SB 177 goes to Study Committee - Mayor supports Historic Neighborhoods

As you may have heard, SB 177 will go to a summer study committee. This is a positive development - it has been clear that the author of SB 177, Pat Miller, didn't understand the process, what it takes to become a historic district, how cases are handled at the IHPC, etc. The summer study committee will provide the opportunity to educate elected officials both at the state and local level how the system actually works.

An entire mythology has been created around historic districts that have no basis in fact - it would seem that they have become the bogeyman for local government run amok. From little old ladies in Irvington who have been abused because of her vinyl windows to the paint color Nazis -- when you start digging into the facts, the real story is very different.


The system in Indianapolis is held up as model system for other cities. That's not to say that it couldn't be improved.  I would support mandatory notification of any potential home buyer in a historic district. They should know that the home they are considering includes restrictions that the neighborhood has agreed upon... although I thought that was already the case.


Our elected officials got an ear-full over this issue - and it was entirely appropriate that they should. To try to push such an ill conceived bill through was irresponsible. Neither should we let up. Our state legislators, mayor and local elected officials must continue to hear from the people in historic neighborhoods - and those who hope to be recognized as historic in the future.

Very much to his credit, Mayor Ballard did issue a statement of support it reads:

 “I am pleased that the General Assembly has decided to study the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission’s (IHPC) enabling codes this summer. My administration has operated under the belief that no government process is perfect and that there are always ways to improve efficiency and to produce better results.

Although there have been disagreements over individual decisions of the IHPC during its history, as a whole, it has been overwhelmingly successful, leading to revitalized neighborhoods and increased property values. In particular, I would like to laud the partnership between hard working neighborhood volunteers and the IHPC that has brought new life and private investment to many of our core neighborhoods.

I have instructed city employees to cooperate with the legislative study commission to ensure that any reforms at the state or local level are informed by a complete understanding of the current processes and that both property rights and home values in our historic neighborhoods are protected.”

It is my sincere hope that by "property rights" he is including the right for neighborhoods to determine for themselves a set of standards to which property owners are held - and the expectation that those standards would be reasonably enforced.

I also have to give considerable credit to David Wu, the Mayor's policy person, for doing the right thing.