Should Larchmont Adopt Historic Preservation Legislation?

by Janet O'Connell

Recently, in the Village of Larchmont, there have been several teardowns or proposed teardowns of houses to make room for (usually) larger houses, raising attention to historic preservation. On October 16th, the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit hosted a program to discuss this topic.

The speakers were Larchmont resident Mauri Tamarin, the Chair of the Larchmont Historic Preservation Task Force, Frances Gubler and Christina Hingle from the Albany-based Preservation League of New York State, and Joanne Tall, a Commissioner and former Chair of the Village of Ossining Historic Preservation Commission.

Ms. Tamarin began by thanking the members of the Task Force for their work. The Historic Preservation Task Force (HPTF) was established in 2017 by the Larchmont Village Board of Trustees and Mayor. The primary goal of the HPTF is to research historic-preservation legislation and resources, identify Larchmont’s “features and objects” of historic interest and value, and to make recommendations regarding historic preservation in Larchmont to the Village Board. The Task Force members spoke with various preservation leaders in other communities to determine what they did and what legislation they enacted. Last spring the Task Force issued its first Annual Report, but so far has not made any recommendations to the Village Board.

In its October issue, Westchester Magazine included Larchmont in its list of the 13 best places to live. While extolling the Village’s parks, schools, walkability, restaurants, etc., the article described Larchmont as “historic”, the only community on the list that the magazine described this way. Ms. Tamarin noted this is ironic because of the 13 towns, Larchmont is the only one on the list that has not passed historic-preservation legislation!

Frances Gubler explained the role of the Preservation League of NYS, a non-profit organization serving the entire state since 1974. The League provides a unified voice statewide and helps communities do a survey of their houses and buildings asking what do we have? what is significant? and what should we preserve? A survey provides valuable information for years to come.

Christina Hingle spoke about legislation. After a town identifies what it wants to preserve, it then passes some sort of legislation. Many communities base their legislation on the Preservation League’s Model Law, adapting it to their specific needs. The Model Law can identify districts or individual landmarks, noting which structures are significant. The Model Law paves the way to receive grants, and a locale can become a “Certified Local Government” (CLG). Jointly administered by the National Park Service and the State Historic Preservation Offices, the CLG program can provide access to funding, technical assistance and other preservation services.

Ms. Tall said it had been an evolutionary process for Ossining. As it became clear that residents wanted to protect their architectural assets, the Village changed its zoning, gave the Historic Preservation Commission more authority, adapted the Model Law and eventually became a CLG. Now in Ossining, the application for altering one’s house is a single page with a $100 fee. The application asks nothing more than what you would request of your contractor and does not review interior changes or exterior paint colors.

The panelists all agreed that preservation usually increases property values and stabilizes communities and neighborhoods. Real estate agents often highlight listings that are in historical areas.

Ms. Tamarin said that County Executive George Latimer has been helpful to the Larchmont Village Historic Preservation Task Force, and she encouraged the audience to read the Annual Report which is available on the Village of Larchmont website.

NYS Assemblyman Steve Otis asked how much the survey would cost. The estimate is $30,000. There are different ways to approach the survey, and it can be done in phases, for example phase one, buildings built prior to 1900, and then post 1900. The Village of Larchmont Board is planning to apply for a grant to partially fund such a survey.

“Once gone, these historic structures are irreplaceable. Be aware of what you have”, said Joanne Tall as the meeting concluded.

Visit LMCTV.org to see a rebroadcast of the October 16 Summit meeting.

The Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit is an informal community council that seeks to make life better in the tri-municipal area. The next breakfast meeting will be on Tuesday, November 13th, 2018 at the Nautilus Diner in Mamaroneck. The program is entitled “The Post-Healthcare Reform Era: How it Affects New Yorkers”.