Concerned that Heber City leaders’ consideration of adding an overlay zone and increasing density in the community’s Old Town area that sits between 500 North and 600 South in one direction and 600 West to 600 East in the other, Community Alliance for Main Street Director and former City Councilor Rachel Kahler is working to designate the area as a historic district.Her effort was largely inspired during an Aug. 6 council meeting when city leaders discussed the possibility of increasing density, and she began to worry about what such changes could mean for the character of the area and its historically rich nature.Through her research working to organize a historic tour of the town, she’d come to know the area was rife with centuries of stories and includes some of the oldest homes still standing in Heber City. She became concerned that if higher zoning were allowed, some of that history could be lost.“I was surprised to hear that they were looking at putting density in Old Town,” she said. “We had put a lot of density on the northeast side with Jordanelle Ridge and south with Sawmill.”Her concerns and her research on the city’s past led her to wonder how many historic homes are in Old Town, and she worked with an engineer to use a mapping software and found there are over 380 historic homes and buildings in the area that under Utah’s qualification that historic buildings must be at least 50 years old.Another 114 that once stood in the area have either been renovated out of their historic roots or have been torn down.Still, the historic homes that are still standing make up almost a quarter of the roughly 1,200 homes within the area, and Kahler wants to preserve their stories and the foundations they set for the community that’s risen with and around them.“This went from, ‘How do we keep the density appropriate in Old Town?’ to, ‘Wait, how do we really elevate these pioneer homes and these homes that are worth the protection and saving?’” she said. “That eventually led me to a historic district, which Heber’s never done before.”She soon learned, however, that wasn’t due to lack of attempt. When she reached out to the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, she learned the organization has been trying to establish a Heber City historic district since the ’90s, and she was quick to find their support.Like all great grass-roots organizers, she also started knocking on doors to determine what property owners within the district could think. She found that some in the district are apt to job right on board, though she understands she’s likely looking at several uphill climbs.“There’s a lot of misconceptions I have found through this process because people are really afraid of preservation code that becomes so prohibitive that they can’t afford to put in windows or upgrade cement stairs,” Kahler said. “That’s just not the case. What I have found is that at the local level, we actually have an opportunity to write preservation code to determine as a community what do we value and what do we want to see happen in Old Town.”She believes that — with community support — there’s a way to allow middle-income housing in the area and preserve its historic nature.To establish the district, more than 33% of property owners in the boundaries need to give their written agreement.According to information from the state’s historic preservation organization, living in a historic district can provide more benefits to property owners than just great aesthetics and rustic vibes. Owners can qualify for tax credits to rehabilitate historic buildings. On a local historical registry level, districts can potentially also prevent property owners from tearing historic homes down. The post Heber City leader looks to establish historic district appeared first on Park Record.