By Staff
Project could result in Washington creating second historic district
By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
An inventory of historic properties in four area counties could result in a second historic district being created in Washington.
That second district could be located along a section of the North Market Street corridor and contiguous areas, particularly the section of North Market Street from Seventh Street to 15th Street.
After the inventory is completed, the city will “explore the possibility of expanding the Historic District down that way,” Mayor Judy Meier Jennette said Thursday.
Jennette said she hopes the inventory will “create some interest in revitalizing that area.”
A $75,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office will pay for the inventory of historic properties in Beaufort, Bertie, Northampton and Halifax counties. The purpose of the grant is to document historic properties in an effort to help those counties fully capitalize on cultural and heritage tourism as they try to diversify their economies.
Washington is seeking a $26,000 grant for a similar inventory. That money, if approved, would come from the federal Historic Preservation Fund, passing through the State Historic Preservation Office, according to city officials. The city’s share of the cost of that inventory is $9,000 in cash and $2,000 in in-kind support. The city should know by the end of March if it will receive the grant.
By piggybacking the Historic Preservation Fund grant with the Golden LEAF Foundation grant, the city will get more bang for its buck when it comes to an inventory of historic properties, according to city officials. The city would act as the fiscal agent for the inventory project, according John Rodman, a city planner.
The city plans to analyze the inventory’s information to “see if it warrants further study on adding another historic district,” said Rodman, who works with the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. About five years ago, city officials considered creating a second historic district in the North Market Street corridor “but never followed through,” Rodman said.
Washington’s Historic District comprises, generally, the area between the Pamlico River to the southwest, Third Street to the northeast, Hackney Avenue to the northwest and Charlotte Street to the southeast. The district, one of the most intact historic districts in the state, includes the downtown business district as well as the surrounding residential areas, representing, generally, the location of the original town of Washington.
Historic structures on the north side of the Pamlico River will be surveyed this year, according to the mayor. Historic structures on the south side of the river would be surveyed next year.
Some property owners in the second historic district could be eligible to receive tax credits for their properties. Some property owners in the existing Historic District have taken advantage of those tax credits. Property owners with historic properties not in a certified historic district are required to pay $2,000 to receive tax credits, Jennette said. Including those properties in a certified historic district would remove that requirement, she said.
The mayor also noted that property owners in historic districts usually face some restrictions on uses of their properties in such districts.
The city’s Planning and Development Department has detailed information about those tax credits, including eligibility requirements.
Development in a historic district is managed, to some degree, by guidelines regarding building materials, architectural style and a building’s size, including height.