Why declaring your neighborhood historic is a bad idea.

If you’ve ever returned to your childhood home after a long absence, you get a sense of how quickly Americans reinvent everything. Buildings that are only a few decades old are torn down, empty space is filled, intact areas have been transformedand familiar landmarks disappear. This kind of constant change is in many ways part of the American psyche, but it comes at the price of lost history.

This is why the concept of a historical name exists. If a building or area has real historical significance, barriers must be installed to ensure that it is not demolished or substantially changed, makes sense. But the process of declaring an area a historic district is not always in the best interests of the homeowner and is sometimes used in nefarious ways that serve the interests of a small group of people while making your life much more difficult.

Historical disadvantages

If a few people in your charming, old neighborhood start talking about turning it into a historic district, there’s one thing worth noting: “snobbish zoning”: an attempt to keep low-income people out by limiting the type of development that can take place there. In some areas of the country, efforts to declare areas historic are being interpreted as a strategy circumvent local zoning laws and exclude people from a neighborhood by prohibiting certain types of multifamily or low-income housing, even if zoning laws permit or even require it. Historic neighborhoods tend to be more rich and whiteafter all (although this is not entirely related to the practice of exclusion –historical houses tend to be located in white, wealthy areas for many reasons).

Even if you’re not bothered by the idea of ​​banning certain types of development in your area, there’s another reason to resist any calls for historic designation: the same development restrictions often result in higher costs and more complex maintenance for homeowners. And although historical designations tend increase property valuethey can also take longer to sell because buyers are worried about the restrictions involved.

Backdoor HOA

If you’re not careful, your neighborhood could be declared a historic district. against your wishes– even if most people vote against. In fact, your home may be designated as a historic site without your input. In some areas all that is needed is concerned neighbor petitioning to have your property designated as a landmark begins the process, and fighting it can be quite expensive—with no guarantee that you’ll win.

Historic designations are typically used to control what people can do with their private property, and can be a way to create a sort of “backroom” homeowners’ association. Some historic neighborhoods (many of which have dubious claims to this title) around the country HOA-like restrictions for repairs, renovations and even landscaping. And these restrictions can affect your ability to sell the property. For example, if you want to sell to a developer, you may be prevented from doing so because he cannot obtain permission to demolish the historic property.

Combat history

If you suspect someone in your neighborhood is thinking along the same lines—imposing historical designations on houses or entire areas to block development or exert control over their neighbors—you should probably get involved, as historical recognition may be forthcoming. even if most of the region opposes it. There is no easy button here: the fight against proposed historical status is ruthless democracy in action. A few things to do:

• Don’t assume that you will be asked for your opinion. Although local laws regarding historic sites vary, at the federal level the National Register of Historic Places suggests that neighbors support designation if they don’t mind. That’s why one homeowner in Portland, Oregon split the title of his property. per 1000 individual trustsso he could object 1,000 times in an attempt to stop the ongoing efforts to have his area declared a historic district.

• Contact local authorities, including council members or other local representatives, and the historic landmarks agency. Find out when relevant public hearings are held. Then attend these meetings (with your neighbors if you can get them) and speak out against the proposal.

• Connect with housing advocacy groups who are fighting “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) maneuvers that make it difficult to build affordable or affordable housing. They may have resources and local knowledge that can be very effective. For example, yes, in my backyard (YIMBY) has chapters across the country and their website offers many other resources.

• It doesn’t hurt to contact local journalists. Stories about NIMBY neighbors and stories about neighborhood drama usually generate a lot of interest.