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Public meeting set for historic district
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 12:24 PM EST
Altavista residents will hear about a proposed historic district and get to ask questions and offer comments at a meeting later this month.
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources will hold a public information hearing Tuesday, Feb. 16, at town hall at 6 p.m. The community is invited to hear the presentations, ask questions and offer input.
"Nothing is in stone yet," Debra McClane, an architectural historian who's been working on the historic district designations, said last week.
Comments from the February meeting will be presented to two Virginia Department of Historic Resources boards March 18.
McClane said the boards, one with professors involved in architecture and archaeology and the second with citizens interested in historic preservation, will vote to officially list the district on the Virginia Landmarks Register and forward the nomination to the National Park Service for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
If all goes well, Altavista's first historic district could be listed on both before summer.
McClane, working on the nominations since last July, said the district takes in about 50 buildings in the heart of downtown, including commercial, government and churches, but no single-family residences. She said buildings have to be 50 years old and retain some historical character.
The district boundary stretches from Washington Street to Campbell Avenue and from 7th Street to English Alley.
Earlier, McClane said one benefit of the designations would be that contributing properties in the district would be eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits from the state and federal governments. She said Richmond used the tax credits to convert tobacco warehouses into apartments.
She said the designations would also bring additional publicity for the town, helping to attract more people to Altavista.
The designations wouldn't impose restrictions on property owners.
Public comments on the historic district can also be sent to Kathleen Kilpatrick, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, 2801 Kensington Ave., Richmond, Va. 23221
Mark Thomas/Altavista Journal Editor
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