HISTORIC PRESERVATION EXPLAINED BY PLANNER

Historic preservation makes good financial sense, says the man who will draft Cape Girardeau's historic-preservation plan.

Philip Thomason, who has contracted with the city to draw up the plan identifying potential historic districts, said historic preservation "really is the planning strategy of the next century."

Thomason spoke to about 300 people at a public hearing outlining the plan Tuesday night.

The plan, which will identify potential historic districts and outline steps to preserve those areas, should be completed by the end of the year, Thomason said.

Preserving the past is a good way to spur future economic growth, he said.

"We have seen substantial changes in our inner city neighborhoods, our downtown areas through historic preservation," Thomason said.

Among historic preservation's economic benefits:

-- Creation of more jobs through rehabilitating and renovating historic structures instead of building structures.

-- State and federal income-tax credits that encourage investment in renovating income-producing historic properties.

-- Revitalizing historic downtown areas through Main Street rehabilitation programs is an "effective development strategy" for small towns.

-- Historic preservation projects in downtown neighborhoods can have the same impact economically as new developments on a city's outskirts.

Thomason said: "You hear a lot about the new business on the edge of town. Maybe it cost a million dollars, when in fact you might have three or four projects going on quietly downtown that are worth more than that," Thomason said.

-- Quality of life in historic districts is better, and property values in well-maintained and properly zoned historic districts are higher.

-- Rehabilitated older houses have longer life expectancies than houses built in more recent decades.

Allowing a city's downtown area to deteriorate is "fiscally irresponsible," he said, pointing out taxpayers already have "a huge investment" in infrastructure, including streets, sewers and street lighting.

Preserving older neighborhoods is cost-effective, Thomason said. On the other hand, he said, developing suburbs is costly because they require new infrastructure.

Thomason said the plan he is working on will identify sites that may qualify for the National Register of Historic Places and for designation of local historic districts.

The plan also will identify factors that may threaten historic preservation such as inappropriate rehabilitation or zoning barriers.

Property owners are often apprehensive when historic districts are discussed, fearing loss of control over their property and high investment costs for rehabilitating property.

However, Thomason said, a National Register designation doesn't affect how property can be used or whether it can be demolished, and it doesn't require the property to conform to design standards.

In local historic districts, property owners need to be granted certificates of appropriateness before making any significant changes to a property -- usually the type of work that would require a building permit.

Property owners wouldn't need to renovate the property to bring it up to minimum standards once a historic district is designated, Thomason said.

Current city ordinance allows for the designation of local historic landmarks and local historic districts.

City planner Kent Bratton said 75 percent of the homeowners in a proposed district have to agree to the designation. "We haven't had anyone propose a district to this point," Bratton said.

Thomason will survey most of the city to identify potentially significant sites and neighborhoods. He said he is already aware of two potential districts: the downtown area and the residential area of Spanish Street north of the Mississippi River bridge.

The city currently has 15 local historic landmarks and nine sites on the National Register of Historic Places, said Bratton.