The Historic Preservation Ordinance Hoax
by Herm Smith
Many of our readers may not be aware that the City is considering a residential historic preservation ordinance. The ostensible purpose is admirable, quoting from the ordinance:
“To encourage the preservation of historic structures/ districts in the City of Clayton and to assure that owners and/or residents of properties in historic districts are given the opportunity to preserve specific properties/areas.”
Here’s the rub: The vote will not do any such thing. If you read the entire document, only property owners have any say in the matter. In the case of the only nationally recognized historic district in the City, Hi-Pointe-DeMun, this means that the super majority of qualified voters would be absentee landowners who have bought properties for speculative purposes and who could care less about our national historic designation.
Non-property owning residents have been purposively excluded, even though they are the ones who presently do most of the neighborhood upkeep and beautification in my own quarter of HiPointe-DeMun: planting flowers and shrubs on vacant properties, raking leaves, shoveling snow, etc.
Also, throughout the HiPointe-DeMun Historic District are property owners who do live in the neighborhood, who do keep up their properties, and who do care about protecting our historic heritage. Why should their votes be undermined by non-resident speculators who buy for tear down? On every other vote I have ever taken in Clayton over the past 35 years, the vote was by people who live in the City. Why should the City allow rule by outsiders with no vested interest in protecting the neighborhood this time?
Let your Alderman know that this is an abrogation of the democratic process. If the real purpose is to let residents have a say, then they also should have a vote at the very least. My own belief is that it is outrageous to give the vote to absentee slumlords who continue to let their properties run down with the de facto cooperation of the City.