Urbana City Council members passed an ordinance that will allow members of the Historic Preservation Commission to nominate properties for local historic landmark designation. The decision was made after a Feb. 7 meeting that discussed ways to increase the number of applications for historical landmarks in Urbana.

It was argued that appointing Urbana citizens with historic landmark expertise to the commission and then not allowing them to nominate different areas would put a constriction on the amount of actual applications.

However, the meeting pointed out that some members of the commission are Urbana’s most capable residents in historic preservation and would have the most knowledge on what house or building has historical value, said Rebecca Bird, community development associate. Additionally, the Community Development Department said that allowing commission members to be included in the selection process would further the goal of protecting all known historical resources for future use and display.

Bird said historical houses and buildings are important parts of the city and she would only deny an application if it were more beneficial to the community to tear that particular building down.

“If a building was in an unsafe condition or if someone wanted to buy a hazardous property for renovation and real estate purposes, then it would be in Urbana’s best interest to tear that building down and do something better with it,” Bird said. “Even if the building was of some historical value.”

Council members agreed, saying the process of recognizing a building’s historical value is challenging.

“We know how much time and research it takes to make sure a building is a landmark of Urbana,” said Dennis Roberts, Ward 5. “This is a very useful proposal and I think it will only help Urbana’s overall attraction when experts are more involved in nomination.”

Other topics discussed

• An ordinance was passed allowing an amendment to redevelop Gateway Shops from the northwest corner of Cunningham Avenue to University Avenue.
• Motion passed authorizing the mayor to execute a real estate takeover for Allman’s Auto Repair located at 302 W. Springfield Ave.