Cedar Rapids seeks to tighten controls on historic preservation

CEDAR RAPIDS - Built in 1910, a gray-blue four-square, where House of Hope carries out its mission to empower women, stands proudly on the corner of Second Avenue and 18th Street SE in Cedar Rapids with a long covered front porch and dozens of white-framed windows.

A tall carriage house that once protected horse-drawn carriages adds to the historic character of the property. But with peeling paint and deteriorating window panes and siding, staff plan to raise money for renovations with hopes of repurposing the carriage house for classes and a common area.

When all is done, the property should retain its historic details, but along the way the project could face more scrutiny as the result of a proposed city ordinance change for historic structures.

'I respect what they are trying to do because once it's gone, it's gone and the history is no longer here,” said Celeste Jaquis, development director at House of Hope, 1744 Second Ave. SE. 'But, it does hinder the process and takes longer to get done, and possibly more money.”

Owners of older properties in Cedar Rapids could soon face tightened controls under proposed changes to the city's historic preservation code.

Demolition of accessory buildings - such as barns, garages, greenhouses and summer kitchens built in 1943 or earlier - would face a 60-day hold before demolition, as is required for primary buildings at least 50 years old. There's 3,267 such structures citywide - mostly categorized as garages and including carriage houses - that would fall under the proposed ordinance change.

'The commission identified the date of 1943 to focus on those pre-World War II structures that have a higher likelihood of historic significance,” said Anne Russett, a city planner.

City staff drafted a new version of the historic preservation code, chapter 18, to align with the city's first-ever historic preservation plan, which was adopted in September 2015. City Council unanimously approved a first reading of the new ordinance as a replacement of the old one on Tuesday.

The ordinance needs two more rounds of votes, which are likely to be combined and acted on during the City Council meeting scheduled for noon, Tuesday, March 14, at City Hall, 101 First St. SE.

If approved, the ordinance would take affect on March 20.

'It's definitely a step in the right direction,” said Bethany Jordan, president of Save CR Heritage, an advocacy group for historic properties in Cedar Rapids. 'I think this will have a positive impact. It will help save the historic fabric of our community.”

The changes were vetted through the State Historic Preservation Office, and come with the recommendation of the city's Historic Preservation Commission.

'This is a wonderful piece,” City Council member Ann Poe said of the changes. She is chairwoman of the development committee, which also endorsed the new version of the ordinance.

Other changes include increasing the level of neighborhood support required for establishing a local historic district. Designating such a district would need 60 percent support from neighbors, up from 51 percent, which staff said should increase the success of historic districts.

For properties and districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places, new rules would address 'partial demolitions” and facade changes.

Under the proposed ordinance, the Historic Preservation Commission would review modifications to primary structures 50 years old or older, and could enact a 60-day hold if the property is deemed historically significant. Partial demolitions could include modifying the pitch of a roof or a facade, such as removal of columns or framing or adding to the floor area.

'What we've heard from the commission is, over the years, several pieces of architectural detail have been removed,” Russett said. 'Oftentimes, these don't require building permits, so there's no city review. Moving forward, we would like the commission to review these so they aren't lost over time.”

In the case of the 1943 and earlier accessory buildings and the partial demolitions for structures 50 years old and older in nationally designated historic districts or landmarks, the hold would allow the Historic Preservation Commission to review and share any historic findings with the property owner, providing the chance to discuss preservation options before demolition.

Property owners would still have the right to demolish their structures.

Mark Stoffer Hunter, a historian with The History Center who helped craft the ordinance, said the ordinance is an improvement but wishes it went further. For example, during Tuesday's meeting City Council member Pat Shey mentioned an old bungalow a neighbor tore down to the foundation and rebuilt in a way out of character with the neighborhood.

Properties such as those - older properties which fall outside a designated historic district - would remain exempt from the new rules.

'The biggest impact will be addressing the issue of partial demolitions,” Stoffer Hunter said. 'We have had issues with that. We wanted to go more citywide for reviewing permits for all properties in the city 50 years or older, but city staff recommended scaling back to historic districts.”

Stoffer Hunter said the ordinance would require more vetting for single-owner properties with multiple buildings on site, such as the American Building. The ordinance would require review for facade changes to all buildings on the property, he said.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com