HPC 2007 Annual Report

Some comments on the 2007 HPC annual reports.

The Commission awarded twelve Preservation Awards to properties in Saint Paul. A Restoration/Rehabilitation Award went to the William and Mary Dean House at 353 Summit Avenue. SARPA appreciates preservation efforts throughout the city, believing that good preservation makes good neighbors. SARPA would like to congratulate and to thank all the recipients for their efforts.

In the letter that accompanies the report, the Chair of the HPC Paul Clifford Larson noted that "Lot splits and new housing units in historic districts continue to provide a great challenge to our commitment to preservation." Several of the proposed lot splits during 2007 concerned Summit Avenue, and SARPA weighed in on them. It is truly a challenge to balance the growth of our neighborhoods with preserving the character of our neighborhoods. We will continue to watch for lot splits, and evaluate what kind of effect the split would have. As always, our mission is to advocate for the preservation of the residential and urban park character of the Avenue.

A final note of interest is that the City has been working on a updating the 1976 Preservation Ordinance and in 2008 will begin writing a Historic Preservation Plan for the City. Once completed, it will become art of the City's Comprehensive Plan. Potentially, this new plan could help preservation efforts outside of designated Historic Districts. One key change under the new Ordinance is that the HPC would issue "Certificates of Appropriateness" on designated projects. For more information, contact the HPC.