By Jason Brooks | YourValley
The Chandler City Council approved some major changes to the city’s historic preservation code at a recent meeting.
According to Development Services Director Derek Horn, the council adopted a 2020 ordinance that specifically addressed historic preservation.
“It established a threshold of 90% of contributing property owners consenting in order to form a historic preservation district,” Horn told the council. “That seemed reasonable at the time and actually was more liberal than other (Arizona) cities. Unfortunately, it’s proven to be very difficult for some of the groups we’ve talked to, to meet this threshold.”
That led Horn and his staff to propose rolling back the threshold requirement for district formation to 60% consent. They added a caveat that allows non-consenting owners to be exempt from historic preservation rules.
So far, Southside Village was the first neighborhood to be designated a historic conservation district in Chandler, having earned that distinction last year.
