Investigating Local Historic District Status

Update: July 6, 2017

If you’ve read the historic marker on the Triangle, then you already know that the Highland Park Neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places. What you may not know, is that this, mostly honorary, designation offers very little protection for Highland Park’s architecture and historic character. City zoning ordinances only go so far and do not address maintaining the unique look and feel of our neighborhood.

This is why Highland Park residents may be interested in pursuing designation as a Local Historic District with the City of Lafayette. The HPNA Preservation Team has started a process to investigate how the City’s Local Historic District status works, what is required to establish, the benefits to Highland Park homeowners, and the benefits to our entire neighborhood. Current team members are: Ken Jones, Jenelle Rotar, Liz Rousch, and Marianne Owen. Generally, the team is starting out from a perspective of “interested but skeptical” in the Local Historic District status. We truly must learn more to have an informed opinion and recommendations on how, or if, we should proceed further.

No worries, regardless of what the team suggests, your property cannot be placed in a Local Historic District without your approval. The designation is completely voluntary.

Over the next few months, the Preservation Team will meet with various City officials and members of the Historic Preservation Commission, consult with Indiana Landmarks, and interview homeowners residing in established Local Historic Districts in Lafayette to form a complete picture of how these districts work and the real tangible and intangible benefits they provide. Throughout this effort, we will post updates on our work on HPNA’s website.

Anyone interested in joining the team is welcome! Please contact Ken Jones at joneskp0124@gmail.com if you are interested or would like additional information.

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