Christiansburg Pet PeevesThis blogger really does an excellent job of hitting on issues that are important to a lot of people in Christiansburg!! Check it out for yourself!!
My writing time is a bit limited these days because of trying to get information up on the webpage. But, I have a lot of drafts that I'm working on in spare moments and will be adding pieces when I can.
Planning Commission Meeting: Monday May 19th 4:00 P.M. at Town Hall
The elections are over but the work has just begun. The next Planning Commission Meeting will cover one issue of particular interest to me. The Historic Overlay. The designation of local historic districts was discussed in the comprehensive planning process but the map that establishes the boundaries of such districts was left unfinished (vaguely marked as noted in the minutes with a '?' symbol).
Local historic districts are used in many jurisdictions because of increased property values for properties within and adjacent to the districts, creation of jobs, commercial and retail opportunities, and tax incentives that encourage owners to maintain buildings in their original state. The tax incentives for getting the restoration and maintenance work done, as well as all of the others, would increase revenue for the town (while simultaneously providing areas that would attract those very tourist/visitors that the Town currently counts on to generate funds via user fees).
One key feature is that the Local Historic District is not limited to the boundaries of the National or State Districts. The Local Historic District can be expanded to include additional buildings and can keep selected buildings out of the District if the owner does not wish to take advantage of those incentives and tax benefits. The Local Historic District is one way of protecting the integrity of older neighborhoods as the buildings are not required to be listed in the National or State Registry and is one way of preventing undesirable development in established neighborhoods.
If you can, take the time to check out some of the information available at
Department of Historic Resources. Find out about the differences between National, State, and Local Historic Districts. Do a 'Google' search on 'local historic districts' and look at the wealth of information available. Learn what you can about the pros and cons of Local Historic Districts and then come to the Planning Commission Meeting. This is your Town and your Neighborhood, get involved.
Planning Commission Meeting: Monday May 19th 4:00 P.M. at Town Hall