Historic & Cultural Resources

HCR-1: Conserve historic and culturally important sites and buildings that convey the history and heritage of Brunswick County.

• Confirm the County’s inventory of historic places and update the mapping in the County’s GIS data.

• Using the inventory, identify key properties and determine opportunities for the following:

Management for future generations. Consider participation in efforts to restore significant structures, as needed, and provide for their long-term preservation. Facilitating the transfer of ownership and maintenance responsibilities to public or non-profit entity may increase the likelihood of the property’s existence well into the future.

Public access. Work with the public and private entities responsible for important properties to evaluate and improve sites as destinations and participate in efforts to offer educational programming (i.e., guided tours) at each. As evidenced by the experience some visitors have had the privilege of enjoying at Fort Caswell and Orton Plantation, learning the story of the County’s past is more powerful when shared against a backdrop of properties that are the actual artifacts.

Reducing encroachment of new development.

• Consider creating a landscape and viewshed management plan. In it, delineate potential open space protection areas around important properties, particularly those that are protected (i.e., sites recognized by the NC State Historic Preservation Office (NC SHPO).

 Using the County’s inventory of historic sites as a starting point, identify the range of properties that should be buffered from or sensitively integrated into future development. (Refer to the Open Space, Natural Resources, and the Environment subsection for more about maintaining open space in Brunswick County).

• Prepare and adopt development standards that prioritize conservation of these important assets in the delineation of permanent open space in new development. Establish a density bonus to reward those who exceed such standards in an effort to preserve significant sites.

• Consider an amendment to the CP district to ensure more sensitive treatment of areas around and near historic and cultural assets. In the same way the CP district can be applied to protect natural assets, the CP district should include provisions that result in more respectful development conditions adjacent to designated historic sites and structures.

• Consider developing a historic resilience plan to identify the historic resources in the community that are most vulnerable to damage from natural hazards, and define and prioritize strategies to improve their resilience. In addition, utilize new tools being developed by the UNC School of Government, NC State University’s School of Design, and the NC State Historic Preservation Office to assist with this work. In so doing, the County can help protect the historic legacy of the community and the historic structures and sites that support it in telling its story.

• Support efforts to educate the owners of important properties about the benefits of preservation. Providing access to information on the County’s website, for instance, could be a simple yet effective step in helping individuals make decisions about investing in historic properties and overcome obstacles they encounter as they seek assistance.

• Work with owners of qualifying properties in preparing applications for grants, historic tax credits, and other tools that alleviate the cost burden associated with rehabilitating historic structures and sites.

• Consider establishing a County Historic Preservation Commission to review nominations for County Historic Landmark status. Consider pairing this recognition with a partial deferred tax assessment for properties that receive and retain their Historic Landmark status consistent with County standards.

Case Study:

Capital Area Preservation (CAP), Wake County, NC

The Wake County Commission is staffed by a nonprofit organization, Capital Area Preservation (CAP), under a contract with the County. CAP recognizes historic properties in the county and provides design standards for structures outside of a local historic district framework. Similar to the Present Use Value Program for agriculture, this program enables owners to take advantage of a historic preservation tax