What does a historic commission actually mean?
  • backfromthesouth
    I'm a little confused on what the powers of a potential historic commission would actually mean... Can anyone shed some light?

    I generally understand it as an extra level of "approvals", beyond permits and planning board and whatnot, before anyone can do anything to a "historic" property...

    But which properties? Anything that's old? Only things listed on the state registry? Is it retroactive to current owners or only new owners? Let's say I own an "old" house.. but it's not on any registries, so this is certainly isn't anything I agreed to when I bought my house - would it retroactively effect me? So I guess that's my question - who would it effect and how?

  • marylagomarylago
    backfromthesouth said:

    I'm a little confused on what the powers of a potential historic commission would actually mean... Can anyone shed some light?

    I generally understand it as an extra level of "approvals", beyond permits and planning board and whatnot, before anyone can do anything to a "historic" property...

    But which properties? Anything that's old? Only things listed on the state registry? Is it retroactive to current owners or only new owners? Let's say I own an "old" house.. but it's not on any registries, so this is certainly isn't anything I agreed to when I bought my house - would it retroactively effect me? So I guess that's my question - who would it effect and how?



    Janine Bauer spoke to this. If the Village passes a historic preservation ordinance, and the Master Plan is changed to provide for a historic preservation commission, their power would be limited to demolitions and subdivisions on historically designated buildings or districts. You could paint your house any color, put up vinyl siding, anything else.

    Right now, there is only one historic district--Montrose Park. A commission could make recommendations to include others, but that would have to be approved by the Planning Board (I believe--but by someone other than the commission anyway).



  • backfromthesouth
    So let me summarize and see if I got it straight...

    It's a designation done at the municipal level.... which right now includes Montrose Park, and any specific buildings that are designated already at the state level (Are there any stand alone buildings, not part of a district, currently designated municipal level?). Future districts could be approved at the municipal level however? What about individual buildings? There are PLENTY of houses as old as Montrose Park scattered ALL over town...
  • backfromthesouth
    Another note... good to hear, at least, that the power is limited to only demolitions and subdivisions... You hear about the powers that historic commissions have in some other towns and they are just out of control.
    Post edited by backfromthesouth at 2012-05-17 11:56:29
  • marylagomarylago
    If they are on the State/Federal Register, they would apply. You could apply to have your house on the register. I THINK if the town designates a district, they would still have to go through the State--but I am not certain.

    This is a list of all state/federal historic designations in Essex County and includes South Orange. Only where it says, "SR" or "NR" is it actually on the (state or national) register.

    http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/essex.pdf
  • marylagomarylago
    I am wrong, the town could designate historic districts or individual properties, but it would be different than inclusion on the State/National register.

    Here is a good primer:

    http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/hpo_article.pdf
  • michaelgoldbergmichaelgoldberg
    A lot of additional background information on the establishment of a Historic Preservation Commision in South Orange, including the original recommendations from the resident committee that studied this can be found online at:

    http://www.southorange.org/historicpreservation/
  • marylagomarylago
    michaelgoldberg said:

    A lot of additional background information on the establishment of a Historic Preservation Commision in South Orange, including the original recommendations from the resident committee that studied this can be found online at:

    http://www.southorange.org/historicpreservation/



    Oh yeah! Duh!

  • HometownHometown
    An Historic Preservation Commission can designate individual buildings, buildings of a certain era, neighborhoods or an entire town. A nearby example is the portion of Neptune Township known as Ocean Grove.

    Here is the link re. their Commission and Guidelines - well worth reading:

    http://www.neptunetownship.org/pages/historic-preservation-commission

    One of the more contentious Historic Commission items on TV that I recall dealt with a Federal Era house in Salem MA featured on This Old House maybe 15 years ago:

    http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/house-project/overview/0,,199636,00.html

    I'm sure there are others too, but I'll let others see if they can find the episodes and reach their own conclusions re. the parties in the affair.
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