Lately, my thoughts have been that they are a positive feature of a community, because in my own community there has been a lot of discussion about possibly forming an Historic District, which is exciting to me. In my mind, the HARB would consist of passionate and compassionate board members who have knowledge for and unbiased appreciation of the local historic architecture.
A recent discussion with a colleague who is very much anti-HARB made me realize that what I imagine and what actually comes to fruition with the boards are not one in the same.
Ideally, HARB would guide and educate property-owners in the maintenance and aesthetics of their properties. However, what more often seems to be the case is HARB becomes another money-grab hoop that designers, owners and builders have to jump through, and to perhaps an ineffectual end.
After listening to my colleague's argument and reflecting on the stories cataloged in my brain, I have to say that HARB is a great idea in theory, but it is poorly executed in practice.
What do you think about HARB? What are your pros and cons?
Pro
- Maintenance of neighborhood character
- Guidance for property-owners on creating historically accurate improvements
Con
- Board members may or may not have the expertise to offer actual guidance
- Board members may have very finite or subjective grounds for approval
- The owner's added cost of preparing for HARB reviews and permitting
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