Litchfield Park working to bolster historic preservation efforts

City Planner Jon Froke said while the city has a deep and rich historical component, there is limited mention of historic preservation in the zoning code.

Section 9 of the city’s code, “Districts and Boundaries,” lists the Historic Preservation Overlay District as one of 19 zoning districts in the city. But to date, there are no properties in the city that have used the overlay district.

Froke said to further the city’s historic preservation efforts, the creation of a new section, “Historic Preservation,” should be added to the zoning code.

The text amendment will allow for this and add a historic preservation program to section 9 of the city’s code.

To begin the process, staff introduced the idea to the planning and zoning commission on March 7. Staff is now working on the text amendment and will bring it back to planning and zoning in May. Council will have final approval.

In February, city staff and members of the community met with the State Historic Preservation Office to discuss the benefits of Litchfield Park becoming a Certified Local Government, which is a designation achieved in a partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office.

A city with this designation may apply for matching grant funds for historic preservation efforts, and also would have the authority to review and approve nominations of properties to the National Register of Historic Places.

Froke said that Litchfield Park City Hall and The Hilltop could be eligible for historic designation.

There are many benefits to having properties certified as historical in the city, he said.

“This could lead to access to grant monies for property restoration, placement of bronze plaques on each site that identifies the properties as historic, and it could lead to additional tourism for those looking to visit establshed communities like Litchfield Park for architectural gems,” Froke said.

In order for a building to be considered historic, a number of things must be considered. One requirement is that the building or property or neighborhood must be at least 50 years old. A property must also be in general conformance to how it was first designed and built, meaning no significant changes or alterations to the original building construction.

Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.