Historic District Commission

About the Historic District Commission

The integrity of our town's historic structures needs to be protected for future generations. The success of our preservation initiatives depends on the conscientious efforts of local residents and the property owners who are stewards of these properties. To ensure the town's preservation efforts, homeowners need to be aware of the town's local historic districts special overlay zones.

A local historic district enables the community to monitor and guide changes to existing buildings and construction of new buildings in an area which is worthy of preservation because of its' significance to the community's history. In addition, the local historic districts are designed to stabilize and improve property values, to maintain and foster civic beauty, to strengthen the local economy and to promote the use of the districts and specific buildings for the education, pleasure and welfare of the residents of the town.

In the town of North Smithfield, local historic districts are overlay zones created to preserve historically and architecturally significant structures and areas. North Smithfield currently has two local historic districts, Slatersville and Union Village. Construction, alteration, repair, moving and demolition of structures within these areas are activities regulated by the North Smithfield Historic District Commission (NSHDC). Generally, the NSHDC's main responsibility is to ensure that structures within designated districts, as well as the district's uniqueness and sense of place, are protected and preserved.

Historic district designation does not mean that one lives in a museum or an area where change is not permitted. The NSHDC recognizes that districts continue to grow and change; the NSHDC's mission is to guide that change in a manner that preserves the historic character of the structures and the district itself, thus maintaining its' unique sense of place and identity.

Charter Provision

Membership & Appointment

The commission shall consist of seven qualified members, residents of the town, to be appointed by the town council president with the consent of the council. Members shall have a demonstrated interest in historic preservation.

Intent

The regulations in this chapter have been adopted to preserve districts and specific buildings of the town which reflect elements of its cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history. This chapter is designed to stabilize and improve property values in such historic districts, to preserve specific buildings, to foster civic beauty, to strengthen the local economy and to promote the use of such districts and specific buildings for the education, pleasure and welfare of the residents of the town.