The contentious, polarized discussion over historic preservation in Downtown Oak Park will likely soon quiet down.
The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) Thursday night agreed to a staff proposal to move the discussion to a committee to “bring the focus back to try[ing] to have a conversation, rather than just throwing comments back and forth,” said Doug Kaarre, an Oak Park preservation planner.
To be composed of business and property owners, preservationists, and perhaps others such as plan commissioners, the “joint advisory committee” would discuss the process and options, could retain experts to study the matter, and would report to the HPC by Sept. 1.
Preservation commissioners agreed to the proposal, in favor of what one commissioner called a “cooling off” period, but added their own ire to an already heated community discussion.
“This commission has served, frankly, as a whipping boy for, perhaps, somebody else’s agenda,” said Commissioner Doug Freerksen. “We have not said much of anything … yet we have been accused of having all kinds of opinions and hard-edged agendas and so forth, and it’s just not so.”
Commissioners did not, though, say much about their opinions last Thursday night. The few who did, however, seemed to be far from proposing anything restrictive against property owners’ consent. Doug Gilbert, HPC chair, said he doesn’t support designating buildings as landmarks without owners’ agreement, but said incentives might be used to attract owners to preservation programs.
Gilbert said Friday he wished commissioners had spoken more about their opinions on downtown preservation. To have done so, he said, likely would have lessened the angst among business and property owners who fear preservation will result in restrictions in property rights.
Commissioners said they would support the joint advisory committee proposal only if it would produce a genuine conversation with property owners, village officials and preservationists.
Bill McNamara, who owns the property at 127 N. Marion St., said the entire process until then had been flawed.
“I think we’re frustrated as property owners because we feel like it’s being rammed down our throats,” McNamara said.
Willis Johnson said his Lake Theatre building generates $300,000 in annual property taxes and that a preservation plan “has to work for everybody.”
Anthony Shaker, also a property owner downtown, said he’s not anti-preservation, pointing to the $600,000 he paid to restore his building at the southwest corner of Marion and Lake streets, which he said was more than he paid to buy the building.
“We’re anti-the imposition” of historic preservation, Shaker said.
After the meeting, Downtown Oak Park officials said they needed to speak with their executive board before agreeing to participate in the talks. The DTOP board was scheduled to meet Tuesday.
The HPC will meet Feb. 21 to discuss further the joint advisory committee. Gilbert said he hopes commissioners will be able to discuss their preservation ideas at the HPC’s March meeting.
CONTACT: dcarter@wjinc.com