Historic Preservation program planned Monday
Nationally recognized economic analyst and author Donovan Rypkema to speak at the event
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Nationally recognized economic analyst and author Donovan Rypkema will present “Saratoga Springs: Enhancing the Values through Historic Preservation” at 7 p.m. Monday at Saratoga Springs Public Library’s H. Dutcher Community Room.
Officials said Saratoga Springs has long been identified as a leader of historic preservation in New York, with 1,250 properties listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
Of those 1,250 properties, 700 are located in the local historic districts and require that all exterior changes, demolition, and new construction be approved by the Design Review Commission.
While studies of other cities have demonstrated that property values do not suffer because of this additional local oversight and are actually enhanced, an economic analysis has never been done in Saratoga Springs.
This year the City of Saratoga Springs, the state’s first designated Certified Local Government, obtained a grant to do an economic impact study of historic preservation through the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Additional funding was secured by the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.
Rypkema has completed studies on New York City, Savannah, Indianapolis, and San Antonio as well as statewide studies of Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
“Of the many studies I have completed across the country, this is the first to analyze the impacts of historic preservation of a small city,” he said. “The outcome of the study clearly shows that the decades of commitment by the City of Saratoga Springs and the community pays off economically and otherwise.”
His presentation will tell how historic preservation impacts local property values; whether or not property values of local historic districts increase faster or slower; how much tax revenue is generated from local historic districts; and whether or not historic districts are more or less racially and economically diverse.
The program is presented by the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation
An abbreviated version of it will be given at the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the City Center, 522 Broadway.