tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post9219587048810101128..comments2024-03-14T21:27:48.439-04:00Comments on Plaintalker II: Historic Preservation Needs BoostingBernicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17728257853330372835noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-72265037947826084072011-11-01T13:07:50.570-04:002011-11-01T13:07:50.570-04:00Enforcement should definitely be improved. But tha...Enforcement should definitely be improved. But that house on W. 7th with the ugly stucco is not in an historic district, so the Historic Preservation Commission was unable to stop that from happening. What was done to that particular house is not a matter of lax enforcement.I Love Plainfieldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-12808835156824616492011-10-27T16:04:11.507-04:002011-10-27T16:04:11.507-04:00Despite the conflicting events, the Wood Window Wo...Despite the conflicting events, the Wood Window Workshop was well-attended and informative. Q&A at the end of the presentation was helpful as well. Nice job by HPC.Michael Townleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01662574405398274576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-72933714963207613662011-10-27T14:51:18.549-04:002011-10-27T14:51:18.549-04:00We can all agree that Plainfield has a lot of inte...We can all agree that Plainfield has a lot of internal issues, which in general prevent the city from moving forward. The Historic Board is not one of those. We should be grateful that a group of neighbors dedicates their time to preserving the last bit of goodness this city has to offer. If the Historic Board disappeared how long would it take for the Historic districts to fall apart? Let's be thankful for what the Board is doing to keep our city beautiful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-31800071384002348502011-10-27T14:40:01.666-04:002011-10-27T14:40:01.666-04:00I urge folks to attend Historic Preservation Commi...I urge folks to attend Historic Preservation Commission meetings and see for yourselves. I've never seen the Commission rip anyone to shreds. In fact they often give helpful advice and steer homeowners away from shoddy 'fixes' that would only need to be done over in 2 years. Some of the non-historic things you see are probably grandfathered in, i.e. they were done before the district was established. Admittedly, enforcement is a challenge - often improper work is done without permits, and many homes are owned by absentee landlords.<br />The Commission has a new website which is very informative about their requirements and process. As for maintaining an 100+ year old house costing perhaps 10s of thousands of dollars a year, the big costs often happen when things are ignored and work is postponed for many years. Or when work is done by unqualified contractors who don't understand old houses, then the work needs to be re-done.ILovePlainfieldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-27333725645128952582011-10-27T11:52:32.320-04:002011-10-27T11:52:32.320-04:00The sheer lack of code enforcement by the City is ...The sheer lack of code enforcement by the City is the mainstay to the majority of housing issues across the board in this City. Historic districts are great and the HPC should be commended for their efforts. But look around and you will see why this is so much more than a historic district issue. Real progress would be if the City did their job, fined those that are in violation and kept our neighborhoods clean. Unfortunately the demographic of those that don't care far outweighs those that do. For two years one of my neighbors kept a car in their side yard with flat tires and a shattered windshield. The grass grew as high as the roof -- you don't see that in any other municipality in Union County -- just Plainfield. Sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-38213785209671519922011-10-27T11:23:28.880-04:002011-10-27T11:23:28.880-04:00Plainfield does need to have reasonable preservati...Plainfield does need to have reasonable preservation rules to help meet the need to preserve our beautiful homes and not break the home owners. I'd hate to see houses be ruined, like the beautiful home on west 7th that was ruined with stucco and bad taste and all of the mature trees near the house torn down. What a travesty. Maybe the preservation rules need to be updated. I bet they are from the 60s or earlier.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02322180868990260305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-15704900293969799832011-10-27T11:16:23.791-04:002011-10-27T11:16:23.791-04:00Amen to both Rob and 9:36! As the owners of a hom...Amen to both Rob and 9:36! As the owners of a home in the Crescent Historic District we have many times wished there was a "lemon house" law that would protect us against all the things the inspector missed. It has been 6 years and we still keep finding things that need work, never mind that the houses next to us are very much in need of the same attention, we just keep hoping one day our hard work will pay off. <br /><br />As for the HPC, it would help if they become proactive not reactive, a sign of hope was the "Wood Windows Workshop". A website is nice and Scott is great, but there is really nothing like the human touch when it comes to educating people about why these houses are unique and need care. <br /><br />And as for absentee landlords, as you noted, our district has plenty, with some living as far as the midwest (it's cheaper there!) and tenant mobility is quite high. A neighborhood organization in my district would need to focus not so much on the historic aspect of the district but rather on meeting the social needs of our district's residents and this of course might not be the image of a historic district's neighborhood association that is commonly accepted here. Just my thoughts.<br /><br />Maria PellumAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-3873242832731771942011-10-27T10:49:35.343-04:002011-10-27T10:49:35.343-04:00@ 9:36 AM - I fail to see your point as to why the...@ 9:36 AM - I fail to see your point as to why the HPC is an eltist movement? To say that maintaining or repairing a home in a historic district is a luxury few can afford may be accurate for some; but generally, responsible homeowners regularly make financial investments in their home to repair, upgrade or maintain -- whether the home is 25 years old or 100 years old. <br /><br />Homes everywhere have declined in value, not just in Plainfield; so, to use the economy as an excuse to forego historic preservation is very weak. What was the excuse for folks in Plainfield when the economy was doing well?<br /><br />There are many people interested in preserving these homes and more and more of them are moving to Plainfield everyday for that very reason.<br /><br />Just a thought.Keeping It Realnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-19361931401691204692011-10-27T09:36:42.001-04:002011-10-27T09:36:42.001-04:00Actually, historic preservation IS a la-dee-da eli...Actually, historic preservation IS a la-dee-da elitist movement. It's a luxury that very few can afford.<br /><br />It costs an enormous amount of money, thousands of dollars a year, in some years tens of thousands, to maintain a 100 year-old-plus house. That money comes straight from the pockets of the homeowner. Many homeowners in Plainfield are underwater on their mortgages. All of them have seen the value of their homes erode by 33 – 50% over the last five years.<br /><br />Spending scarce cash on a declining asset is a very tough sell. Borrowing money to fix up a house that is worth less every month is just plain insane.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911830315140428673.post-12487582580964207472011-10-27T09:01:40.512-04:002011-10-27T09:01:40.512-04:00I look at it this way... I think it's BEYOND i...I look at it this way... I think it's BEYOND important and the citizens and new home owners in those sections of the city need to be educated and have resources made available to them so that it's an easier process to understand.<br />HOWEVER...I find it laughable when the City and the Historic Preservation will tear a homeowner to shreds who is attempting to restore/renovate a structure when 1/2 a block away is something so glaring and obvious such as 4 satellite dishes hanging off the front and side of the house and roof...Enforce the basic rules in these districts as well as keeping the preservation in mind.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06347593167569748403noreply@blogger.com