37 Historic Preservation Plan Goal 4: Increase Awareness of Preservation Incentives & Regulations Often, people want to do the right thing, they just aren’t sure what that is. There is a wealth of information currently available from a variety of sources that describe available incentives, demonstrate best practices, and illustrate the “don’ts” of preservation. Much of this information could be consolidated and made easily available to residents in a variety of ways. Send an Annual Notice The City should, via the Historic Zoning Commission, send a letter annually to notify property owners about their inclusion in the historic preservation district overlay zone and advise them of actions that may warrant review by the Commission. Create a Historic Zoning Commission Web Site More and more cities are using the Internet as an easy way to provide information to residents. Franklin already has an official City site. The Zoning Commission should develop a web page as part of the City’s web site to serve as a one-stop-shop for residents who are rehabilitating historic buildings. Information that could be posted includes basic material about the historic district overlay zones, meeting dates, and links to other resources on the web like This Old House, the National Park Service Preservation Briefs, Illustrated guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Structures, Old House Journal, Books on Restoring and Preserving Old Houses, Old House Chronicle Magazine, and Preservation Web. Develop an Updated Visual Reference Guide The Historic Zoning Commission has compiled a visual guide for residents in the historic overlay districts to illustrate “appropriateness” with regard to issues such as scale, architectural style, building materials, signs, and landscape treatments. This material should be updated and made readily available at City Hall and on the Internet. Host an Orientation Program Sometimes residents, particularly newcomers, are not aware of the implications of owning property in a historic district. This may result in confusion about permitting procedures for work done on their property and lack of information about resources that may be available, including financial incentives and technical assistance. To alleviate this problem, the Historic Zoning Commission, in partnership with local preservation organizations, could host a biannual historic district orientation program targeted to homeowners, builders and developers to share information about financial incentives, code requirements, review processes, and success stories. These events should be open to anyone in the City and County who is interested, particularly property owners who may be considering petitioning for the creation of a new historic district overlay zone or working on new developments. Strategies to Increase Awareness of Preservation Inc ation Incentives & Regulations Send an Annual Notice Create a Historic Zoning Commission Web Site Develop an Updated Visual Reference Guide Host an Orientation Program
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