Our historic neighborhoods, with their ancient trees and well-preserved houses, are a vital part of our state’s history and the soul of our cities.
Homeowners in these neighborhoods have a responsibility to preserve them for future generations. But that responsibility should extend to helping to ensure sufficient affordable housing in the communities we live in. To that end, I would propose that we urgently need:
- Stronger Historic Designations. The creation of a powerful new state-level historic neighborhood designation that would protect from excess density and development in historic areas.
- Preservation Fee. In exchange for the benefits of being in one of these core-historic zones, landowners in these districts would be subject to a modest preservation fee that would help offset tax incentives for developers for the construction of higher-density housing nearby.
- Preservation Incentives. Homeowners and developers who undertake significant preservation work on properties would be exempt from the preservation supplement fee. And developers who choose to tear down rather than restore habitable and historically significant houses would be subject to additional preservation taxes during the time that they own the properties.