Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: Planning and Sustainability
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): Commission Districts: All Districts
Acceptance of the Director of Planning & Sustainability for the FFY 2025 Historic Preservation Fund Grant Award for DeKalb County in the Amount of $16,500.
Body
Information Contact: Paige V. Jennings, Sr. Planner
Phone Number: 470-829-7341
PURPOSE:
The proposed project is the first of a multi-phase historic resource survey of the residential properties and neighborhoods in the upper-southwestern corner of DeKalb County. This larger project will survey the residential properties between I-20 and I-285. The focus is on neighborhoods that have been identified through tax parcel records to be potentially historic and eligible for future designation, both on the National Register of Historic Places and through the local designation process. The first phase of the survey will focus on the upper-north corner of the identified survey area, below East Atlanta and primarily within land lot 145. The survey will cover a total of 498 parcels within a total of seven neighborhoods, a majority of which were constructed post-WWII between 1940 - 1965. The survey area will be bounded by the Unincorporated DeKalb County limits to the East, North, and West, with the South boarded by Skyhaven Road and Wainwright Drive Southeast.
NEED/IMPACT:
DeKalb County has not conducted a historic resource survey since 1987. The final report was not comprehensive and was composed only of photographs with no research or descriptive information of the captured resources recorded. Furthermore, DeKalb County has not designated a local historic district since 2000 and has not taken on preservation projects such as National Register nominations or preservation planning initiatives during that time period. The 2035 DeKalb County Comprehensive Plan states that historic preservation is a community goal and includes the conducting a historic resource survey as a project to be undertaken by the planning department as part of the overall plan. This survey project would be a starting point for future preservation projects, including the designation of new local historic districts and the drafting of new National Register nominations. The proposed project would also provide property owners with funding opportunities and bring DeKalb County into compliance with the Certified Local Government program.
The proposed area was selected due to the lack of preservation efforts seen in the past, while efforts have mostly been focused on existing local historic districts in the north of the County including Druid Hills. In addition to the lack of preservation efforts, the area has seen consistent development within the last decade that places valuable historic resources in jeopardy. The survey area for phase one of the project has already seen the loss of the historic Sky Haven Elementary School. The school was constructed in 1955 with subsequent additions added throughout the 1960s. The campus was demolished in 2011, despite the history of the school, its eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, and the potential for rehabilitation efforts. The current vacant parcel left behind is now available for development, which brings potential risk to the surrounding historic neighborhoods and the community of Sky Haven that remains active and vocal. This example showcases the need for preservation efforts within the southwestern area of the County, which cannot be well informed without a proper historic resource survey and report.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The estimated total for phase one of the proposed historic resource survey project is $27,500. This total was estimated based on the bid estimate per parcel of $35-$55 provided by the System of Survey and Inventory worksheet for Certified Local Governments provided by the Georgia Historic Preservation Division. The DeKalb County Planning and Sustainability Current Planning division, under which the preservation planner is employed, and the DeKalb County Historic Preservation Commission is organized, has budgeted $11,000 for the matching portion of the project’s cost. If accepted, the Historic Preservation Funding grant will complete the remaining portion of the project’s budget, amounting to $16,500.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
Staff recommendation is for the Board of Commissions to accept the award on the behalf of DeKalb County.