Title:  The Future of Our Past: Planning for Historic Preservation in Delaware, 2001-2005

Previous Delaware Preservation Plan

Number of Pages:  38
Approved:  May 24, 2001
Planning Cycle:  5 years

Contact Information:
     Alice Guerrant
     State Historic Preservation Office
     #15 - The Green
     Dover, Delaware 19901
     (302) 739-5685; fax (302) 739-5660
     E-mail: aguerrant@state.de.us

Mission/Vision Statement:
Our pride in where we live rests in part on our understanding and appreciation of the past inherent in the surviving historic buildings, structures, landscapes, streetscapes, and archaeological sites that surround us. We envision a Delaware in which every citizen knows about and appreciates his or her community's unique contribution to Delaware's heritage, and takes pride in maintaining and protecting that heritage, and in which governmental agencies at all levels set the example of good stewardship and support their citizens' efforts.

Table of Contents:
     Our Thanks for Help Received
     Introduction
     Why Plan for Historic Preservation?
     Public Comments for the Plan
     Relationship to State Planning Goals
     Revising the Goals for FY2001-2005
     The Vision
     The Plan
     Bibliography
     Appendix 1: State Planning Goals and Guiding Principles
     Appendix 2: Producing the Plan: the Nuts and Bolts
     Appendix 3: Delaware's Historic Preservation Program, 1995-2000
     Appendix 4: Delaware SHPO Current Publics and Clients: 2000
     Appendix 5: Summary of Economic and Demographic Trends:
          1995-2010
     Appendix 6: Our Knowledge of Historic Properties: 1995-2000
     Appendix 7: New Laws Supporting Historic Preservation, 1995-2001

PLAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
Public Participation Strategies:

• Questionnaire sent to general public and preservation constituencies;
• Preservation Delaware, Inc. helped organize and circulate survey to its contacts and membership;
• Ten planning forums held in various cities and towns across the state;
• Statewide meeting for preservation professionals to discuss preservation concerns and accomplishments;
• Community leaders and preservation professionals interviewed by SHPO staff.

• SHPO staff conducted several analytical studies for background information;
• Technical committee formed to review information gathered from survey, public meetings, and background scans; and recommended changes to Plan's goals and desired outcomes;
• State Review Board adopted Plan and assigned priority level to each goal.

ISSUES, THREATS, & OPPORTUNITIES

• Housing and business development need to focus more on existing communities;
• By helping communities define their unique heritage, historic preservation can protect historic resources;
• By helping agriculture and tourism remain important parts of the state's economy, historic preservation can help protect archaeological sites and historic landscapes;
• Public policy decisions need to be made openly and coordinated among all levels of government, so that valued historic places can be protected;
• Loss of open space and agricultural lands;
• Deterioration of important buildings from lack of rehab funding or disincentives for rehab and reuse;
• Inappropriate development next to historic areas;
• Need for increased education in historic preservation, history and archaeology of the state and communities, economic benefits, and technical rehab skills;
• Need to involve citizens of all social, political, and economic segments in historic preservation;
• SHPO needs to be a more vocal advocate and more involved in controversies;
• Historical and archaeological information needs to be more accessible;
• State offers numerous financial assistance programs, such as the 21st Century Fund, that benefit historic resources, but more can be done;
• SHPO program has no funding for archaeological investigations in advance of private development projects;
• Almost no surveys have been done for underwater historic resources;
• State agencies can improve stewardship of state-owned properties;
• Many local land-use ordinances are not preservation-friendly;
• Growth in tourism industry and increasing interest in visiting historic places;
• Local planners, elected officials, and building and zoning inspectors need training and technical materials;
• Preservationists need to reach out to all sectors of the public, and to learn what the public views as important;
• Need to improve communication between preservationists and related groups;
• Need to establish and maintain relationships with the media;
• Need to incorporate information on historic buildings and archaeological sites into school curricula;
• Technical skills for building rehab not readily available;
• Revolving fund established through Preservation Delaware, Inc.;
• New legislation provides state tax credits for rehabilitation of a listed property, and for placing a preservation covenant on a historic property;
• Changes to state's Land Use Planning Act included a mandate for consideration of historic preservation issues;
• Introduction of GIS system results in better data quality, and greater accessibility and management of data.

1. Convey to Delaware's citizens an awareness and understanding of Delaware's history and heritage and educate them about the community benefits of historic preservation.
2. Improve integration of historic preservation into formal education at every level.
3. State government must set the example in historic preservation and assist others in the preservation of Delaware's significant historic and cultural resources.
4. Encourage municipal and county governments to promote incentives and remove disincentives for historic preservation, and to improve protection for historic properties.
5. Obtain and maintain high-quality information on Delaware's historic properties in secure and accessible formats.

1. Increase Public Awareness.
   Outcome 1 -- Public Outreach:
   
   • Continue committee on public outreach;
   • Produce articles, announcements, and exhibits about preservation and historical topics in local publications, guidebooks, and festivals;
   • Participate in Boy and Girl Scout merit badge programs;
   • Brochure targeting misperceptions about National Register and preservation laws;
   • Publish National Register information on DE SHPO web site;
   • Expand Archaeology Month speakers' bureaus;
   • Offer workshops for owners & tenants of historic buildings on rehab and maintenance techniques;
   • Continue volunteer training programs;
   • Make outreach programs and information accessible for disabled citizens.
   Outcome 2 -- Positive Community View:
   
   • Establish preservation award programs;
   • Help communities understand and publicize their histories;
   • Cultivate positive relationships with the media;
   • Workshops for general audiences and for homeowners;
   • Document and publicize the diversity of Delaware's heritage.
   Outcome 3 -- Increased Heritage Tourism:
   
   • Find outlets for distributing information on heritage tourism;
   • Provide training and assistance on preparing for heritage tourism;
   • Produce video to showcase Delaware's historic places;
   • Encourage participation in Main Street program;
   • Promote linkages of preservation information with existing programs;
   • Advertise Delaware's historic highlights nationally.
   Outcome 4 -- Strong Preservation Leadership:
   
   • Annual events for partnership building;
   • Expand participation at Preservation Round Table meetings;
   • Provide technical assistance and support to grassroots groups;
   • Develop "alert system" to inform citizens of proposed threats to historic properties;
   • Support Young Friends for Old Buildings.
2. Formal Preservation Education.
   Outcome 1 -- Formal education:
   
   • Compile resource lists of technical support equipment and facilities, and of educational materials developed by the state's preservation community;
   • Develop teaching portfolios with preservation content for classroom use;
   • Provide teacher in-service training with continuing education credits;
   • Seek funding for producing instructional materials;
   • Provide workshops, in-service training, and technical assistance for building trades teachers.
   Outcome 2 -- Undergraduate and graduate programs:
   
   • Support the University of Delaware Center for Historic Architecture and Design and Delaware State University's master's programs in preservation;
   • Develop volunteer and intern opportunities;
   • Produce list of resource people and guest lecturers.
3. State Government Leadership.
   Outcome 1 -- Permanent state preservation program:
   
   • Preservation-friendly state financial assistance programs for development;
   • Permanent statewide Main Street program.
   Outcome 2 -- Maintenance of state-owned properties.
   
   • State agencies give priority to use of historic buildings;
   • Prepare publication on state-owned historic buildings, and add National Register status to State Property List;
   • Funding support for rehab, interpretation, and maintenance of state-owned historic properties.
   Outcome 3 -- Increased incentives and state-local-private coordination:
   
   • Research ways in which banking and insurance industries affect historic preservation;
   • Assess treatment approaches for informational value;
   • Establish permanent historic property documentation program.
4. Promote Local Incnetives and Remove Disincentives.
   Outcome 1 -- Preservation-friendly ordinances:
   
   • Research and analyze incentives and code alternatives;
   • Compile and share list of local codes with preservation incentives.
   Outcome 2 -- Cooperation among local government:
   
   • Continue preservation planner programs;
   • Explore ways of providing local government access to preservation/rehabilitation professionals;
   • Explore preservation-friendly land-use alternatives;
   • Workshops and training for local officials on preservation and heritage tourism benefits;
   • Provide maps and lists of National Register properties.
5. Maintain Information on Historic Properties.
   Outcome 1 -- Pre-1950 historic buildings identified and evaluated:
   
   • Complete inventory of state-owned historic properties;
   • Complete remaining surveys, update existing surveys, and prioritize future surveys;
   • Fund development of new context documents and review existing context documents.
   Outcome 2 -- Inventory information entered into CRIMS:
   
   • Explore funding and/or partnerships to develop CRIMS (Cultural Resource Information Management System);
   • Complete data entry and computerize mapping;
   • Provide maintenance of CRIMS through regular GIS mapping, data entry, and quality checks of newly acquired survey information.
   Outcome 3 -- Readily accessible information for agency and public use:
   
   • Develop and publicize policy on CRIMS including partnering, use restrictions, and costs;
   • Establish information exchange program with preservation planners' agencies;
   • Provide searchable National Register database on SHPO web site.
   Outcome 4 -- Information maintaned on threatened and significant properties:
   
   • Create central list of threatened properties;
   • Develop threatened property monitoring program;
   • Incorporate review of historic properties during demolition permit process;
   • Explore funding opportunities to record threatened resources.

Cooperating/Partnering Organizations:
Preservation Delaware, Inc.; Delaware Department of Transportation; Delaware State Museums; University of Delaware Center for Archaeological Research and Center for Historic Architecture and Design; Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination; Delaware Economic Development Office; State Housing Authority; National Trust for Historic Preservation; Department of Administrative Services; Delaware State University; University of Delaware; state legislators; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; Delaware Department of Agriculture; county and municipal governments; Main Street Coordinators; Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs; local historical societies; Historical Society of Delaware; African American Historical Museum; Nanticoke Indian Museum; Delaware Heritage Commission; Delaware Teachers Center; Delaware Technical and Community Colleges; Delaware Nature Society; Archaeological Society of Delaware; Hagley Museum; Winterthur; Young Friends for Old Buildings; federal agencies; Wesley College; American Institute of Architects; American Planning Association; Cabinet Committee on State Planning Issues.

FEATURES OF NOTE:
The Future of Our Past contains clear statements on how its goals and outcomes contribute to achieving the broader state goals outlined in Shaping Delaware's Future.