Hinsdale Program Good For Property Values: Officials

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale has seen a lot of takers since it launched its program three years ago for preserving historic homes, officials said this week.

"You cannot deny the program has worked," Village President Tom Cauley said at a Village Board meeting.

Under the program, homeowners can propose things such as rear additions while keeping the historic character of their houses.

In return, the village gives grants and property tax rebates, exemptions for square footage limits, building fee waivers and sped-up processing of applications.

By contrast, the village has a deliberately slower, more bureaucratic process for proposals to tear down historic houses.

Each year, the village earmarks a total of $50,000 for grants for improvements to historic houses. Each applicant gets $10,000.

This year, the village is on track to approve $40,000 of its $50,000 in grants.

"It's a good thing when these incentives are being used, but there is a financial impact, which everybody needs to be aware of," said Luke Stifflear, a village trustee.

With the number of applicants, the village will likely have to push back some to next year, Stifflear said.

Alexis Braden, a trustee who previously served on the village's Historic Preservation Commission, said the larger point is that the renovations benefit the town as a whole.

"So while it's not helping the village's bottom line, I think we should be cognizant that it is enhancing property values," she said.

Cauley is also a fan of the program.

"Some people do not think we should be involved in this. I actually do," he said.

He and others said they have heard owners saying the program convinced them to preserve their homes.

"One of the benefits of this village is we don't have cookie-cutter homes," Cauley said. "We have homes from all different eras, which I think enhances the attractiveness of the village."