Plans advance for three new national historic districts in Bellingham

JARED PABEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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BELLINGHAM - The city may get new national historic districts in parts of the Lettered Streets, York and South Hill neighborhoods, designations that are a point of pride and can free up federal grant money for rehabilitation of old structures.

The districts - a small one in Lettered Streets but ones in York and South Hill that encompass much of the neighborhoods - have been in the works for years. A state historic preservation commission will review the proposals Nov. 5 before sending them to the federal government for approval.

If approved, the districts would be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, just like historic buildings are listed. The listing doesn't prevent property owners from altering or even demolishing historic structures (it does protect them if federal money is involved), but it can make applicants eligible for certain federal grants.

"I think it solidifies a sense of place for the neighborhood," said Lynn Gobush, who lives in a 106-year-old home along York's Franklin Street and who chairs the neighborhood association's historic preservation committee. "It kind of wraps it in a cocoon of professional recognition, that there is a sense of place here."

The listing does several things, said Katie Franks, who works on special projects for the city's planning department:

• Neighborhoods can apply for federal grants for neighborhoods projects, like installing signs with historic information, for example. In some cases, being in a historic district is required for consideration.

• Businesses in historic districts are eligible for federal tax credits if the property owner invests in rehabilitating the structure. Nelson's Market in the York neighborhood could do that, she said.

• A consultant, neighborhood residents and students gathered detailed information on historic buildings in the three neighborhoods, information that's now part of the application for the historic district designation. That information is now available to anybody, including homeowners who may not know their home's history. Also, if a homeowner wanted to apply to have his or her home listed as a historic building on the local register, the information is now readily available.

"It's almost like having free architectural service," Franks said. Being on the local list means the property is eligible for property tax benefits, but changes to the building are regulated to ensure they don't harm the historic character.

"I think people who move into the neighborhood, when they hear about it and they hear that we've got documentation that tells about the background of the houses, they get all excited about it," Gobush said.

The city currently has three national historic districts: along Eldridge Avenue and in the Sehome and Fairhaven neighborhoods.

The Governor's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, of which Franks is a member, will consider the requests on Nov. 5 at a meeting in Spokane. After the commission's review and changes, if any, the proposals will be sent to the keeper of the national register, who may make changes before putting them on the list, Franks said.

If all goes well, the districts could be on the federal list in the first few months of 2010, Franks said.

HISTORIC DISTRICTS PRESENTATION

What: Katie Franks and Kate Newell, both of Bellingham's planning department, will give a presentation on the efforts to create three new historic districts in the city.

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.

Where: Whatcom Museum Rotunda Room, 121 Prospect St.

SEE MAPS, PHOTOS, INFO

Historical information about structures in the Lettered Streets, York and South Hill neighborhood is available on the city's Web site. Information includes photos and maps, as well as charts showing when most of the structures in a given neighborhood were built.

To see the information, go to this page at cob.org.