Dayton Historic Districts Get Thumbs Down

DAYTON—Last week the City of Dayton Historic Preservation Commission tallied the final advisory vote from property owners in the South Side and Washington Street Historic Districts. The outcome of that vote will guide the City in its quest to determine outcomes for the future of the districts and related historic preservation code amendments, according to DHPC chairman Mike Smith.

The second ballot count for the Washington Street Historic District was nine to dissolve the district and four to retain the process, but with changes to the process to advisory review only.

The second ballot count for the South Side Historic District was forty to dissolve the district, and twenty-one to retain the district, but with changes to the process to advisory review, only.

The DHPC will meet next at 6 p.m. on June 29 in the parish at St. Joseph’s Church to discuss the voting outcome and begin formulating recommendations for review by the City Planning Commission, Smith said.

Individual property owners wishing to include their property on the local and state register can contact City Planner Karen Scharer for more information about that, Smith said.

After a series of workshops and forums in February, property owners were asked to provide an advisory vote to the Dayton City Council regarding their preferences for how the existing regulatory review for the districts is conducted.

On March 31 seventy-eight ballots were mailed to property owners in the SSHD, and fourteen ballots were sent to property owners in the WSHD, asking them whether to dissolve the local register historic districts, retain them as is or retain the local register historic districts, and change the process to advisory review, only.

Ten ballots were validated in the WSHD, and sixty ballots were validated in the SSHD.

No supermajority (75%) for any of the three options was achieved.

The top two options going forward were to dissolve the districts, or to retain the districts, but change the process to advisory review, necessitating the second ballot.