Historic & Conservation Districts

Local Historic District
Local historic district designation applies to entire neighborhoods or other areas that include many historic properties. Designation is an honor, meaning the community believes the architecture, history, and character of the area are worthy of recognition and protection. The Historic Preservation Commission reviews the local historic district application.  If approved, the application is forwarded onto the City Council for consideration through passage of an ordinance. 

The following are criteria's for application to the Historic Preservation Commission:

• At least 75% of the property owners within the area have to agree to and sign the application to form a historic district, and the district area has to be contiguous and compact, using definable geographic boundaries such as entire block frontages of streets.
• A design criteria is developed to help preserve the historic integrity of the district.
• Compose narrative citing criteria's for nomination of a local historic district.   A response to each of the review criteria is listed on the application as a required attachment. Please note that in order to be approved, the district would only need to meet 1 of the 9 criteria's on the application list. 
• Property owner signatures must be notarized, and it is important that the draft design criteria be presented to the property owners at the time of signature to ensure that the property owner understands that formation of the district would place restrictions on their property.

Local Historic District Application Form

The City has one local historic district:

The School Street Local Historic District (LHD) is bounded on the north by the 600 block of E McCarty St, on the east by the 400 and the west side of the 500 block of Lafayette St and all of School St.  The area represents a part of our community's history from the post-Civil War era through the 1960's. 

• School Street LHD Narrative
• School Street LHD Photos
• School Street LHD Design Guidelines
• School Street LHD Boundary Map

Conservation District 
A conservation district is any area designated by the City of Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission as an area containing any physical features or improvements or both which are of historical, social, cultural, architectural or aesthetic significance to the City and cause such area to constitute a distinctive section of the city. This overlay zone may be used for areas which have distinctive characteristics that are worthy of conservation, but lack sufficient historical, architectural or cultural significance to qualify as historic areas.

The City currently has two conservation district:  

The Lower Jefferson Conservation District, as established by ordinance No. 13251, is bounded on the north by the Union Pacific tracks, on the east by Brooks Street, on the west by the junction of West Main St and High Streets. The purpose of the design guidelines is to establish certain standards that will protect the character of the district and encourage appropriate development in the district.

• Lower Jefferson Conservation District Design Guidelines

The Capital Avenue Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District contains 107 property parcels and consists of approximately 32 acres. The overlay district area generally located east of Adams Street, north of E. High Street, south of E. State Street, and west of Chestnut Street. The overlay district requires new construction and rehab projects to meet architectural design requirements similar to the existing architecture in the district.  The design requirements are found in Section 35-34 B of the City Code.

Historic Legacy District
A Historic Legacy District is a geographical area of historical and cultural significance for which most of all of the physical attributes (structures, streets, public areas, archeological, etc.) relevant to the historical or cultural period of significance no longer exist. Ordinance 16270 established the designation process for the nomination of Historic Legacy Districts. The establishment of a Historic Legacy District shall in no way alter the uses permitted by existing zoning, land use, or future development of the property(ies) so included in the district. 

The City of Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission shall use the following criteria to establish a historic legacy district:

• Most of all the physical attributes (structures, streets, public areas, archeology, etc.) relevant to the historical or cultural period of significance no longer exist; and at least one of the following 3 criteria:
  1. Its character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage, or cultural characteristics of the community, county, state, or nation; or
  2. Its location as a site of a significant local, county, state, or national event; or
  3. Its identification with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the development of the community, county, state, or nation

Historic Legacy District Application
Application Process

Established Historic Legacy Districts

1. The Lafayette Street and Historic Foot District
   
   • Application
   • Boundary Map
   • Ordinance