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recognized as a candidate, because of its cohesiveness, its integrity, and the age of its houses. She asked Mr. Zappia whether he had read the guideline standards before or after he had written his letter. The letter, she thought, demonstrated ignorance of the standards and of HPC procedures. She proceeded to explain some of these procedures. She said the -district could not keep Memorial Hospital' out of the neighborhood. It would, however, establish a further line of defense. A woman asked how existing "discrepancies" (ie, neglect) could be dealt with under district standards. Mrs. Sporleder said the HPC could only help if these discrepancies were also code violations. Mr. Oxian said the HPC had jurisdiction only over alterations made after the district was established. A woman asked whether rental properties within the district could be sold and re -sold as rental properties, or whether they would have to revert to owner -occupancy. Mr. Oxian said the HPC did not deal with zoning issues; Mr. Luecke affirmed this statement. The woman then asked how district committees were appointed. Mr. Oxian said committee organization and appointments were the district's responsibility. A man asked how the HPC enforced standards. Mr. Oxian said that, when unauthorized alterations were observed, the HPC got the Building Department to issue a stop work order. He briefly explained the procedures for filing for a COA. Mr. Herendeen added that legal recourse was available to the HPC for enforcing district standards. So far, the HPC had never had to resort to legal action. Mr. Herendeen, using the West Washington neighborhood as an example, described some of the benefits of historic districts. He that said property values had increased because district status had stabilized the neighborhood, and halted gross commercial encroachments. Mr. Oxian cited the marked increase in property values in both the E. Wayne and the Riverside Drive districts. The same increase in value had been noted in historic districts all over the country. Mr. Welsheimer described the dramatic turnaround in the quality of the W. Washington neighborhood; property values had more than doubled. Historic Preservation was a crucial factor in this turnaround.