PLAINFIELD – The City Council has narrowly approved a plan to alter the Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission’s responsibilities, despite requests from residents and some council members to reject or postpone any action.
The ordinance was adopted by a 4-3 vote during Tuesday’s night’s meeting with Councilwomen Terri Briggs-Jones and Ashley Davis and Councilman Sean McKenna casting the three opposing votes.
Valerie Jackson, the city’s economic development director, said the ordinance creates better efficiency and the changes don’t impact homeowners in the city’s 10 historic districts who will continue to go before the Historic Preservation Commission for a certificate of appropriateness to make improvements to their properties.
Jackson said what it does change is when there is a site plan for a project that is greater than a one or two-family home, that site plan goes before the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The ordinance also states the Commission makes recommendations to those boards related to historic districts.
She added the changes eliminate the current practice of someone returning to the Commission for a certificate of appropriateness for a permit after receiving planning board approval.
“We’re reconciling these issues. The (Historic Preservation Commission) will continue to have input on site plans but what we are forcing is more discipline where they have to issue a report that explains the design recommendations to the appropriate board and their consultant, which is the city’s consultant, sit in on technical review committee meetings and advise applicants before they have their final submission of their site plan,” Jackson said.
Earlier:Plainfield ordinance alters Historic Preservation Commission’s role
William Nierstedt, the city’s former director of planning, said the proposed changes “use a bulldozer to swat a fly.”
He said the ordinance boils down to two changes – it administratively gives the Planning Board final say on design elements in historic preservation districts and landmark properties, and it removes the requirement that the city has to obtain a certificate of appropriateness for city applications in historic districts.
“I believe both changes are in error and have far reaching applications and will not bode well for the city, nor for its historic districts,” Nierstedt said.
McKenna said the changes do impact homeowners, perhaps not directly on their applications in historic districts, but when areas fail to improve it impacts home values. He previously mentioned that planning board members are not well-versed on historic preservation.
McKenna made a motion to table the ordinance until it’s reviewed by a state historic board and an outside attorney to see if it conflicts with the Municipal Land Use Laws, but his motion failed to gain enough council support.
Also see:Historic Plainfield church’s future uncertain amid planned changes to preservation efforts
William Michelson, chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, said there are 630 properties in the city’s historic districts with more than 2,000 residents and they don’t understand why the city wants to make the changes. He too suggested the ordinance be tabled until he could meet with the mayor.
“This is just a bad idea. The council should vote against this resolution or at least table it,” he said.
City resident John DeMarco said the ordinance will allow the boards, without the qualified expertise, to make inappropriate decisions about the fate of the historic districts in the city and city-owned historic properties.
An Evergreen Avenue resident said the ordinance will allow the planning and zoning boards to have jurisdiction over historic properties but not the expertise that the state Municipal Land Use Law requires of the Commission. She said there is a potential for harm to residents who bought homes in historic districts and have worked hard to maintain the integrity of their homes.
“Please choose the residents over uncontrolled development,” she said, adding residents in all the city’s wards want the council to put Plainfield first and preserve the best part of the city, the historic districts.
Email: srussell@gannnettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
