There is a certain cachet in knowing one's neighborhood is considered a "historic" place. It conjures up images of George Washington having slept down the street, or Babe Ruth going on a bender around the corner, or a paparazzi sighting of Justin Bieber next door. History can be in the eye of the beholder.
At the moment, only three of St. Petersburg's neighborhoods are considered "historic" sites — Roser Park, Lang's Bungalow Court and Granada Terrace. Just three.
And while the Old Northeast is oozing with historical significance, apparently it never has cut the mustard to gain such a grand and glorious designation.
That's because in order for a neighborhood to become one of St. Petersburg's historical hotsy-tots, at least 66.6 percent of property owners must vote to agree to the exalted status. And that is no easy trick, as Peter Belmont, vice president of St. Petersburg Preservation, explained, especially when many owners are absentee landlords who don't bother to cast a ballot.
Mayor Rick Kriseman would like to change that. The mayor has proposed a change in the rules that would only require the approval of a majority of property owners to begin the application process to win "historic status."
But St. Petersburg City Council member Darden Rice has pushed back against Kriseman, arguing there should be no change in the historic designation process until a series of public hearings are conducted so that the proper amount of chin-rubbing and hand-wringing can occur.
St. Petersburg being St. Petersburg, the whole thing is about to be turned into yet another civic Unitarian Church exercise in collective navel-gazing. Put on another pot of coffee. This is going to take a while.
To be sure, having one's neighborhood officially designated as "historic," even if the only thing of historical noteworthiness might have been the night Jack Kerouac passed out in some shrubbery on your block, might seem very chic.
And there are some advantages. Belmont argued the "historic" moniker does convey the "sense of place" about a neighborhood. Who can argue with that? Belmont also suggested having the "historic" reputation adds to the character and could potentially improve property values. Can't argue with that, either. All very fair.
Still getting tagged as a "historic" district also holds out the possibility homeowners might very well find themselves in the Homeowners Association vortex from hell.
Communities in St. Petersburg pondering a historic label ought to consider the honor could turn out to be a white elephant. The title could create a pocket-protector posse of busy-bodies armed to the gills with their clipboards and reams of rules and regulations homeowners are expected to abide by.
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Explore all your optionsWant to paint your house a certain color? Change the architectural look of the home? Put in an addition? Switch out the windows? Not so fast, bub. You're living in a "historic" district. That mother-in-law converted garage out back wasn't there when Joe DiMaggio was wooing Marilyn Monroe.
In the end, Kriseman's proposed rules don't guarantee that simply lowering the threshold to apply for historic status will speed up the process. Neighborhoods seeking the designation still have to win approval of the city's planning and preservation committee and the City Council.
Or put another way, at the glacial pace that anything gets approved in St. Petersburg after everyone has their chance to pout over it, Kriseman's proposal will be more "preserved" than the occupant of Lenin's Tomb.