Sweetwater Historic Zoning Commission members met with the Sweetwater Regional Planning Commission during the Planning Commission workshop Monday to discuss the proposed guidelines for the proposed residential historic overlay district.

As currently proposed, the residential historic overlay district would encompass:
• all of Mayes Avenue,
• from Mayes down Broad Street,
• from Broad Street, down Price Street
• from Price Street around Morris Street
• from Morris Street to High Street
• from High Street back to Mayes Avenue

About 111 homes, churches and other structures are included in the proposed district.
But much of the hour-long workshop Monday turned into a discussion about whether residents really want their properties in a historic district.
Mayor and Planning Commissioner Doyle Lowe said most of the feedback he has received has been against having a residential historic district.

"Right now it's running about six to one against it," Lowe said.
Debbie and Riley Exum, who live on Price Street, said they are against having their home in a historic district.
Historic Zoning Commission members Harris Lovingood and Sam Moser said the proposed guidelines for a residential district are not very restrictive and said they had heard mostly positive comments about having a historic district for the older residential section.

They gave a brief overview of the history of the movement toward historic zoning and said the movement began about four years ago as a grass roots effort by citizens to preserve the character of certain structures and areas in Sweetwater.

"The purpose is not to come across as an iron-fisted commission," Moser told planners.
The downtown commercial district was designated as an historic overlay district two years ago and since that time, the Historic Zoning Commission has began turning its focus toward forming a residential historic overlay district.
Moser said residents already have zoning and that a historic overlay district simply provides another layer of protection for preservation for historic areas.

Moser and Lovingood said if an area is designated as a historic district, "the clock stops."
That means from that point on, if residents renovate the exterior or build new homes on their properties, the historic guidelines would kick in.
To proceed with renovations, Moser said property owners would have to receive a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Zoning Commission.

Moser and Lovingood said the Historic Zoning Commission wants to provide property owners with suggestions and help to make the renovations work with the character of Sweetwater.
When questions came up about whether homes could have vinyl siding or metal roofs if they were remodeled, Moser said in many cases they can and he pointed to an example of a recent remodel on Broad Street that used vinyl siding effectively.

Planning Commission members and several people attending the workshop had numerous questions, including Sweetwater Hospital Association Administrator Scott Bowman.
Over the years, the hospital has acquired numerous old homes near the hospital property and has demolished several of them to make parking lots.

"Knowing all that, why did you include those to start with?" Bowman asked.
A question that came up several times was whether property owners could opt out of having the remodeling guidelines apply to them if their properties are included in the historic overlay district.
Lovingood said no, using the example that people don't get to opt out of paying taxes.
But Bowman was assured property owners would have an appeal process through the Planning Commission if they had a disagreement with the Historic Zoning Commission.

                                                      Thenext steps
Monday's workshop was just an informational session before the Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. Monday (Jan. 18) at City Hall to vote on whether to recommend the City Commission approve the guidelines.
There would still have to be the final determination of where the boundaries of the residential historic district are.

Lovingood said the Historic Zoning Commission would take public comment on the matter and Planning Commission Chairman James Matoy said the City Commission would have to approve the historic boundaries through ordinance readings and after a public hearing.
A copy of the proposed guidelines is included with this story posted online at advocateanddemocrat.com.

You can also voice your opinion on a residential historic overlay district for Sweetwater by voting in the online poll on our Web site.

tommy.millsaps@advocateanddemocrat.com | 337-7101