Historic panel wants first OK for demolitions

The City Council has introduced an ordinance that would give the Historic Preservation Commission that input.

By: Linda Seida
   LAMBERTVILLE — The Woodcrest townhouses aren’t part of the historic district, but a recent fire there has prompted the city’s Historic Preservation Commission to ask for oversight of property demolition in the event of a similar catastrophe within the historic district.
   The City Council has introduced an ordinance that would give the commission the input it’s seeking. The public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed ordinance during a council meeting April 17 when it could become law.
   Members of the commission have been asking what would happen if a fire or mold or flooding damaged only half of a historic duplex or even a single-family house.
   "As it stands presently, there are a lot of historically significant structures that aren’t protected," said Chairman Michael Burns, an architect.
   Secretary John Hencheck said, "We’ve been discussing it, and we said we’ve got to cut bait or fish."
   The historic district encompasses the central business district in the heart of the city. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.
   What kind of recourse would the owner of the damaged property have if an insurance company — prone to look at cold facts like the bottom line rather than historic sensibilities — said it wasn’t worth repairing?
   "Sometimes insurance companies just say, ‘Knock it down,’" Mr. Hencheck said.
   For the homeowners, not much recourse is available.
   That could change with a proposed ordinance, which is "primarily to help property owners where they could lose the building to the insurance company," Mr. Hencheck said. "They’ll have the right of review with professional assistance and direction."
   The application for a demolition permit would start the ball rolling on the process.
   "The most important issue is we have no authority until someone applies for a demolition permit," Mr. Hencheck said.
   The demolition request would be evaluated by experts in architecture, engineering and historic preservation, who possibly could decide the structure could be saved.
   If that were the case, the homeowner then would have supporting expert documentation to disagree with the insurance company and argue the case for preservation whether through channels with the insurance company or other legal means, according to Mr. Hencheck.
   "It gives them at least an official channel to deal through," he said. "All things being equal, they get a chance to try and save their house."
   Also, saving part of Lambertville’s history would benefit more than just the homeowner, according to Mr. Burns.
   He said, "Generally speaking, it’s more protective for everyone in town."