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Village Area Policy Review Memo Page: 14 Heritage Preservation Commission The City Code establishes a Heritage Preservation Commission to “engage in a comprehensive program of historic preservation and to preserve and promote the city's historic resources”. This commission is tasked with several things. Specifically related to land use and interest in the Village Area, their causes is as follows: 1. To survey and recommend to the council the designation of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are of historical, architectural, archaeological, engineering, or cultural significance; 2. To recommend to the council rules governing construction, alteration, demolition, and use, including the review of building permits, and the adoption of other measures appropriate for the preservation, protection, and perpetuation of designated properties and areas; 3. To recommend to the council the acquisition by purchase, gift, or bequest of a fee or lesser interest, including preservation restrictions, in designated properties and adjacent or associated lands which are important for the preservations and use of the designated properties; 4. To recommend to the council the use of its powers of eminent domain to maintain or preserve designated properties and adjacent or associated lands; 5. To recommend to the council the granting of use variances to the zoning ordinance for the purpose of promoting historical preservation or continuity; 6. To participate in the conduct of land use planning processes by the review and comment on documents or actions relating to designated areas and on comprehensive plans; and 7. To recommend to the council the removal of blighting influences in designated areas, including signs, unsightly structures, and debris incompatible with the physical well-being of the areas. There is currently no established commission. The commission stopped meeting with the onset of COVID restrictions in 2020 and has not been re-established. Considerations: • This commission could provide insights and recommendations on the Village Area. Is the Heritage Preservation Commission something that should be re-established to support the Village Area goals? • Could this commission provide value in supporting the village area and uses and the experience while engaging residents serving on the commission? Or would this commission add a layer of bureaucracy, whose objectives could be addressed administratively or through other processes?