To the Editor:
Over the last few weeks, several “spouters” have asked why the “preservation people” haven’t stopped the tearing down of historic buildings.
The biggest reason is that the preservation people don’t know a demolition permit has been issued until, like the general public, they see bulldozers at the property and by then it’s too late.
In the Wildwoods, when a property owner applies for a demolition permit, there is no process for anyone other than immediate neighbors to be notified. This prevents any preservationists from knowing about the permit application and from intervening before the permit is issued.
In communities where there is a Historic Preservation Commission, the Commission is notified when a demolition permit is applied for and the Commission then has some time, usually 30 days, to comment on why the structure shouldn’t be torn down.
The Commission can list several reasons, including the historic architecture of the building or its importance to the community due to its history, events that may have taken place there, or its association to a prominent person.
Other reasons noted may be the overloading of landfills due to demolition waste, the release of toxic materials into the air during demolition, or the damage to the environment of a particular neighborhood (think a McMansion in a neighborhood of small cottages.)
Other reasons for restoring rather than razing are the historic preservation tax credits from the State of New Jersey and the lesser cost of renovating rather than building from scratch with building material prices at record highs.
The Commission can also decline to comment if there is no reason to oppose the demolition. Even in the case where the Commission is allowed to comment, no one can stop a private property owner from doing whatever he wants to his property. They can only hope that their comments will persuade the owner to preserve the property.
The State of New Jersey, under its Municipal Land Use Law, requires every municipality to have a Master Plan with a historic preservation element. Most municipalities fulfill this requirement by having a Historic Preservation Commission.
Both North Wildwood and the City of Wildwood drafted a preservation element ordinance for their Master Plan, but never passed it. Wildwood Crest never drafted an ordinance. As a result, in all three communities, there is no provision for historic preservation and demolition permits are issued with no opportunity for the public to know or comment on them.
If you are really concerned with the historic buildings that are being torn down in your community, I suggest you approach your local mayor and commissioners or council, ask why there is no plan for historic preservation, urge them to adopt a historic preservation element to their Master Plan and create a Historic Preservation Commission that can review and comment on applications for demolitions.
– PARY TELL
Cape May
ED. NOTE: The author is chair of the Lower Township Historic Preservation Commission.
