Newsletter for Ohio s Certified Local Governments Ohio Historic Preservation Office Ohio Historical Society The Network Winter 2014 Ohio s Main Street Communities By Heritage Ohio Together, the words Main Street have multiple meanings and may elicit a number of thoughts and opinions depending on whom you ask. To some, Main Street is road that runs through town, to others it may symbolize small town life, and in recent years it has been used as a stand-in term to define the opposite of Wall Street. This can be a helpful way to consider it, but when it comes to fixing up our downtowns and urban districts, Main Street is a program adopted by communities to across the county to assist in that effort. Main Street is a trademarked program introduced by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980. There are currently 38 statewide Main Street coordinating programs and several city and county coordinating programs, combined these represent about 1700 community programs across the United States. Heritage Ohio is Ohio s official coordinating agency and has been since 1997. We currently have 24 programs in the Ohio Main Street Program ranging in size from Downtown Millersburg to the Cleveland Warehouse District. What exactly is Main Street? It is a comprehensive grassroots approach to downtown revitalization. The template is based on a four-point approach: balancing Operations, Promotions, Design, and Economic Restructuring, realizing that there is no silver bullet fix for complex issues. People sometimes get diverted from the comprehensive approach, and believe a major streetscape redesign is the answer to revitalization, or the big events will solve the problem. These may be helpful pieces, but alone, they will do little to revitalize a neighborhood. In the Main Street world, we require a more comprehensive approach. The idea being that downtown deteriorated over the course of decades for a myriad of reasons and to combat the current situation, it will take a multi-faceted and long-term approach. Ultimately, downtown is a collection of buildings and the Main Street Approach is about empowering people to make those buildings productive again. Through the Four Point Approach, communities can begin to overcome the obstacles that have kept the downtown from becoming vibrant. The Economic Restructuring Committee may identify reasons local investors are not putting their money downtown and try and make development more attractive, or remove barriers to locating businesses downtown. The Promotions Committee may seek to rebrand the downtown and use social media to help promote activities and businesses. The Organization Committee often times recruits volunteers and helps generate membership. Some Design Committee projects include way-finding programs and updating design guidelines. The range in projects a Main Street Community may take on varies as greatly as the type of community in the program. It comes down to the organizational leadership deciding what the greatest opportunities or obstacles are to a healthy downtown and developing a strategic plan identifying solutions. (Continued on page 4) Inside this issue: Local Government Outreach Manager s Special 2 A Welcome to Director Amanda Terrell Why Local Preservation Matters Pipeline Pilot Initiative 5 1 2 3
Page 2 Greetings CLG Managers, Commission/Board Members, and City Staff. The Manager s Special A Message From Ohio s Certified Local Government Manager Hopefully you have all begun to thaw out some from this deep freeze of a winter. As I have mentioned several times in the past, while most boards and commissions have few applications to review due to the snow and cold, it is time for strategic planning and brainstorming. What programs can you work on for the coming year? What educational opportunities can you attend? How can you reach out to that one council member that simply does not get what, exactly, you do? All of these things require some planning and thought, and meetings with little on the agenda are where to do this planning. You may also notice from the table of contents that this issue is heavy on the educational and outreach programs. Main Street, OHPTC, Building Doctor. All of these programs are important tools to further your work in historic preservation. Is your community a Main Street? Have you ever considered the prospect of joining their network? Ohio is lucky to have a strong preservationbased Main Street program. It is an excellent way to join forces with the community and economic development departments in your local government, achieving the same goal of revitalizing your community. Take some time as we thaw out. Plan out some of your annual goals. See what you can accomplish in 2014. Nathan A. Bevil CLG & Preservation Services Manager Please join me in welcoming Amanda Terrell as our new Director of Historic Preservation at OHPO. Amanda is a native of Prince George County, in the Tidewater region of Virginia. She grew up near Colonial Williamsburg and many of the Civil War battlefields of Virginia, which fostered from an early age an interest in history and historic preservation. She attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she double majored in history and anthropology. After college, she spent two years teaching English as a foreign language in Bologna, Italy. The experience of living in Italy shaped Amanda s love of historic architecture. She attended graduate school at the University of Kentucky, where she earned a Master of Historic Preservation A Welcome to Amanda Terrell Our New Director of Historic Preservation degree. Before joining the OHPO, she worked at the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, first as the Transportation Projects Coordinator and then as Historic Resources Section Chief, overseeing the National Register and Survey, Tax Incentives and Grants, and Environmental Review programs.
Page 3 Local landmark designation and design review provide the only means by which changes made to a property, regardless of the source of funding or who is doing the work, will be reviewed against a set of specific guidelines. This is one of the main reasons why we say that historic preservation is primarily a local issue. Listing on the National Register of Historic Places provides no or very limited protection, but only in cases of federal involvement in the form of funding or permitting. Historic properties belong collectively to all of us. The concept of shared responsibility for stewardship of our past is not new, but often we don t think of it for our own Ohio communities, neighborhoods and rural areas. As owners and stewards of historic property we are its temporary caretakers, and we have a responsibility to our individual and collective history to treat it well for the owners and stewards to follow. This is where local landmark and historic district designation and design review come into play. Why Local Preservation Matters By Judy Kitchen Design review provides protection for the historic property and surroundings from those who may have ideas or plans which are inappropriate for it and its street or neighborhood. By the fair application of specific, understandable and sensible design guidelines the problems can be worked out. With few exceptions, the owner is simply unaware of the effect his or her plans will have on the character or integrity of the property and its surroundings. Design review for historic properties and for historic areas exists for everyone s benefit and should never be treated as a special-interest matter. In order to work, it must be fully integrated into the everyday operation of a community s operation, in the same way as zoning, traffic and similar local laws are regarded. Building Doctor Season 2014 The 2014 Building Doctor Season has been announced. The dates are below. Hopefully you will all be able to attend one. Sandusky, March 13-14 Salem, April 3-4 Peninsula, May 1-2 Westerville, June 5-6 Lakewood, June 26-27 We are accepting applications for future Building Doctor Clinics!! If you are interested in hosting the Building Doctors, please contact: Mariangela Pfister at mpfister@ohiohistory.org or me at nbevil@ohiohistory.org. Or you can call 614-298-2000 Remember, as a CLG you get a discount! Richfield, July 17-18
Page 4 Heritage Ohio has been fortunate to work with many of Ohio s great communities and partner in the process of revitalizing their downtowns. These communities have successfully changed their trajectory by revitalizing downtown. They have become prosperous places to do business, attractive places to visit and wonderful places to live. They have empowered their citizens to shape their community they way they want and not to rely on external forces for their future prospects. To become a designated Main Street Community, Heritage Ohio requires: a staff person (can you imagine a shopping mall having no one in charge?); continuing education and training; strategic planning and most importantly, a community commitment to revitalization. These factors combined give a community the necessary components to begin the process of downtown revitalization. Ohio s cities, villages and neighborhood commercial districts all have the potential to become vibrant and thriving community hubs. When revitalized, these districts will not only enhance residents quality of life, but will also become more attractive to small firms, large industry, executives, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and any one else searching for a new place to call home. Those Victorian commercial buildings can be rehabilitated to house lofts that will retain and attract young professionals and creative small businesses. These areas can be the social and economic centers they once were, but it takes hard work and community commitment. Heritage Ohio Ohio s Main Street Communities Continued from Page 1 OHPTC Applications Due provides the technical assistance to our communities to apply the Main Street Approach to achieve that success. Visit the Heritage Ohio website, become a member, start accessing the extensive network that respects and honors Ohio s historic communities. www.heritageohio.org Ohio s Main Street Communi es Cambridge Defiance Delaware Historic Gateway Greenville Kent Lakewood Lebanon Medina Millersburg Mount Vernon Norwalk Oberlin Painesville Piqua Portsmouth Sandusky Troy Van Wert Vermillion Historic Warehouse Dist. Wooster This is a special reminder that anyone looking to apply for the Round 12 of the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit must have their applications submitted to the Ohio Development Service Agency by close of business Monday March 31, 2014. Remember that projects that meet certain criteria may combine the 25% state credit (up to $5 million) with the 20% federal credit, leading to an overall credit of 45% towards qualified rehabilitation costs. As many of you are aware, this can be a significant boost to downtown revitalization and a great benefit to historic preservation. Advance preliminary meetings are (614) 995-2292 or at Nathaniel.Kaelin@development.ohio.gov required. For Additional information, please contact Nathaniel Kaelin at the Ohio Development Services Agency at: Additional Information can be found here: http://www.development.ohio.gov/cs/cs_ohptc.htm and http://www.ohiohistory.org/ohio-historic-preservationoffice/tax-incentives-for-historic-preservation
Page 5 The Pipeline Pilot Initiative New initiative provides funding for historic designation The Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) and Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) have launched a new initiative targeted at developing a pipeline of properties that are eligible for redevelopment assistance through the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit (OHPTC) program. The Pipeline Pilot Initiative provides funding to help pay for third-party professionals to assist with nominating individual buildings and districts to the National Register of Historic Places. development tools through state and federal tax credits to leverage additional investment and prepare buildings for new businesses, shops, and residents. Four types of projects can be funded through the initiative, with up to $8,000 available per project. In addition to Although a building designated as a local landmark or contributing to a local historic district in a CLG community is eligible to apply for the OHPTC program, a property must be individually listed on the National Register or contribute to a National Register Historic District or National Park Service Certified Historic District to take advantage of both the Ohio and federal historic preservation tax credit programs. Therefore, taking a proactive approach to identifying and nominating historic buildings and districts to the National Register can help advance redevelopment activities by opening up tax credit incentives for private investors. Downtown Xenia Now, a volunteer organization charged with the revitalization of Downtown Xenia (Greene County) is currently working with OHPO and ODSA on the possible nomination of a downtown historic district that they expect will stimulate more investment by the private sector. The organization has worked closely with the City of Xenia and are wrapping up a major façade improvement project funded in part with a Tier Two CDBG grant. To keep the momentum going, both organizations want to open up new project types for preparing National Register nominations, funding is also available for integrity investigation projects (e.g. removal of non-historic alterations, such as a nonhistoric façade). For more information or to obtain a copy of the application and guidance document, visit www.ohptc.development.ohio.gov. (By Nathaniel Kaelin)
Ohio s 58 Certified Local Governments Akron Alliance Aurora Avon Lake Barberton Berea Brookfield Township Burton Canal Fulton Canal Winchester Canfield Cincinnati Cleveland Columbus Dayton Delaware Dublin Elyria Euclid Galion Gallipolis Glendale Green Hamilton Hudson Jefferson Kent Lakewood Lancaster Lebanon Lorain Madison Mansfield Mariemont Marysville Massillon Medina Millersburg Montgomery Mt. Pleasant New Richmond North Olmsted Oberlin Olmsted Falls Oxford Parma Perrysburg Portsmouth Ravenna Salem Shaker Heights Springboro Steubenville Tipp City Toledo Waynesville Willoughby Zanesville Calendar of Events March 13-14: Building Doctor Clinic, Sandusky March 19: Unlocking the Building Code, Wooster* April 3-4: Building Doctor Clinic, Salem April 9: NAPC & Heritage Ohio Webinar* April 11: Dollars & Sense of Tax Rehab, Steubenville* * Please see www.heritageohio.org for more information Ohio Historic Preservation Office 800 East 17th Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43211-2474 ph: 614.298.2000 fx: 614.298.2037 www.ohpo.org Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (Individual staff hours may vary) To better serve you we recommend that you call ahead for an appointment Publication of this newsletter has been made possible in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior s National Park Service, administered by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society. U.S. Department of the Interior regulations prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or disability. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of federal assistance should write: Director, Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, D.C. 20013-7127.