Libertyville officials support historic preservation proposal

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Downtown area on Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville. | Tom Cruze~Sun-Times

Updated: March 10, 2012 8:13AM

Libertyville trustees expressed general support for implementing a historic preservation ordinance Jan. 31 after discussing a proposed draft with members of the Plan Commission and the Appearance Review Board. The board could vote on the proposal during the next two months.

“We feel this is what the community wants. The timing is right,” Mike Kollman, chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, told the assembly after providing a Power Point presentation that outlined the proposal.

“The character of our village is very important to residents, and this ordinance would insure that we maintain this environment,” Kollman, a local architect, said.

The 22-page draft ordinance was developed by the commission after languishing for several years. Five public hearings were held last year on the subject and extensive research carried out among several communities and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Kollman told officials.

Kollman outlined the proposal, beginning with a comprehensive list of civic goals and preservation definitions. He said upon adoption of the ordinance a Historic Preservation Commission of seven voting members would be appointed by the mayor and approved by the Village Board. They would meet regularly four times a year.

The first task of the new commission would be to have an independent and specialized consultant conduct a village survey to identify appropriate sites, structures and neighborhoods that “have historic, community, architectural, or aesthetic importance, interest, or value.”

The commission would then identify potential landmarks and administer procedures to nominate them in designated groups based upon defined criteria.

Under a landmark designation, any resident or group of people could request landmark status for “any structure, building, or site” within the village that they feel deserves such status.

They would apply through the Planning Department to the Historic Preservation Commission for consideration. The request would be publicized in a general circulation newspaper, and a public hearing would then be held. Following the hearing, the commission would then make a recommendation to the Village Board for the awarding of “Historical Landmark.”

Following designation, a Certificate of Appropriateness would be “required for any alterations, construction, removal, or demolition of a proposed landmark” from the date when the nomination is presented to the Commission until final disposition of the request.

A somewhat similar criterion is required for Historic District designation. This is a neighborhood that contains one or more landmark buildings and meets the ordinance’s standards.

In response to a question about the potential for historic designation, Kollman said there are probably six or seven buildings in Libertyville now that already have earned National Historic Landmark status, and he expects a survey could turn up even more.

Mayor Terry Weppler indicated that he was feeling uncomfortable about the selection of residential structures being selected, potentially leading to animosities developing between neighbors.

“I want to see a distinction between commercial and residential. I don’t want to step on anyone’s property rights,” Weppler said.

Kollman said he didn’t think this would be a problem.

“The commission’s intent is to concentrate primarily on commercial structures in the downtown business core in the beginning. However, both commercial and residential nominations would be subject to stringent controls such as the public hearing process and complying with the ordinance’s criteria,” Kollman said.

“We are not here to tell people what they should do with their property. Just as the Plan Commission is concerned with fostering good zoning practices, we want to preserve our historic structures,” he said.