDC wanted to have public meeting first, get info out there
25. Speaker 17 – Needs this meeting to understand process
26. Speaker 18 – Tear downs are an issue
27. Speaker 19 – 6 bungalows were torn down in favor of a parking lot in 1970s
28. Speaker 20 – Is it easiest to communicate through MNA? How do we become involved?
    • Tony – Go to website, join committees, etc.
      • Always looking for people to become involved
      • MNA took up this issue because 6 years ago seeing a lot of buildings being torn down, recession hit and slowed things. In past 3 years MNA has been receiving emails from concerned citizens about loss of historic fabric in Midtown.  Wants to protect character.
29. Speaker 21 – If it went through how would it change conversation with developers? How do you protect homeowners form developers? Not protect homeowners form themselves?
    • Leslie – Anywhere else you can demolish property with build back plan
      • In district you can only demolish if:
        1. Non-historic
        2. Unreasonable economic return
        3. Public threat to health and safety
      • Other than these reasons you cannot demolish property
30. Speaker 22 – What is historic?
    • Leslie – Anything 50 years old or older
31. Speaker 3 – I have lived in 2 historic district in past, don’t want to live under crushing regulations again
    • Another respondent – WE determined regulations, they would not have to be “crushing”
      • Leslie – Yes, that is true
    • Another respondent – Let the rest of us hear what she is saying
    • Leslie – Regulations have been revised, much less bureaucracy
32. Speaker 23 – Wants to hear from people from other neighborhoods
    • Leslie – We can provide contact info
33. Speaker 24 – How hard to change regulations?
    • Leslie – Meet quarterly to discuss/revise regulations
    • Speaker 24 – Timeline to change regulations?
    • Leslie – Depends on UDC workload
34. Speaker 25 – QT wants to build gas station on Ponce, could this stop that?
    • Leslie – Depends on regulations, but potentially yes
35. Speaker 2 – What rules are optional? Can we demolish?
    • Leslie – No, Chapter 20 spells this out
36. Speaker 26 – Has a neighborhood ever undesignated itself?
    • Leslie – No, everyone is not happy, but this has never happened. Grant Park actually asked for more protection.  Asking for more is more common.
37. Speaker 27 – At what point would MNA go forward or stop effort? Could we vote?
    • Tony – Midtown is split into MID and R5.  R5 would have voice, not MID
38. Speaker 28 – What about across street from district? Would they have argument?
    • Tony – Need to look at MID and figure this out
39. Speaker 29 – Would it be monumental task to come up with regulations?
    • Tony – You can go stylistic or non-stylistic, we would go non-stylistic
      • Derek – Gives examples of different types of windows and how this can be a non-stylistic regulation
40. How would you know everyone was represented?
    • Tony – More meetings, 67 people here today
    • Cristi – Whether you come to meetings or not a decision will be made.  Be sure and share with neighbors
41. Tony – What are you against?  Nothing has been written yet.  Use past experiences to know how best to protect neighborhood
    • Where was line when past experiences crossed over into realm of too restrictive?
    • Land use example of case that was lost (metal gate)
42. Speaker 30 – Next steps?
    • Tony – Work with city to base next set of questions on issues raised here
43. Any preventative regulations (other than HP) to prevent people from knocking down buildings?
    • Tony – Surround by arterials, puts pressure on neighborhood
44. Speaker 31 – How will people be notified?
    • Email or door hangers