Town of Stony Point, NY Chapter 123 Historical Resources and Places of Distinction

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Stony Point 5-13-1997 by L.L. No. 7-1997. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Zoning — See Ch. 215.

Fee Schedule — See Ch. A221.

§ 123-1 Purpose of Voluntary Recognition Program.

This chapter is part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Master Plan for the Town of Stony Point. A goal of the Comprehensive Master Plan is to protect the historic resources and places of distinction of Stony Point. The Town of Stony Point has been in the process of obtaining information on voluntary programs that would provide resource recognition and act as an incentive for resource preservation. This chapter sets forth suggestions for implementing a voluntary recognition program to promote tourism, community pride and involvement. The installation of plaques is a popular method for identifying properties of significance. A homeowner may obtain a plaque application and conduct research on the history of his/her home. The plaque may be custom-made for each structure and may include the date of initial construction, the name of the owner or architect, and four or five words describing the significance of the home, e.g., home of blacksmith. A significant amount of neighborhood pride may be generated by the plaque and program, and it may act as an incentive for homeowners to maintain and rehabilitate their residences. Designation as a significant property would not impose any restrictions on the structure or the owner.

A. With a database of homes in the town, the committee may use the information on the application to create house histories of each property and to provide a basis for developing a self-guided tour in the community. A brochure and map may be presented, with a paragraph describing the significance of each site on the tour.

B. The town may list the properties on a town registry.

C. An application shall be filled out and submitted to the Town Clerk to be kept on file. The application fee shall be set forth from time to time by resolution of the Town Board.[1] An inspection of the property shall be made after the application is received. The committee shall review the application and determine its eligibility for designation. The program is designed to identify structures of historical and architectural interest. If selected, the owner may purchase a plaque.[2]

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. A221, Fee Schedule.

[2] Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).

D. The photos accompanying the application may be utilized in a booklet published by the committee. In addition, the information contained in the application may be published in a booklet. News releases describing the designation may be published in the local newspaper, identifying the designated site.

E. The town may maintain a policy of not releasing the property address of a designated site due to concerns related to privacy and theft.

§ 123-2 Application.

The Town of Stony Point has identified historical resources and places of distinction in the Town Master Plan. In addition, if a program is instituted, other property owners may want their properties designated as landmarks, particularly if it does not restrict them in any way from utilizing their properties. The following are procedural steps that need to be taken to initiate a program to identify existing and new resources:

A. Town Board responsibilities. The Town Board shall have the following responsibilities:

(1) Approve plaque design based on recommendation of committee;

(2) Approve applications for designation;

(3) Select two appointees to the committee;

(4) Select a Town Board appointee to be the liaison between the committee and the Town Board; and

(5) Identify the funds to be expended on the program and the number of plaques that may be awarded annually.

B. Selection of an administering agency.

(1) The Town Board must determine who will administer the plaque program. The following individuals should be appointed to the committee:

(a) Town Historian;

(b) Town Board member to serve as liaison between the Board and the committee;

(c) Master Plan Committee or Planning Board member; and

(d) Two appointees to the committee. An effort should be made to appoint individuals that may be engaged in a profession that requires familiarity with architecture or historic preservation or individuals who have demonstrated an interest in these subjects.

(2) The committee shall hold meetings on a bimonthly basis. Three individuals are necessary for a quorum and decision is by majority vote. The Town Historian, Town Board member or Planning Board member's term shall be equal to his/her length of service to the town. The terms for the Master Plan Committee member or the two appointees shall coincide with the term of Town Supervisor. The committee shall have the following responsibilities:

(a) Recommend plaque design to the Town Board;

(b) Prepare an application form;

(c) Prepare advertisement requesting applications;

(d) Review submitted applications;

(e) Recommend applications for plaque recognition to the Town Board; and

(f) Prepare press release, contract media, etc., to build support for program.

C. Application form and criteria for selection.

(1) Because this is a voluntary program, the committee should set up a single application form. The application fee set by the Town Board should be collected.[1] If the site is designated as a place of distinction or historical resource, the fee could go toward the cost of the plaque. It is important to establish the criteria by which a place will be designated historic/significant.

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. A221, Fee Schedule.

(2) The property or structure is eligible for plaque designation if it:

(a) Is listed as a place of distinction in the Town of Stony Point Master Plan;

(b) Is listed as a historic resource in the Town of Stony Point Master Plan;

(c) Possesses special character or historic or aesthetic interest or value as a part of the cultural, political, economic or social history of the town, as identified by the committee;

(d) Is identified with historic personages;

(e) Embodies the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style;

(f) Is the work of a designer whose work has significantly influenced the community;

(g) Because of unique location or singular physical characteristics, represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood; and

(h) Is a place where an important event occurred.

(3) The application should be designed to solicit the necessary information to determine if the property meets the criteria for designation; however, it should not require so much detail that this becomes a disincentive to applying. In some applications, deed searches may be performed to get historical information on property ownership. The Town Historian or a designated individual could do this for a fee. Some information is already available at local libraries, at the Rockland County Historical Society, in town and county records and in private collections.

(4) There are some places of distinction, e.g., the mothball fleet, a stone wall within a public right-of-way, that are not owned or maintained by a specific owner; the town would need to designate the site itself.

D. Plaque design and distribution. The Town Seal could be used as an identifying element on the plaque. The plaques should be customized to reflect the particular aspect of the property that makes it significant in the town's history. The cost of the plaque could be partly funded by the town, with the owner making a partial contribution.

E. Advertising. The town could advertise once a year that it is soliciting applications for plaque awards.

F. Brochure. The submission of applications will assist the town in developing a database of its significant resources. This database could be used as a brochure promoting the town and its quality of life. Photos and information gathered during the application process should be used in the brochure for descriptive purposes.