AGENDA #17a(1)
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Council Member Sally Greene
SUBJECT: Referral of Historic District Commission’s Recommendations on Preservation of Old Chapel Hill Library Building to Preservation North Carolina
DATE: June 26, 2006
On June 15, 2005, the Mayor and I brought forward a petition requesting that the Council consider granting a historic preservation easement on the old Library building to the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. (Preservation North Carolina). See Attachment 1, which includes a copy of Preservation North Carolina’s form easement contract as well as a discussion about the history and style of the building.
On October 10, 2005, after hearing a presentation from Myrick Howard, president of Preservation North Carolina, who expressed the organization’s interest in holding such an easement, the Council agreed that preserving the building in this manner was in the interest of the Town. As a next step prior to a public hearing and a decision on the easement, the Council resolved to refer the matter to the Historic District Commission for its specific advice about what aspects of the building were most important to preserve. See Attachment 2. Subsequent to the October 10 meeting, Mr. Howard met with the Historic District Commission; he talked about how the easement would work and what the options were for protecting specific features of the building. In essence, the easement requires that the exterior features be preserved but leaves it optional to the property owner to preserve interior features. Upon deliberation, the Historic District Commission made a recommendation on what to preserve. The recommendation is found in Attachment 3.
Tonight I’m asking the Council to pass a resolution that refers the Historic District Commission’s document to Mr. Howard so that he can put the substance of it into the form of contract that he prefers. The resolution asks that Mr. Howard consult with the Town Attorney and come to an agreement on the details of the contract, and that it then be brought to the Council for a public hearing and possible ratification.
ATTACHMENTS