The Zoning & Planning Committee voted to approve the following (see Report and watch the Video):
- CPC Recommendation to appropriate $2,000,000 in CPA funding for First Baptist Church bell tower restoration (7-0). The total sum will come from various accounts to ensure the preservation of the historic structure, with funding allocated as follows: $280,000 from Historic Funds Balance, $500,000 from Historic Budgeted Reserves, and $1,220,000 from FY25 Unrestricted Fund Balance. The First Baptist Church and various charitable funds would provide $2,450,000 toward the projected total cost of $4,450,000. The Church will be reimbursed 49.4% of approved invoices from CPA funds upon proof of payment. The project will “require three construction seasons, beginning in Spring 2025,” and provide a “long-term solution to the water infiltration problem which caused the tower’s instability.” “The building was constructed by Mead, Mason, and Co. in 1888. It was designed by John Francis Lyman in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The bell tower is particularly significant in its dedication to Samuel Francis Smith, who was minister of the church from 1842 -1854 and is the author of My Country, ‘Tis of Thee (America). The building is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places.” The City will “research if a restriction can be put in place that would require the church to remain a community space if it changed ownership.”
- CPC Recommendation to appropriate $650,000 in CPA funding for Newton Family Access (7-0). The funding will assist in necessary code-related upgrades, including a sprinkler system, to the former Davis School Building. Childcare and social services provider Family ACCESS will continue operation during renovations. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The project will include a preservation restriction.
The Zoning & Planning Committee voted to hold the following:
- Discussion and possible amendments to enhance the preservation of existing homes (7-0). Ongoing review of zoning regulations aimed at preserving single and multi-residential districts and addressing the impacts of recent ordinances on residential development. 100 of every 1,000 houses sold between 2017-2022 were torn down. Planning Staff will return to the Committee of provide an economic analysis of the teardowns.
- Amend the setbacks in the MR zones to encourage the preservation of existing buildings (7-0). This discussion was held concurrently with the above item to consider comprehensive zoning changes that support the preservation and renovation of existing housing stock.