Historic Preservation Ordinance to Go Before Village Board

The Historic Preservation Committee presented a draft ordinance to village officials Tuesday.

The proposed ordinance aims to .

Protect Homeowners' Rights

One of the issues raised during the Committee of the Whole meeting, was how to protect homeowners’ rights. The draft ordinance as presented, allowed anyone to request a historic landmark designation for any structure.

“In here you talk about any person can say they want to designate a building historical. My concern is you get a neighbor dispute, where somebody decides they want an addition and a neighbor decides they don’t want it, and they petition for this process to slow someone down,” Mayor Terry Weppler said during the meeting. “We don’t want to create a situation where we are in the middle of a neighbor dispute.”

By requesting a historic landmark designation, the homeowner would have to attend a public hearing within 60 days after the village receives the application.

Several suggestions during the meeting included requiring the consent of the homeowner, or requiring the applicant to pay for all fees and attend all public hearings.

Ultimately, village officials recommended revising the draft ordinance so any person could request a historic landmark designation only if the building is within a historical district, or is part of the village’s historic places survey.

If the building falls outside of the historical district or survey, then only the homeowner or the Historic Preservation Commission will be allowed to request a designation.

What’s Next?

The draft historic preservation ordinance is expected to go before the Village Board for a vote in the near future.

“I hope it would go before the Village Board within the next month or so,” said Community Development Director John Spoden.

If the Village Board approves the ordinance, the Historic Preservation Committee recommends the following four steps, according to village documents:

1. Begin historic designation with buildings and properties that are already listed on the National Register of Historic Places

2. Develop a parallel path approach for historic preservation review so that projects either can go through a standard appearance review process or historic review process

3. Focus on the establishment of a downtown historic commercial district within the core downtown area along Milwaukee Avenue

4. Further study the possibility of residential property designation, either through volunteer landmark designation, or the use of historic or conservation districts for historic residential neighborhoods.

The Historic Preservation Committee also then would become a commission. The six members who serve on the committee could be asked to serve on the commission.

In Libertyville, eight places are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. They include:

1. , 1700 N. Milwaukee Ave.

2. Mrs. Issac D. Adler’s House, 1480 N. Milwaukee Ave.

3. , 32377 N. Milwaukee Ave.

4.  and the.

5. Lloyd Lewis House, also known as the Haines House, 153 Little Saint Mary’s Road.

6. Libertyville High School Brainerd Building, 416 W. Park Ave.

7. Proctor Building, also known as New Castel Hotel, 520-530 N. Milwaukee Ave.

8. Libertyville Federal Savings and Loan Association Building, 344-354 N. Milwaukee Ave.

“Starting with buildings already on the National Register of Historic Places, that’s the obvious place to start,” said Mike Kollman, chairman of the Historic Preservation Committee. “The National Register status does nothing locally to protect against a teardown.”

Related Articles:

• Guide to Libertyville's Proposed Historic Preservation Ordinance