Mayor Randy Brown said the township is able to maintain historical standards without the commission, which he said would burden developers.
Mayor Randy Brown has once again publicly voiced his continued opposition to using his mayoral appointment power to fill the township’s currently vacant Historic Preservation Commission.
Established in 2000, township code outlines the Historic Preservation Commission as consisting of nine regular voting members and two alternate members to be appointed by the mayor who would “encourage the continued use of historic resources and facilitate their appropriate reuse,” among other duties.
The commission would then review actions, including “construction and/or zoning permit applications,” that affect the historic landmarks or architectural features within the township’s historic district and advise the township’s planning board and zoning board on such.
Members of the commission would consist of a mix of those “knowledgeable in building design and construction or architectural history,” those “knowledgeable or with a demonstrated interest in history,” and those who are residents of Evesham Township “who shall hold no other municipal office, position or employment except for membership on the township’s planning board or zoning board.”
However, township code does not outline any power for the commission to formally approve or dismiss applications or alterations put forward by developers and property owners, leaving the commission to act solely in an advisory capacity.
Regardless, Brown said he wouldn’t be appointing members to the commission unless instructed to do so by the township attorney, which at this time he said was not the case.
Brown went on to describe the Historic Preservation Commission as a “nightmare” for developers and a “nightmare” for those looking to redevelop Evesham’s downtown.
“If I were to line up every owner on Main Street and Maple Avenue and say ‘would you like to bring the HPC back again,’ I can’t imagine one person would say yes,” Brown said.
Upon comments from a resident at a recent meeting of the Evesham Township Council, Brown restated his reasoning for choosing not to appoint members to the commission in the years since he was first elected mayor a decade ago.
As in the past, Brown argued his belief that township officials already work with developers to preserve the historic nature of the township when necessary, and in his opinion, a seated Historic Preservation Commission would only slow the progress of development in the township.
By mandating another board that developers would be forced to appear before during the approval process, Brown said he believed developers would be less likely to invest and reinvest in the township.
Brown said he believed developers would also be further burdened by being forced to pay additional fees to the professionals whom developers would most likely need to appear before a Historic Preservation Commission to testify on a developer’s behalf.
Evesham Township Manager Tom Czerniecki also noted that although Brown is against the idea of seating a Historic Preservation Commission, Czerniecki said he doesn’t believe that means mayor or council are against the essence of what the commission was designed to accomplish.
“We put architectural standards and guidelines in place that specifically call for the evolution and development of Main Street in a historic pattern, and to avoid those sort of things where we create a reactionary situation to what was being built,” Czerniecki said.
Czerniecki said he believes those standards and guidelines are more powerful than the advice from a Historic Preservation Commission would be.
