CAPE MAY – At a Jan. 5 Cape May City Council work session, the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) chair, Warren Copeland, explained a proposed ordinance designed to allow historic properties to be elevated for flood protection without losing their designations as key or contributing properties to the city’s National Historic Landmark status.
Citing new guidelines from the U.S. Department of the Interior and New Jersey’s Historic Preservation Office, the HPC’s proposal supports property owners who wish to elevate their properties to mitigate flood exposure in a way that would allow the properties to maintain their historic status.
The standards in the proposed ordinance would apply to all applications to elevate buildings to lessen flood exposure in the historic district and to key and contributing properties outside the district.
The work session discussion was a prelude to the council moving to introduce and advertise the ordinance. Council would then have to hold a required public hearing before the ordinance can be adopted.
