Submitted By
Tammie Grossman, Development Customer Services Director
Reviewed By
CLP
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Resolution Approving Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Grant Agreement Number CL-2015-0242 and Authorizing its Execution.
End
Overview
Overview
The Historic Preservation Commission included a line item in its 2015 Work Plan to conduct outreach to property owners in the Hulbert Subdivision to determine support for the creation of both a local and National Register historic district. The line item included a budget of $15,000 to secure professional consulting services to prepare a National Register nomination to create a Hulbert Houses Historic District. In anticipation of possible support, staff applied in November 2014 for a Certified Local Government grant to fund 70% ($14,000) of a $20,000 project, with the Village funding 30% ($6,000). The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency recently approved the grant request in the amount of $14,000. Staff is now seeking authorization to execute the Grant Agreement.
Body
Staff Recommendation
Village staff recommends authorizing the Village Manager to execute the grant agreement to ensure the $14,000 will be available for possible use.
Fiscal Impact
The amount of $15,000 was budgeted for this item through the Historic Preservation Commission, although due to receipt of the grant, the Village would only pay up to $6,000 (after reimbursement), a savings of $9,000 for the Village.
Background
The Hulbert Subdivision has been identified as an important neighborhood within the Village of Oak Park as early as the 1970s. In 2010 the Historic Preservation Commission updated its Strategic Historic Preservation Plan which included strategies and action items for the Commission to fulfill, including the identification and research of a historic district in the Hulbert Subdivision.
In 2012 the Historic Preservation Commission sponsored an intensive historic resources survey of the subdivision, conducted by graduate students in the Historic Preservation Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and supervised by staff. The survey information is displayed on RuskinArc, the Village's on-line Historic Resources Database:
The Hulbert Subdivision, located in the southern half of Oak Park and adjacent to the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), is comprised of 175 single-family homes on eight square blocks constructed between 1905-2009, with a majority of homes (158) constructed by Thomas H. Hulbert between 1905-1913. The subdivision of "Hulbert Houses" is one of the most prominent subdivisions in south Oak Park, and retains its historic fabric and character. The area features large homes in a number of styles, most prominently Queen Anne and the American Foursquare. Many of the homes were repeated throughout the subdivision with variations in the siding, bays, dormers, gables and porches.
In 2014 the Historic Preservation Commission prepared an outreach program to solicit support from property owners for a new historic district (local and National Register). Staff applied for a Certified Local Government grant in November 2014, and the Commission included the project on its 2015 work plan. The local media recently produced several articles on the proposal, and a public information meeting will be held at the public library on Thursday, April 27, 2015. Following that meeting, the Commission may continue public outreach, or recommend moving forward with the designation process.
Alternatives
Not authorizing the execution of the grant could cost the Village upwards of $15,000 towards the creation of a new historic district.
Previous Board Action
The Board approved the Historic Preservation Commission's Work Plans on February 6, 2015, which included the approval to allocate funds toward the creation of the proposed new historic district.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
N/A.
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
N/A.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
N/A.
Performance Management (MAP) Alignment
A Governance Priority established for the Planning Division of the Development Customer Services Department is Long Range Planning - Historic Preservation Plan.