Have you heard about downtown Stafford’s nomination by the State Historic Preservation Review Board (SHPRB) for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places? At Wednesday’s Stafford’s Historic Advisory Commission meeting, Jenny Scofield, the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, was on hand to dive into what this honorary designation would mean.
Stafford's downtown district is being considered mainly on the merit of its historic commercial downtown, particularly the textile mills. Those mills drew people to the area and were the impetus for its growth. Additionally, examples of a "regional style of building" are on display.
Now, let’s get down to the exciting stuff.
According to the project’s website, “The proposed district area is bounded by Main Street (Route 190) to the north, Tolland Avenue and Hyde Park Road to the west, Highland Terrace to the south, and River Road (Route 32) to the east. This boundary creates a district that includes Hyde Park, Haymarket Square, Highland Terrace, Spring Street, Main Street to where it becomes West Main Street, and a small portion of River Road.”
What you really want to know, though, is what this means for property owners within the district. Let’s start by talking about this particular type of historic designation.
The downtown area is being considered for the National Register of Historic Places, a status already awarded to the Stafford Hollow District. The majority of property owners within the district must consent (no response is considered a yes vote) even though this is just an honorary designation and does not impact property rights.
When people think of a historic district, they likely think of something more akin to Old Wethersfield, a Local Historic District that sometimes restricts an owner's ability to make changes. That is not what we’re talking about in this case.
However, Scofield says, there are potential benefits for property owners who want to take advantage of programs to help preserve historic properties. The main benefit is reimbursement for eligible upgrades to properties. There are roughly 85 buildings within the proposed district, some of which are owned by the town. Homeowners can apply for reimbursement or tax credits for upgrades they make to their properties. You have to get approved before the work begins, but homeowners are eligible for up to $30,000 of credits.
There was some discussion about how the tax rebates work, so I followed up with Scofield, and here is what she wrote in response: "The Homes Tax Credit can be claimed on personal (state) income tax (not property tax), over a period of 4 years. If they don’t have enough tax liability for that, they can also choose to receive a voucher, which is typically purchased by Eversource (so the applicant ends up with a check back)." Eversource gets a tax credit in return. (Check out a user guide to the program here.) Similar programs exist for owners of commercial or mixed-use buildings. Government buildings and those owned by non-profits (neither paying taxes on the property) are eligible for grant programs.
While Scofield says the designation does not have "especially strong teeth for stopping projects," there are some ways the designation can potentially help property owners. Whenever a state or federal project funds something (think windmill farm), her office looks at the plans for potential impacts on historic buildings or areas. They then look for ways to minimize impact but do not generally have the power to stop the project entirely. Another possible protection is the CT Environmental Protection Act, which allows anyone to sue to prevent “the unreasonable destruction" of historic structures. In most cases, Scofield says, these suits are resolved by adjusting the plans or through local variances.
On Friday, September 13, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., the SHPRB will meet to discuss the nomination. The meeting is open to the public in person, by phone (860-840-2075 conf. ID 644 093 764#), or via a Microsoft Teams link (email Jenny Scofield for the link).
