Hinsdale Official Not Easy Convert To Historic Incentives
HINSDALE, IL – By his own account, Hinsdale Village President Tom Cauley wasn’t an easy convert to the village’s program of subsidies for the owners of historic homes.
A couple of years ago, Hinsdale enacted incentives for homeowners to preserve historic houses, rather than tear them down.
“I view myself as a fiscal conservative. Coming to appreciate (the program) was not easy for me,” Caulsey said at Thursday’s Village Board meeting. “Giving money to people to restore a house seems a little outside the main work of a village government, which is fixing sewers and repairing streets.”
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At the same time, he said many residents – likely a majority – wanted to see the village’s historic houses preserved.
“We gave some thought to restrictive measures, and that just does not go over. It’s also against my philosophy that if you own a property, you can do what you want with it,” Cauley said.
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Under the incentives, homeowners can propose things such as rear additions while keeping the historic character of their houses.
In return, the village grants property tax rebates, building fee waivers and sped-up processing of applications.
By contrast, the village has a slower, more involved process for reviewing proposals to demolish historic houses.
“This seems to me the best compromise,” Cauley said. “While we’re spending village money, I think the return on our investment is a good one that justifies the expense. That’s the view I have come to, but it wasn’t easy to come to that view because we are giving money and giving tax concessions.”
Trustee Luke Stifflear said his views have also evolved on the issue, noting he favors free markets.
But he said the incentive program helps keep up values in neighborhoods with historic homes and the village overall.
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