City Confirms: No Historic Review Of Projects In A New Historic District Until Neighborhood Guidelin

We previously wrote a "breaking news" article about changes to the state's Historic Protection rules. We said:

"Historic resource review will not automatically apply to these new historic districts. Instead, the city must conduct a public hearing process to determine what additional protections, beyond demolition protections, will apply to the new historic district. Since historic review is an "additional protection", construction in the new historic district will not be subject to historic review until the city has developed guidelines for the district."

The city Bureau of Planning Services, which includes the city's Historic Resources program, has now posted its official comments on the new state rules and their effect on Portland's Historic Districts.

The city's comments and position are good news for any neighborhood considering applying for National Register Historic District status. As a new NR Historic District, Laurelhurst will immediately protect its historic houses from demolition, while historic review will not start for, most likely, several years and then under neighborhood-specfic guidelines developed with public involvement and public hearings.

comments are well worth reading in full, but here are a few excerpts:

The comments explain how the new rules would affect Eastmoreland, and the same will be true for Laurelhurst and any other new National Register Historic District: