Downtown Historic District Has Support of 57% of Building Owners

Support for a Plainfield downtown historic district may not be overwhelming, but enough property owners said yes to push the concept to the next level: a public hearing on June 9.

Businesses along Lockport and Des Plaines streets voted on the issue in May, with more than 57 percent saying they favored the idea of creating the district, Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Michael Bortel said.

A public hearing at 7 p.m. June 9 at will allow the commission to gather more input before making a recommendation on the application, which was submitted by 11 property owners. If endorsed, the proposal goes to the Plainfield Village Board for a vote on June 20.

Those who favor the district say the designation offers many advantages, including the ability to use the village’s history as a marketing tool, the potential to stabilize and possibly increase property values, the availability of tax breaks for building improvements and the greater ability to control downtown’s appearance.

However, it would also add another layer of government approval when a property owner wants to make non-maintenance exterior changes and plans can be nixed if the village board believes they won’t complement the district.

Some property owners say it may make it difficult to sell their buildings if a potential owner sees the district as being a negative factor.

Bortel said he believes those fears are unfounded, based on the information provide at four informational meetings held this winter and spring.

“Communities like Long Grove, Galena, St. Charles, Aurora and Geneva, plus out-of-state cities like Savannah, Ga., Charleston, S.C., Williamsburg, Va., and New Orleans have designated historic downtown areas or residential areas and have seen their property values stabilize and rise,” Bortel said.

“Plus, they have used their designations to advertise their historic districts to attract shoppers and tourism. Plainfield could do the exact same thing. … We just need to plan for the future using all the tools that we have here in Will County's oldest community.”

Still, the lack of an overwhelming majority could influence the village board’s final decision. The historic district concept has been rejected once previously.

Should the application receive the board's blessing, the Historic Preservation Commission would submit it to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency for final approval, Bortel said.

“(We) would ask them to (give) the district a National Register of Historic Places designation so the downtown property owners who have contributing buildings … can qualify for federal tax credits and funding,” he said.