Elizabeth considers historic district

Meeting set for June 12 as board lays out plan

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

In early 2022, the Town of Elizabeth Historic Advisory Board (HAB) launched a survey to gauge public interest in historic preservation and in creating a historic district for the town — and received an overwhelmingly positive response from town residents and others in the area.

Now the HAB has laid out plans for a new historic district, based on more than a year of work updating design and preservation guidelines.

On May 8, the HAB held a community meeting to update residents and discuss the bene ts of creating a historic district, led by HAB Chair John Quest.

As explained, a historic district would:

1. Protect and enhance the identity and character of the town.

2. Protect and enhance property values.

3. Enhance the economy of the town, encouraging marketing and sales opportunities.

4. Expand access to state and federal tax credits.

5. Open up opportunities for certain grants, including facade improvement grants.

6. Enhance the concept of a sense of place.

7. Increase heritage tourism.

8. Revitalize downtown Elizabeth.

“We’ve de ned a boundary so we can move forward with the idea. We do have some legwork to do to work with the property owners to get their approval. We’ll be working on that this summer,” said Quest. “A lot of the groundwork is in place, we just need to move towards making it happen.”

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