Residents on Monday can get the lowdown on Newton’s efforts to get an area of its downtown on the state and national historic registry.
The meeting will be a chance to hear the process and benefits of the downtown being established as a National Register historic district. Residents also will hear what steps remain before final approval, according to information from the city.
The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the council chambers of Newton City Hall, located at 401 North Main Ave.
In addition to hearing about the history of downtown, property owners also can find out if their property is a “contributing” or “non-contributing” structure within a final map of the proposed historic district. The boundaries for the district are 2nd Street, N. Forney Avenue, A Street and N. Ashe Avenue, according to information from the city.
Those who have property within the district or are eligible could qualify for state and federal tax credits.
Property owners within the district may be eligible for a 20 percent federal income investment tax credit for rehabilitating their building. The state also provides a 20 percent “piggyback” credit for such projects, according to information from the city. For instance, if someone spent $100,000 renovating a building designated historic and follow government guidelines for the building, they could get $20,000 in tax credits from the state and $20,000 in credits from the federal government.
“The establishment of a downtown historic district is an important part of the city’s efforts to grow downtown Newton into a more vibrant center of our community,” said Mayor Anne Stedman. “I encourage all downtown property owners to become informed of the investment tax benefits associated with a National Register listing.”
Those owners who don’t want their property listed within the district have to object in writing to Jeffery Crow, State Historic Preservation Office, 4610 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4610.
The North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee will consider the Newton application at its meeting on Feb. 9 in Raleigh. City officials expect that the committee will approve the nomination and forward it to the National Park Service for final approval.
If all goes as expected, Newton’s downtown district could be listed on the National Register before the end of March.
Contact Newton’s Commercial Development Coordinator Rob Powell at 695-4360 with questions of for more information about the historic district.
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