Title
HLC#24-001: Discussion and Possible Action on an Update of the 1999 Historic Preservation Plan
Recommendation
Staff recommends the appointment a Preservation Plan Advisory Committee.
Description/History
Since the Commission’s last meeting, Staff has the following items to report on the Historic Preservation Plan update.
Preservation Plan Advisory Committee
At the last meeting, the Commission recommended the appointment of a Preservation Plan Advisory Committee to assist with the preparation of the Historic Preservation Plan update at its February meeting. Staff presented a request to the Historic Preservation Advisory Board (HPAB) for some of their members to serve on the committee. We were not provided with the names of any volunteers at the time the meeting packet was prepared. Staff recommends that the Commission provide a blanket appointment for any HPAB member that wishes to serve.
Citizen Survey
The Citizen Survey to obtain the opinions and perceptions of Mansfield’s residents was posted in January 2024. As of February 1, 2024, there have been 28 responses. The survey will be posted until March 8, 2024. The survey results will be analyzed by the Preservation Plan Advisory Committee to help establish some of the program elements of the plan.
To give the Commission a sense of community perceptions, the following are initial responses to some of the survey questions. The top answers are shown.
• What place(s) do you think help define Mansfield and are important to the community?
1. Downtown Mansfield
2. City Parks
3. Residential Neighborhoods
4. Civic Buildings
5. Mansfield Historical Museum
• How beneficial do you feel historic preservation is to the following?
o Beneficial:
1. Community character
2. Local/Heritage Tourism
3. Sustainability
o Detrimental:
1. Economic development
2. Local/Heritage Tourism
3. Sustainability
• What are the best ways to encourage historic preservation in Mansfield?
1. City Planning
2. Financial Incentives
3. Design Review
4. Education
5. Advocacy
• Do you worry about historic places being demolished or significantly altered? If so, which places? (Similar answers have been grouped together)
1. Buildings in downtown; All of downtown; Buildings in the downtown built before the 1960s; Downtown with too many apartments and multiple family homes on single lots. Losing character; Downtown and other historic buildings
2. Homes, schools, and churches
3. Some of the older, larger homes need to remain residences instead of being rezoned as businesses; Mainly old homes but I do understand the cost associated with maintaining the old buildings.
• Do you think the City of Mansfield does enough to support and encourage historic preservation in Mansfield?
1. Unsure
2. No
3. Yes
• How could the City of Mansfield improve its historic preservation program?
o Further engage the building owners in Downtown, AND purchase buildings!
o More money to incentivize owners, more programs to induce owners to improve/save.
o More businesses in historic downtown to draw visitors.
o Stop building apartments, shopping centers and homes and taking all the land
o Stop building so many apartments. This town is growing too fast and it’s not the small town atmosphere.
o Downtown needs a facelift, bring in more retailers so we can go downtowns and enjoy the town
o By appreciating what we have and stop cramming high density living on every space that’s available or can be bought up.
o Main St. history event at Farr theater, high school historic preservation club to encourage future gens. Historic reenactments and.scholarships. Design contest for designers/architects taking a specific building/space to update, refurbish within historic parameters and conservancy
o Give incentives or money for cosmetic improvements.
o Make it more visually pleasing. The downtown Main Street is not attractive and looks unkempt.
o Help restore historic buildings
o Bring in more restaurants downtown which would draw more people to the are. Remove parking in front of downtown buildings and widen the walkways. Build parking areas around downtown instead of more apartments.
o Offer funds to building owners in the downtown to make improvements that benefit the whole community like lighting, awnings, bike racks, sound systems, and shade sales.
o Collaboration with all potential partners and city or dances that protect historic places. Funding to support preservation and maintenance.
o Have all buildings/homes/ Multi Family homes on a single lot in the Historic Districts stay/build with historic character in appearance.
The survey results will be available to the Advisory Committee for consideration. It will also provide discussion points for the Community Workshops. The full survey results thus far are attached for the Commission’s reference.
Attachment
Citizen Survey as of February 1, 2024