At the Council meeting of May 6, I submitted the following legislative referral to study the preservation of historic structures in the City of Brookfield, possibly leading to a new protective ordinance. Brookfield has been my home for over 20 years and I understand just how fragile our link is to the city's roots.
In response to this referral, the planning office has given me several documents concerning previous unsuccessful efforts for preservation. One was the historic building inventory of 1993. There were also minutes of Plan Commission meetings in 1995-96 and results from a special citizen task force. No action was taken then because, in the Commissioner's opinion, there was insufficient public support and fierce opposition from owners who feared such an ordinance would unduly limit their ability to manage their own property with no proportionate compensation. Planning is often about balancing the rights of property owners against the desires of the larger community. I'll keep you posted as this develops during the coming months.
The complete referral:
This is a service request / legislative referral I will make at the May 6, 2008 Council meeting.
I request that the city consider a historic building preservation ordinance. There are still many fine examples of late 19th and early 20th century buildings that remind Brookfield residents of their roots and of how much life has changed in a relatively short time. Besides, Brookfield will never have 300 year old farmhouses if they are all torn down when they are “only” 100 years old!
This complex task was attempted in (I believe) the early 1990’s and the records from that effort may provide a better definition of the task. Some concepts include:
1. Update the inventory of historic buildings created by the planning department in the earlier effort. I believe some of the buildings have been razed or renovated beyond recognition.
2. Outline what other communities have done in this area. I am especially interested in Cedarburg (often cited during the Village Neighborhood Plan meetings),Waukesha (nearby and its downtown has many significant buildings), Town of Brookfield (neighboring community with many historic and demographic connections) and major historical sites such as Boston.
3. Give special attention to the Ruby Farm property, the Dousman-Dunkel-Behling House and the Village Railroad Station, which are probably the largest and most prominent structures.
4. Solicit public comment. I believe the heart of the issue will be whether the burden of new, severe restrictions on historic structure property owners is outweighed by a greater public good of preservation.
5. Suggest ordinances, creation of historic building district(s), historic building review boards and other planning tools as may be needed to achieve the desired results.
