North Carolina state law requires a Certificate of Suitability (COA) before making any material modifications to a designated local historic monument. A COA is required in Mecklenburg County before a building permit or demolition permit can be issued for a historic monument. Old factories and factories have found new life in projects such as Camp North End (creative offices, stores and, finally, residential in a former factory and distribution center), Optimist Hall (a complex of food, restaurants and offices in a former mill) and Brewers at 4001 Yancey (a joint development of brewery and offices in a former fiber by-product processing building). The University of North Carolina at Charlotte9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001704-687-8622. At this week's WFAE Charlotte talks, the architect and professor emeritus at UNC Charlotte said that preservation should pay attention to common buildings (such as old mills, warehouses and other commercial buildings that are being remodeled into breweries, coworking spaces and other new businesses), as well as iconic structures such as iconic structures such as the Excelsior Club.
In addition to buying historic properties (in whole or in part), Preserve Mecklenburg plans to connect interested sellers with buyers who agree to grant conservation easements in the historic parts of the properties, which will allow them to develop landfill works on the surrounding land. The Edgewood Farm, on Eastfield Road in north Charlotte, just south of Huntersville, is a 20-acre property with a historic 1840 farm for sale. There is a misperception that once the local commission designates something as a historic monument, it cannot be torn down. Of course, a city can ask the NRHP to designate a new monument, district, or building, but it's difficult to do so once it's already full of objecting landlords.
He said that Preserve Mecklenburg also has the option of buying three-acre land on Mecklenburg Avenue, which has a historic home and is being marketed for sale as a possible opportunity to remodel subdivisions and eight lots. Here in the Charlotte area, homeowners often have unplanned problems with historic designations, preservation regulations, and local laws. If you're shopping in some of Charlotte's most historic areas (Dilworth, Myer's Park, Plaza Midwood), you definitely need to know what you're looking for. This is a very, very good document from the City of Charlotte on the approval process, design considerations, and details of homes in the area.
Charlotte has a reputation for tearing down its past to make way for the future, and among the victims are notable buildings such as the Masonic Temple, the Tower of Independence and the Charlotte Hotel (which collapsed as part of a David Copperfield television special; the video appears below). There are many companies working in Charlotte that specifically deal with the renovation of historic properties, so they're also a good place to go for guidance on costs, timelines and capacity.
