Huntley board OKs historical district

The friendly village with the country charm - as Huntley is known - will be able to preserve that charm, it is hoped, now that the village board has established Huntley's first historic district.

The board, which has balked at attempts to give more teeth to the village's historic preservation ordinance, voted 3-2 to create the district Thursday night.

The district encompasses the brick-paved portion of Woodstock Street in downtown Huntley and five homes - including the Thomas Stillwell Huntley House, where the founder of Huntley lived in the late 19th century.

"It is one of oldest streets and people who had a decent income usually built on Woodstock Street," said Tom Conley, member of the village's Historic Preservation Commission.

Property owners who live in the district must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the village's Historic Preservation Commission before making external modifications to their homes.

"We try to maintain the home as it was when it was originally constructed," Conley said.

Huntley trustees have been reluctant to preserve historic properties, saying some of the actions requested by the historic commission would undermine the village's authority, violate property rights and expose the village to litigation.

The board approved the historic district by one vote Thursday, with Trustees Pam Fender, Jay Kadakia and Paul Mercer voting in favor of the district.

Trustees Harry Leopold and John Piwko voted against the district, in part because they objected to the inclusion of two homes that are not contiguous to the rest of the district.