REDMOND, OR -- The city of Redmond is asking for a special historic designation for its downtown core. Community Development Director Kate Porsche has been working through the process for several months. "That district will really be in that downtown commercial area and it will comprise 46 properties. So, to get this going, we’ve had public outreach; we had a public meeting a couple evenings at the library, to really make sure that owners of buildings and tenants understood what this was about."

Porsche tells KBND News, "It’s not imposing any new regulations or design review. But it does create benefit for the property owners." She says those benefits include tax breaks for renovations that meet certain historical guidelines. "If they want the tax benefit then they have to conform. Now, a building owner, though, could still come in, they could still do a renovation that they want to do and as long as they’re not seeking those financial benefits, they can do it the way that they want to do it. I think, though, many would find that the constraints really aren’t all that bad, and the financial benefit can really make a difference for their project."

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