How To Provide Feedback on CITY PRESEVATION Guidelines
From Gary Lilly, Chair of the Historic Preservation Committee:
I am posting this as the Chair of the Historic Preservation Committee of the Mexican War Streets Society. We operate as a “Local Review Committee” and work closely with the Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission by sending letters of support for applications for Certificates of Appropriateness which the Commission uses in their evaluation of the applications. The Commission has the ultimate authority to grant or deny the applications.
Recently, several residents in the Mexican War Streets Expansion were sent a postcard in which they were alerted to the City Planning Commission’s efforts to create a set of design guidelines for the Expansion District. Note that the Expansion is being treated as separate and distinct from the Mexican War Streets Historic District. Why this is so may be a topic for future discussion in the MWS blog but the consequence is that the Planning Commission is insisting on separate sets of guidelines.
If you would like to have your voice heard, I would strongly encourage you to do the following:
First, pull up a copy of the current Historic Guidelines for the Mexican War Streets Historic District and look them over. These guidelines are currently being used to evaluate applications for “Certificates of Appropriateness” for both the MWS and the Expansion District and are likely to be the starting point for any guidelines for the Expansion.
Next, after reviewing the guidelines, write down what you see as issues that should be addressed in the context of the guidelines. For example, issues concerning windows and window replacement are a major concern for residents.
Finally, send your comments/feedback to any one of the three recipients listed below. I don’t know what the timeline is for guideline creation but I’m sure that the sooner (and louder) you voice your concerns, the more likely they are to be heard.
Use the EngagePGH Portal (scroll down the page).
Via email to historicreview@pittsburghpa.gov.
Send letter to:
Department of City Planning
412 Boulevard of the Allies, Suite 201
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Attn: Historic Preservation