16 - Paris Historic Resource Survey update

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Item No. 16 Memorandum TO: Mayor & City Council Grayson Path, City Manager FROM: Cheri Bedford, HPO & Main Street Coordinator SUBJECT: Historic Resource Survey DATE: July 27, 2020 BACKGROUND: The Paris Historic Preservation Commission seeks to update its historic resources survey of the Paris Commercial Historic District. A "historic resources survey" is not a metes -and -bounds survey; instead, it captures information about buildings in a specific area that can be used to identify possible historic districts or landmarks. The data collected during the survey process is compiled into an "inventory" of properties within the survey area. The original survey was conducted in 1985 and, while attempts have been made to update the survey (notably in 2005), these efforts have been scattered across various platforms, are cumbersome to access, and do not meet the National Park Service and Texas Historical Commission Certified Local Government (CLG) program's requirement to maintain an updated historic resources survey or inventory. Compliance with and participation in the CLG program makes the City of Paris eligible for grants and training. The 1985 survey results were the basis for the Paris Commercial Historic District National Register nomination, listed in 1988.The National Register listing identifies each property's status in the district as either Contributing or Non- Contributing. A building classified as Contributing is eligible for state and federal tax incentives for rehabilitation. However, the National Register bases this status, in part, on the age of the building, requiring contributing buildings to be at least 50 years old. In 1985, the nomination's "period of significance" ended in 1935 .In 2020-35 years later—we could consider buildings constructed as late as 1970 as potentially Contributing to the district, which would extend the ability to seek tax credits for building renovations to additional property owners. Although an updated survey would not accomplish that on its own, it provides the basis for potentially extending eligibility for tax incentives to additional properties. Survey data is also used every day at the local level. City staff and members of the Paris Historic Preservation Commission use the information found in the survey documents and National Register nomination to make decisions on Certificate of Appropriateness, demolition, and relocation applications. STATUS McDoux Preservation LLC will update the survey of downtown Paris by verifying the data collected in the 1985 and 2005 surveys and updating that information as needed, capturing new photographs