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Planning and Zoning Meeting <br />August 3, 2004 <br />Page 5 <br />Lancaster would like to see the buildings covered with the Historic <br />Overlay. <br />Linda Vandever, 540 21St Street NE, spoke in favor of the petition <br />stating that she would like to own a historic home but feels like at this <br />time she is not in a position to properly maintain one. She is interested <br />in preserving the history of Paris and properties in Paris. Many homes <br />in Paris were destroyed by the great fire of 1916 and others that <br />survived that disaster were later torn down in the name of progress. <br />Some still in restorable condition while others were beyond repair. A <br />prime example of needless destruction of one of the finest homes in <br />Paris, one previously owned by the House Family, was torn down on <br />Clarksville Street several years ago to build the Williamsburg Shopping <br />Center. The areas of South Main and South Church are one of the few <br />areas left in Paris with a concentrated group of historic homes. The <br />others are scattered throughout the city and are rapidly deteriorating. <br />Over the last few years Ms. Vandever has visited several cities and <br />towns that have historic designations and the value of those cities is <br />indescribable. Ms. Vandever would like avoid the destruction and the <br />defacing of property that adds so much to the rich history of this city. <br />Linda Ridder, Executive Director of Paris Living Community <br />Development Corporation, spoke in favor of the petition stating that <br />part of their mission is to revitalize the neighborhoods of Downtown <br />Paris and is dedicated to doing so in a style that is aesthetically <br />compatible with the architecture of the area. The homes have a vintage <br />look and the colors are appropriate for the area. Ms. Ridder came to <br />Paris two years ago for her interview and while driving around noticed <br />a lot of deterioration and thought that this was going to be a big job. <br />One of the things that helped her to take on the task was driving down <br />South Church and Main and seeing some of the beautiful homes there. <br />Ms. Ridder stated that she saw those "diamonds." Paris Living hosted <br />a meeting in June to provide residents the opportunity to talk about <br />