Dear Historic District Resident and Home Owner,
Did you know that your home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places? In 1992 this area was listed with the National Parks Service as a valuable historic site in Louisiana. This means that you can place a historic marker on your home without all the extra paperwork required by others not in this defined area, if you are listed as a contributing element home.
As many of you know our historic district is one of our most valuable assets for not only us as home owners but for our community as a whole. Most of you decided to live in this area because of your love for this type of historic home and many of you have had these homes in your family for over 100 years. Believe it or not this is one of the most highly sought home areas in the city. These homes have been a crucial part of the fabric of Minden for nearly a century and for some over a century.
We have been faced over the last few years with some harsh realities. The reality is our historic area is in danger of being placed on the endangered species list. You are all aware of big business wanting to push commercial buildings and development on our corners. We must protect our homes and our heritage. By allowing big business to take over we will slowly erode a sacred area of Minden. This part of town is not only important to you the home owner but is equally important to others. The fact that others in Minden care has been made apparent with expressed concern and the many petition signatures.
Over the last few months, I as well as others in the district have been hard at work for you and your home values. We have made trips to Natchitoches, Louisiana and El Dorado, Arkansas as well as other cities to meet with the city officials to discuss how to save our area. It has taken Natchitoches some thirty years to get where they are today. It can only take one day to destroy 100+ years of history. We have researched and corresponded with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We have searched out other historic towns and cities web sites and looked at studies on historic areas. We want to preserve and protect your home and investment to the best of our ability.
We have worked with Mayor Bill Robertson and Judy Talley Thompson on this issue. We have been involved with a City Council workshop to provide you with the best solution to preserve and protect our homes and our historic district. The enclosed ordnance is something we have worked many hours on. We have worked very hard to come up with something that all of us can live with; we hope you will be pleased with this and we also hope to have your support in this issue. This is a very lenient ordnance compared to other cities and towns. You may not like every point in this ordnance but please remember it is not just about you, we all need to remember the real reason behind this! We are not trying to force an issue on anyone but if this ordnance in not passed we might as well give up on preserving our district. This will mean that the corporate endeavors of some will happen maybe not this year but soon. I personally want this to pass. This is a safeguard for us to a point.
It is a documented fact that a preserved historic residential area increases home values. This ordnance will make everyone accountable for the condition of their homes and will insure that the district will remain harmonious within itself and the surrounding homes. It doesn’t mean you can’t paint your house a color other than white. This means that your neighbor can not paint their home black with orange shutters unless the type home that they own is historical correct using those colors. It also lets big business and cooperate America know up front how the town feels about intrusion in this area. It means that the historic beauty will be kept for all to appreciate for many years to come. Guidelines from other cities will be used to help you with your questions. We take this very seriously as you should. Remember the main reason for all of this is to preserve and protect our homes and our district from those that don’t value or respect this area or its rich history and beauty.
We need your support when this is placed on the agenda for the city council meeting. The council needs to know that we want to save our district and we are opposed to big business taking our corners and lowering our property values. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call or email me about this matter. We hope to have this placed on the agenda at the next called meeting of the Minden City Council. We will try to mail out reminder cards when this issue is up for a vote, if we have enough notice. This meeting will be posted at City Hall before the meeting is held.
Sincerely,
Schelley Brown
President of Minden Historic Residential District Association
318-423-0192
318-371-2913
iluvoldcars@yahoo.com
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2 comments:
Will these requirements to use "historic" colors be applied to the many existing homes in the district not painted colors that match the norm for that style home.
Thanks very much for your concern, this is a legitimate question. The only wording in the proposed ordinance is that colors must be harmonious with the neighborhood, and all existing home colors are grandfathered in. See- nothing at all to worry about- this ordinance is going to protect our precious historic residential district from commercial encroachment.
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