YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Members of City Council’s zoning committee will again take up proposed legislation to establish a landmarks and landmark districts commission when they meet again Feb. 24.
City Council members and city officials discussed the proposal when the zoning committee met late Monday morning.
“This is for us to protect our historic buildings and districts and the integrity and aesthetic of those areas and facilities,” said 3rd Ward Councilwoman Samantha Turner, chairwoman of the committee. Such legislation had been considered about six years ago and was brought back up “in light of recent events across the city.”
The committee will review the proposed ordinance with a list of landmarks and landmark districts that would be covered by it next month.
Last year, the 100-year-old Realty Tower was demolished following a May 28 natural gas explosion that tore through the first floor of the building and left a bank worker dead. Local preservationists argued for preserving the building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to the draft circulated at the meeting, the purpose of the ordinance is to:
- Define landmarks and the boundaries of landmark districts.
- Establish procedures whereby landmarks and landmark district sites, buildings, places, structures, historical objects and works of art shall be accorded protection by requiting thorough study of alternatives to incompatible alterations or demolition before such acts are performed.
- Require such acts to be performed to achieve the following goals: maintain and enhance the distinctive character of landmarks and landmark districts and safeguard the architectural integrity of properties and historic resources that reflect the elements of the city’s cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history.
As proposed, the commission would be made up of three appointees of the mayor and four other community members.
The mayor’s appointees would be a member of the community planning and economic development department; a member of the building trades who is a contractor or skilled tradesperson knowledgeable in historic preservation; and a city resident and owner of a designated landmark or a city resident and owner/occupant of real property within a landmark district.
The four remaining members each would have at least one of the following professional positions:
- Director of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society or designee.
- Director of Youngstown CityScape or designee-member of the Youngstown CityScape Heritage Committee.
- Faculty member of the Youngstown State University history department or member of the YSU Center for Historic Preservation.
- President of the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects or a designee.
- Site manager of Youngstown Historical Center for Industry & Labor or a designee.
- A member of an established city historic district, appointed by the chairman of the historic district neighborhood association.
Following next month’s review, Turner said she expects the ordinance to go before City Council in March.