Council member Clay Brett told Community Impact the city experienced numerous architectural movements since its founding 100-plus years ago.
“We have a tremendous opportunity to preserve West U's heritage while increasing our property values and quality of life by using these efforts to continue to beautify our neighborhood,” Brett said.
Digging deeper
The agenda item brought forth by council member Kalie Rainsberger focused the topic on different methods that would preserve and enhance West University Place’s neighborhood character, according to agenda documents. The four main discussion items were focused on how to:
- Maintain the neighborhood’s beauty, classic style and high-quality residential character
- Continue to improve property values
- Preserve the city’s peaceful setting
- Explore successful cases from different communities on this effort
What they’re saying
Mayor Susan Sample told council members and residents that preservation efforts and architectural requirements should be limited so they do not function like a homeowners association. City Manager Dave Beach said he will research and share more data on how such a program affects residential property values with council at a future date.
“The fundamentals of West U housing are so positive, and our market is so protected, that any incremental steps we can take to support beautification, quality of life, aesthetics and tree cover may have an exponential impact on property values,” he said.
