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4.2a Conservation District Board
To ameliorate the identity struggle for the Village’s future character and built form, a conservation district could be created in West Greenville to establish the community’s own review board. This would differ from the Preservation and Downtown overlays in the city by being City board advisory to the DRB Design Review Board (DRB) review, or at least serving as an advisory group to them when addressing projects in the neighborhood. As a note, talking to residents revealed a distaste for potentially being placed under the judgment of the DRB in the future, which this plan accounts for. The go-to example for those in opposition was the Village Harvest mural on the side of the Anchorage restaurant. Funky and eclectic design can be further codified under updated design or preservation standards.
The Village’s conservation district board could be composed of 7-9 appointed members, representing Village visionaries, business owners, area residents, a planner, and perhaps another design professional. Appointments would occur in conjunction with the city and a locally elected Village president, whose constituency would be those living within the conservation district’s boundaries. Together, the board and president would have advisory input to decisions on construction, demolition, and exterior modifications made to sites within the Village. The team would be trusted to represent local interests, and may also conduct public outreach of their own.
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However, as a caveat, we recommend the conservation district board be created without the authority of direct, legally binding decisions. This is due to concerns of strong NIMBYism in and around the Village, and potential struggles with finding volunteers to serve on the board itself to keep all positions.