Obtaining a Local Historic District Designation for Elizabeth

The HENF Board has recently been reconstituted and re-energized with an immediate focus: carrying forward the recent efforts of an all-volunteer group of neighbors to establish Elizabeth as a Local Historic District (LHD).  A LHD designation would help maintain and preserve the historic residential character of our neighborhood while providing for balanced, well-crafted and appropriately scaled businesses, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions.

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Using donations from our community members, the HENF Board has commissioned Susan V. Mayer, a protégé of well-known Charlotte historian (and Plaza Midwood neighbor) Tom Hanchett, to survey our historic buildings, a critical first step in the LHD application process.  Following the completion of the survey and findings contained in Susan's final report, we plan to propose district boundaries and begin community outreach and engagement efforts before finalizing our application, including providing an educational program for the community to learn more about a LHD designation and retaining a neutral third-party to conduct a formal survey and assessment of the Elizabeth community’s support for a LHD designation.

 

Since the LHD effort began nearly three years ago, the pressures on our neighborhood have only increased. We see two magnificent century-old homes on East Seventh Street (including the former home to Royal Gardens) under threat for demolition, and the recent demolition of historic homes in the 1800 block of East Seventh Street to make way for a new development, which has strong potential to dramatically alter the existing height and development precedent along Elizabeth's Seventh Street corridor.  However, the threat is not limited to new businesses or commercial properties as large and equally out of scale homes have been built on Clement Avenue, Greenway Avenue, East Fifth Street, Bay Street, and several others, viscerally impacting the pedestrian scale and charm of these streets and our collective sense of space.

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The Gold Line streetcar, now running on Elizabeth Avenue and Hawthorne Lane, will likely hasten higher density and vertical development as city council seeks to maximize the benefits accruing from its investment in public transportation.  The recently adoption of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and 2040 Comprehensive Plan are adding to the development pressures our neighborhood is facing.  A LHD designation remains the single most powerful tool available to protect our historic community from this multitude of external forces and to guide future development in a way that is more consistent with the architecture and design of the historical residential and commercial buildings that are the fabric of the Elizabeth neighborhood.

 

HENF believes there is sufficient support of a LHD designation by the residents of Elizabeth to allow us to achieve our goal.  An informal survey of Elizabeth homeowners completed in 2020 showed that 75% of those surveyed were in favor of a LHD designation.  As we continue our community outreach for this project, the feedback from residents continues to be positive and indicates substantial support of a LHD designation.  HENF is working diligently to engage all stakeholders to ensure awareness of the beneficial protections that a LHD designation would provide - protections already provided to Plaza Midwood, Dilworth, Wesley Heights, Hermitage Court and other nearby communities which have previously obtained and enjoy a LHD designation.  The HENF Board encourages you to connect with us directly and share your perspective. We look forward to hearing from the community and updating you as our progress continues.