Historic District Committee Begins Deliberations On New Properties

By Nancy K. Crevier

Members of the Borough of Newtown Historic District Commission were scheduled to meet Thursday evening, June 12, after this issue of The Bee went to press, to begin discussions on the addition of properties to the existing Borough of Newtown Historic District.

The current district was established in 1996, said Stephanie Gaston, chairperson for the Newtown Historic District, and encompasses an area that runs roughly from Route 302 to Main Street, down Church Hill Road to the offices of The Newtown Bee, as far as #10 Currituck Road, and as far as #10 West Street.

Under consideration are about a dozen properties, including the Newtown Savings Bank buildings and Ram Pasture. Other than the addition of Ram Pasture and one property adjacent to it, the boundaries of the Newtown Historic District established 12 years ago are not being expanded, said Ms Gaston.

“When the current Newtown Historic District was established, homeowners had the option to join. For a variety of reasons, such as a home being on the market, not all property owners joined at the time,” she said.

Because the process of accepting a property into a historic district takes approximately six months or more, and involves a series of public hearings, this is the first time since the establishment of the district that additional properties have been considered, Ms Gaston said.

Joining the Borough of Newtown Historic District protects a property from changes that affect the character of an area, such as widening of roads, she said, and sends a message that the owner wants to preserve what is there. “That layer of preservation is for the benefit of the town,” said Ms Gaston. “What the Historic District Commission tries to do is to maintain the ‘flavor’ of the area. Anyone who jumps on now sees that it is important to do so. There really aren’t that many areas left like our town’s Main Street,” she said.

The Thursday evening meeting in the Borough Office of Town Hall South at 7:30 pm was open to the public, but was mainly a meeting of the study committee, said Ms Gaston, the first of several such meetings that will take place as these properties are considered for addition to the Newtown Historic District.