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historic _reservation commission on of south bend and st. joseph county ROOM 1123 COUNTY CITY BUILDING south bend, indiana 46601 (219) 284-9798 Replv to Letter of June 9, 1992 from Mr. Anthonv Zavvia to Residents in Proposed River Bend Local Historic District Mr. Zappia is not familiar with the responsibilities of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC); nor is he aware of the standards and procedures that govern Local Historic Districts in the city of South Bend. His misunderstandings, as revealed by this letter, are as follows: 1. COLOR The HPC does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA: the HPC's formal "permission" to make a change to a structure) for any changes in exterior paint colors or any other material color on the exterior of a building. Example: It has long been the policy of the HPC (as was reiterated at the May, 1992 meeting in response to complaints concerning a COA given for Pink Awnings in the East Wayne Street Local Historic District at 1315 East Wayne N.) that paint colors are too subjective of an issue for consideration. Since the color issue is primarily based on personal preference, and since changing the color of a structure does not damage its historic fabric, the 4PC leaves such decisions to the property owner. 2. CHANGES IN THE USE OF A BUILDING The HPC does not govern the use of buildings -in Local Historic Districts in any way. Buildings in Districts can be used for any purposes that are within city zoning -ordinance requirements. Example: The HPC recently allowed the readaptation of a historic barn on State Road 23 (12670 SR 23, Granger) for use as a commercial business the owner was only required to maintain the exterior of the building essentially in its original state -- the interior was allowed to be readapted in exactly the way the owner wished. 3. REPAIRS The HPC does not require a COA-for any repair or maintenance of a property that does not change the exterior of a structure. In other words, "a roof can be repaired," or a window pane can be.replaced if broken, etc. It is only when the materials of the building are to be altered is an owner required to apply for a COA. In addition,_if repairs are needed that require the replacement of materials with the same type of materials, the owner can get a Staff Approval on the spot -- a process which will typically take less than fifteen minutes -- especially if the owner notifies the staff before coming to the office. =E. PROPERTY VALUES Mr. Zappia states that the designation of a district will "have a very large neeative impact [his emphasis] on the value of [the] property" and that designation would result in homes being "immediately worth less money." These ideas are not based on objective information and are mere conjecture. Property values in all of South Bend's Local Historic Districts have increased since designation. In addition