Historical Ordinance the Topic of Monday Meeting

The Malvern Historical Commission has been working with the borough Planning Commission since July 2011 to craft a new borough ordinance aimed at historic preservation.

On March 26, at 7:30 p.m., the Historical Commission will hold a to explain the details of the proposed ordinance and collect resident feedback.

"The joint planning commission group has been working on an ordinance which has some pretty significant issues in it, regulating what you can and can't do with your house," Borough Council president Woody Van Sciver said at a recent meeting. "So that's an important thing to focus on.

"Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend," Historical Commission chair Lynn Hockenbury said. "We hope to get some feedback from residents regarding the ordinance. It is our hope to have an adopted ordinance by end of this year."

Van Sciver said that public hearings will be in required before the ordinance can be passed.

More details from the Historical Commission

(Answers supplied via email by Lynne Hockenbury.)

What are some possible implications of a proposed ordinance? 

Businesses can get some breaks on repairs and renovations. ...  All property owners would be encouraged to keep the integrity of the viewable faces of the building and we may be able to offer some lower-cost suggestions for renovations/repairs. The HC would never be able to deny anyone the ability to demolish their building - that would ultimately be up to [Borough Council] to decide.

Whom would it affect? 

We are proposing an Historic District in which over 90% of the properties would have some historical significance - either architectural or because of who lived there or who built the building or what business was there.

What's the process toward the ordinance?

The process to getting this ordinance in place is to hold a few of these public meetings to test the waters. If it seems like something residents want, then we will continue with the process of actually writing the ordinance, which we are working on with the Planning Commission. It would have to pass through the PC, and they would then send it to Council for a vote.