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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026 - Historic Preservation Commission - WORK PLAN Work Plan City of Fort Collins HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION 2026 Work Plan The 2026 work plan of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is based on four primary initiatives that initially emerged at an October 2022 retreat and were adopted as priorities for the 2023, 2024, and 2025 work plans. The current Commission members have determined these initiatives are of ongoing relevance to their work on behalf of City Council and the Fort Collins community. The HPC also intends to continue the practice, established in the 2024 work plan, of holding monthly discussions to identify associated action items and required resources, to discuss how their proposed work interfaces with ongoing City staff activities, and to take on related tasks according to their individual capacity to contribute. 2026 Work Plan Initiatives These initiatives align with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Impact Agenda, the Colorado Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, and the City of Fort Collins strategic plans and outcome areas. 1. Support Building an Equitable, Affordable, and Vibrant Community • Enhance appreciation for the economic and social benefits that historic building stock provides in achieving affordable housing for the community • Share local history and prioritize inclusion to tell a more accurate and comprehensive story of our community • Encourage emphasis on the history of individual Fort Collins neighborhoods to help residents learn about and appreciate where they live • Incorporate the City’s land acknowledgement statement into HPC meetings 2. Grow a Collaborative and Inclusive Network through Improved Public Engagement • Assist staff with formal presentations and informal engagement activities such as tabling at community events, focusing first on the key interest groups of cultural and heritage non-profits, realtors, construction and building trades, and developers as well as youth K-12 education while also considering opportunities to bring preservation information to general community events of broader interest • Engage with and empower the participation, self-advocacy, and storytelling of underrepresented groups who are not typically connected to historic preservation work • Interact more closely and strategically with other Boards and Commissions • Help staff to identify new stakeholders and partner organizations to work on shared goals • Network with community contacts and encourage City Clerk’s Office and City Council to recruit and appoint new HPC members who are representative of our community’s demographic diversity • Identify opportunities for ongoing recognition of excellence in historic rehabilitation projects and advocacy efforts, including nominations for City- and community-sponsored awards 3. Strengthen Connection to Climate Resilience Work • Use HPC work sessions and other educational outlets led by HPC members to educate residents and contractors about value and passive energy performance of pre-WWII building stock and material conservation/embodied energy, as well as methods for maintaining and improving ongoing energy performance of historic buildings • Provide feedback to staff on conceptual design of effective graphics and information flyers that describe and illustrate the comparative effects of mechanical demolition versus adaptive reuse/rehabilitation of buildings and deconstruction and provide lists of local resources [not planned for 2026] 4. Develop Modernized and Expanded Tools for Historic Preservation • Engage a younger demographic with connections to emerging professionals in graduate programs and emerging digital tools • Support effort to create new and more numerous tools for recognizing historic places and learning about their history (including digital StoryMaps, on site signage, online content, and interactive activities such as walking tours) • Participate in staff-led effort to evaluate, address, and share information about incentives and financial support programs to encourage and support local landmarks • Provide ideas to staff for new information and helpful resources to add to City’s website 5. Provide Subject Matter Expertise and Formal Participation in Preservation Code and Policy Updates • Assist City staff and community stakeholders in the comparative evaluation of proposed updates to Fort Collins code requirements and administrative procedures, specifically (but not limited to) the categories of treatment of historic resources on development sites, applications for demolition, non-owner-initiated requests for landmark designation, and the possibility of adding cultural importance as an additional significance criterion for landmark eligibility. • Participate in public engagement efforts to gather community input for proposed updates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) Purpose and Overview: • The HPC, established in 1968, is a nine-member quasi-judicial body. Per Certified Local Government (CLG) requirements, the City must demonstrate an ongoing effort to maintain at least 40% of the membership with professional expertise in history, archaeology, anthropology, architectural history, architecture or landscape architecture, real estate, or law. Currently, that expertise is represented on the Fort Collins HPC by 8 of the 8 appointed members (100%) as follows: o Architecture and Architectural History (Jim Rose, Jeff Gaines); History and related disciplines (Jenna Edwards, Margo Carlock); Archaeology (Bonnie Gibson); Building Trades (David Woodlee); Planning (Aaron Hull), Real Estate (Jerry Gavaldon, Gretchen Farrell). • The HPC performs the CLG responsibilities for the City of Fort Collins: o Enables the City to administer preservation regulations on behalf of the state/federal governments; residents to receive 25% Colorado State Tax Credits for Historic Preservation; and City to receive CLG grants for training, surveys, building preservation, and education o Requires enforcement of state/local legislation for the designation and protection of historic properties consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards; requires on-going historic survey. • The HPC is the final decision-maker on: o Exterior alterations to properties designated as Fort Collins Landmarks o Determinations of eligibility for Fort Collins Landmark designation; and allocation of Landmark Rehabilitation Loan funds when competitive rounds are required • The HPC makes formal recommendations: o To Council on Fort Collins Landmark designations and matters of policy related to historic preservation and land use; to the Colorado State Review Board on nominations of Fort Collins properties to the National and State Registers of Historic Places o To the Planning and Zoning Commission, Hearing Officers, and City staff on design compatibility of developments adjacent to and/or containing historic resources, as well as proposed treatment plans for adaptive reuse of those historic resources. • The HPC proactively addresses barriers that perpetuate inequality, to help minimize impacts to historically under-represented and under-resourced communities; and directly supports the City's goals of sustaining an environment where residents and visitors feel welcomed, safe, and valued.