Historical Designation Being Considered by Blakely City Council

Last week, the City of Blakely held a public hearing regarding the previously announced recommendation to designate a local historic district before the mayor and city council on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. This designation would not place any properties on the Historic Registry which heavily regulates what can and cannot be done on private property through tax incentives. That is a completely different program and not what is being sought here.

Rather, this would enable leaders to keep real estate owners, particularly from out of town with no interest in the community, from letting property fall into a state of disrepair.

Georgia has a total of 152 cities and counties with historic preservation ordinances. Blakely was added to the list on June 6, 2023, when the city adopted the ordinance creating a Historic Preservation Commission. Members of the community with an interest in preserving local history were appointed to the commission. They are Jan Barron, Kimberly Hope Fleming, Art Redding, Mandy Sanders and Nancy Wright. They are led by Economic Development Executive Director Susanne Reynolds, and Kenneth Jones, planning and zoning director for the city. This group is charged with providing the means to make sure growth, development and change take place in ways that respect the important architectural, historical and environmental characteristics within the area...

Read more at The Early County News.