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Historic District

Much of the NWRAPS area is in either a national or local historic district. NWRAPS encourages and supports the use and purpose of these districts, but authority for enforcing historic preservation guidelines falls to HASC - the city's Historical and Architectural Sites Commission.

HASC

The Historical and Architectural Sites Commission is made up of volunteers with varying related backgrounds who are appointed to the commission by the mayor. HASC issues certificates of appropriateness to owners of property within the local historic district seeking to make changes or repairs to the exterior of their property. A certificate must be obtained before a permit will be issued however, a certificate is required even where a permit is not. More information about HASC is available on the HASC home page. You may contact the historic preservation planner by calling 217-424-2781.

Certificate of Appropriateness

Application forms for a Certificate of Appropriateness  are available on the HASC home page.The forms are due by the 2nd Wednesday of each month and will be reviewed at the monthly Commission meeting which is held the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 4:00p.m. in the Engineering Conference Room on the 3rd Floor of the Civic Center (1 Gary K. Anderson Plaza, Decatur, IL  62523). You are encouraged to plan your project and apply for a certificate well in advance to avoid delaying your construction schedule. 

Historic District Boundaries

The best way to view the local or national historic district boundaries is with the City's Digital Atlas . 

Standards

HASC and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency subscribe to the guidelines established by the National Park Service and the Secretary of the Interior. You should be familiar with these guidelines when planing your project and applying for a certificate of appropriateness.

Grants

When historic preservation grants or tax credits are available the target properties are generally required to be in a Local historic district.

Tax Freeze

In some cases a property tax assessment freeze is available through the state of Illinois for residential properties. More information can be found on the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency web site.