March 17, 2004
Preservation wins out in neighborhood numbers game
Tyler-Van Buren becomes city's second historic district
By Lucy Schultze
The Oxford Eagle
Though their opposition was at times impassioned and
personal, the tally of dissenters in the end fell short of blocking
Oxford's second preservation district Tuesday evening.
The Oxford Board of Aldermen voted 6-1 to establish the
Tyler-Van Buren Preservation District, after confirming that only 15
of the 67 property owners opposed its creation.
"I'm not in favor of another layer of government, but my
decision is based on what the numbers ended up being," said Alderman
Richard DeVoe, whose Ward 6 includes part of the district.
The district could have been blocked by 22 objectors, or 33
percent, after three non-contiguous properties were scratched from
the map.
Before the vote, city leaders shared the difficulty of their
decision and called on community members to find unity after
dissension.
"It's a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation,"
said Ward 4 Alderman Ulysses "Coach" Howell.
"It's a shame all our neighbors can't agree and be on the
same page."
Revealing differences
The passage of this second district stood in sharp contrast
with the first one - North Lamar Boulevard, which received
designation last August.
A packed-out courtroom burst into applause after aldermen's
unanimous vote at that time. But on Tuesday night, Mayor Richard
Howorth kept the crowd from clapping, knowing that this time it would
seem more gloat than celebration.
Ward 2 Alderman E.O. Oliver, the lone dissenter on the board,
pointed to the contrast in explaining his "no" vote.
"North Lamar had clear, concise boundaries, and people felt
comfortable with the design guidelines," he said in a prepared
statement.
"We're asking people to be part of a district they don't want
to be a part of."
Ward 2 Alderman Pat Patterson gave in to the majority of the
neighborhood despite his personal reservations, but said he wouldn't
do it again until the design review process has been tested.
"I will not be in favor of another one of these until we get
some experience with this and find out how it's going," he said.
Ward 3 Alderman Janice Antonow said her fellow board member
was speaking only for himself.
"Perhaps Mr. Patterson is not in favor, but others of us may
be," she said. "I want to encourage other neighborhoods not to be
dissuaded from coming forward."
Lessons learned
The final vote came one month after aldermen delayed taking
action, after some objectors said they needed more time to mount a
campaign against the district.
Though he regretted the delay at first, Oxford Preservation
Commission Chairman Goodloe Lewis said this morning it was probably a
good thing.
"As it turned out, having the extra month did give us time to
fully explore the nature of the dissent," he said, adding that a
take-your-time strategy is one thing preservationists will carry
forward as new districts are proposed.
Ultimately, their goal is to secure the character of the
Square by placing it under preservation status, which would require
property owners to get the commission's approval for any major
changes to a building's exterior.
"That will be a pretty slow process," Lewis said. "I don't
think anybody wants to rush into anything there."
Meanwhile, the commission continues working to shape locally
tailored design review guidelines, which it has said must be in place
before the Square is pursued.
Commissioners are currently relying upon nationally
established guidelines provided by the U.S. Department of the
Interior.