Historic district could bring tourism to Glen Ellyn
Planning is under way for a portion of Glen Ellyn's downtown to become a National Register Historic District.
The proposed district includes buildings along portions of Main Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Crescent Blvd., Duane Street and Hillside Avenue.
Village officials say the designation would promote increased “heritage tourism.”
They've been exploring such a district since 2009, when the downtown strategic plan was adopted by the village board. One of the plan's goals was to create a historic district in the central business district.
Officials had been considering whether to pursue either national or local historic district status and settled on the former, since they say it would be seen as more prestigious and would impose fewer restrictions on property owners.
Had a local historic designation been considered, property owners seeking to alter their buildings could face a “cumbersome” bureaucratic process that could last up to five weeks, according to Mike Strong, a staff liaison with the village's planning and development department.
New construction and building alterations or demolitions could still take place within the national district — but such changes would require approval by the village's historic preservation commission and village board. The village would then have to notify the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to remove particular buildings from the district, Strong said.
A formal review process for any building changes — beyond the local level — would only be required if property owners are using state or federal funds for the project, Strong said.
Final district boundaries have yet to be determined, though the historic preservation commission's most recent draft does include two redevelopment sites within the downtown strategic plan, Strong said.
He also said a national historic district doesn't appear to greatly impact implementation of a tax increment financing district — which is currently being considered by the village.
The only limitation for TIF fund usage in the area would be that funds couldn't be used to pay for demolition of a building. Even then, there would still be review by the historic preservation commission and village board, Strong said.
The village may hire a consultant next spring to prepare a formal historic district nomination application to submit to the state historic preservation agency. Last month, the village applied for a state grant that could cover a portion of the cost of a consultant.
The project is expected to cost $8,500, but if the grant is awarded, the village would pay less than $4,000.
Officials expect to hear if the grant has been awarded in March, at which point they plan to move forward with the historic district nomination.
A formal nomination could take place by next fall.