CAPITOL HEIGHTS CIVIC ASSOCIATION
Historic Designation Investigative Committee
Meeting Notes & Tasks Assigned
September 17, 2009
Attendees: Cynthia, Cindy, Michelle, Tom
GOAL: Strategize on the best way to accomplish HD for all of Capitol Heights.
Task: Plot the original CH plats provided by Christy on the large scale map of CH.
Assigned to: Cynthia McCollister DONE
Task: Print large scale map showing current Historic Designations.
Assigned to: Christy Anderson DONE
Task: HD Committee to review maps after plotting & hopefully make a recommendation as to
boundaries.
Assigned to: Committee
Boundary recommendation proposed tonight. See recommendation below.
Task: Estimate the amount of time it takes to complete the survey and photos
Assigned to: Christy DONE – approximately 10 minutes per property.
Task: Contact water board and request map of places showing date the water was turned on
Assigned to: Cynthia DONE – has to be manual, no automation available. Christy has
called attention to the Montgomery County Revenue records that are online and most
have a construction date indicated for homes.
GOAL: Determine a high level plan to accomplish the HD. DONE
Determine boundaries for HD
Workshop with Christy Anderson from Planning Commission – learn how to complete survey
and other documentation required.
Education / Buy-in
Develop methods for educating the neighborhood and earning further buy-in from the neighborhood. Mailings, news articles, web site, events, etc.
Complete (physical) surveys.
Prepare required survey form for each house to be included.
Take photos of each house to be included.
Organize survey documentation.
Complete supporting (historical) documentation.
General Preservation Plan (approx. 1 page).
Justification for boundaries selected.
Any other documentation required.
Submit to Historic Preservation Commission.
Obtain approval.
City sends letters to parcels owners for their agreement (or disagreement).
City provides notice to association of parcel owners not responding.
Organize method of approach for obtaining remaining signature needed. Consider for example: (1) First pass (soft sell) workers gather the signatures they can. Second pass, assuming we’ve not met our quota needed, (hard sell) workers gather additional signatures needed. (2) Organize a neighborhood signature party – free food – prizes for attending.
Obtain signatures of agreement – need 60% (minimum).
Historic Commission nominates to City Council
Council approves.
GOAL: Define resources needed to accomplish the HD. DONE.
Volunteers, volunteers and more volunteers!
Photographers
Writers
Researchers
Volunteers to gather signatures
Buy-in from neighbors
Vendors for hire, if not too costly, to complete portions of the surveys (optional).
Students (for hire?) from local colleges, Architectural Organization / Clubs (optional)
Funds for photo copies and other reproduction costs
Funds for educational mailing(s)
Funds for neighborhood education/buy-in/signing event(s)
GOAL: Decide whether or not we recommend CHCA to proceed with this project.
Task: Contact two vendors to obtain rough estimates for completing physical surveys.
Assigned to: Christy Anderson
DONE Vendors Charge anywhere from $30 – $50. With almost 1,000 homes to be surveyed – paying for this is very near to being impossible!
Task: Need to see a copy of the Capitol Heights Articles of Incorporation. What were the
original boundaries of the town? Check Alabama Dept. of Archives, check with Carol King &/or Karren Pell.
Assigned to: Cynthia DONE – Carol shared her copy of the documents.
Task: Count the number of properties/parcels on the map
Assigned to: Cynthia DONE – 1,232 properties
Designation (boundaries) options for discussion.
“All” of Capitol Heights (1,232 properties estimated, 940 are undesignated)
• Refer to map provided by Christy
• 940 properties, estimated undesignated
• Shall we include or exclude commercial properties?
• Does designation of existing HD’s into the new one risk losing their current designation?
• Can we accomplish this many with the resources available?
• Do we have the support of the neighborhood for this work effort?
• Assuming current HD’s agreement continues, would these properties be counted toward reaching the 60% requirement?
• Note that “all” includes risky/challenging areas of our community
• Note that there is risk of failure when taking on 900 properties.
• Note there is also risk of a huge success when “all” is accomplished!
Concentrate on areas/streets where “core” bungalows (pre-war) were built, this would exclude areas/streets where, for example, post WWII (post war) structures were built
• Makes the initial task as easy as possible as number of properties is reduced
• This would also eliminate most commercial properties in the area
• Must make certain to define / create logical defensible areas
• Does designation of existing HD’s into the new one risk losing their current designation?
• What about the impact of surrounding properties not included in the designation? Does not including them perpetuate our problem with declining properties impacting property values, etc.?
• Expected to be more easy to accomplish with resources available
• Do we have the support of the neighborhood for this work effort?
• Assuming current HD’s agreement continues, would these properties be counted toward reaching the 60% requirement?
• Note that risk of failure lessens with fewer properties.
• Accomplishing this measures as success!
Define new HD area based on areas platted (by dates of plats)
• Designates the properties based on when they were platted – as opposed to when homes were built on them.
Notes on value of local historic designations:
• Have education sessions about the process & what it means
• Connect to downtown renovation
• Protects characteristics of community
• Study shows higher increases in values of properties
RECOMMENDATION:
Historic Designation Investigative Committee recommends to the membership of CHCA that expansion of local historic designations include “all” of Capitol Heights. Boundaries of the newly designated Capitol Heights Historic District shall be:
• Northern most boundaries: Upper Wetumpka Road, McCarter Avenue,
• Eastern boundaries: Federal Avenue (inclusive of the west side of Federal from McCarter to Atlanta highway),
• Southern boundaries: Mt. Meigs Road,
• Western boundaries: South Lewis Street, Madison Avenue to Hall Street, and Vonora Street.
“All” of Capitol Heights includes approximately 1,232 properties. Of these, 292 already have a local historic designation. Our goal is to have the remaining 940 properties designated as historic. To accomplish this, 60% (564) of the property owners of the undesignated properties will need to agree to the historic designation.
Properties with absentee owners are known to be the most difficult to obtain a signature agreeing to historic designation. Of the 1,232 properties, approximately 36% (447) of the properties have absentee owners.