CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION PURPOSE OF THE HERITAGE PRESERVATION PLAN Plano is perhaps best known for its rapid suburban growth in the last half of the 20th century. Less known, however, is that it also boasts a richness of cultural resources that represent the span of the city’s history back to 1840, when the first settlers arrived in the area. Over many years, the community has taken substantial steps to protect and preserve its historical, architectural, and cultural heritage. The city’s first Heritage Preservation Plan, which was adopted in 1981, established an inventory of historic structures and recommended individual properties for designation as local landmarks. Since that time, the city has experienced significant investment in the restoration and rehabilitation of its heritage resources. The city’s two designated heritage districts, Haggard Park and Downtown (which is also designated as a National Register Historic District), continue to evolve with a mix of new infill development while balancing the preservation of their historic and cultural resources. While Plano continues to value its historic resources, there are many factors that threaten to diminish their preservation. Redevelopment pressures often encourage incompatible and irreversible alterations, or even demolition. Increasing maintenance costs and rising property taxes make it increasingly difficult to care for historic buildings, leading to deterioration and neglect. And a social, cultural, and political environment that has to balance preservation with other city priorities can be discouraging to preservation advocates. Responding to these factors in strategic ways is the key to an effective preservation program and a primary reason for this Plan. While challenges will continue, this is a particularly opportune time for preservation in Plano due to new, exciting trends and topics, including: AA An increasing understanding of the roles that preservation and neighborhood conservation play in sustainability and how they complement many other community development objectives. AA Use of new tools to protect heritage resources, such as conservation districts, are being explored and more recent architectural styles, such as mid-century modern, are being studied as potential heritage resources. AA The formation of new partnerships in which a variety of groups promote historic properties in their work programs, such as healthcare providers, cultural institutions, educational groups, and parks departments. AA A large increase in the number of buildings that meet the 50 year old minimum threshold for historic eligibility, due to Plano’s rapid growth that began in the mid-20th century.
november 2018
Why 150? The City of Plano was founded in 1873, meaning that in five years, Plano will celebrate its 150th anniversary! This update to the Heritage Preservation Plan outlines goals for the next five years and beyond, and its accomplishments should be praised at Plano’s sesquicentennial celebration. chapter 1: Introduction
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