Mayor Gilliam Introduces the members of the Atlantic City Historic Preservation Commission

Atlantic City, NJ – Did you know that Atlantic City has eight sites on New Jersey’s State Register of Historic Places and twenty-four additional buildings that have been identified by the State as eligible for the Register? There are thirty other sites identified in the City’s Master Plan that warrant consideration as State Register eligible.

Mayor Frink Gilliam has been working with City Council to establish an advisory Historic Preservation Commission.

Mayor Gilliam stated, “Atlantic City’s newly created Historic Preservation Commission positions the City to benefit from the positive economic impacts, including job creation, tax revenue generation, and increase in property values, associated with historic preservation efforts elsewhere in New Jersey.”
A 2013 University of Pennsylvania study established the potential for neighborhood historic districts, such as Ducktown, Chelsea and the Northside, with substantial potential for both revitalization and restoration of urban fabric and community cohesiveness.

Mayor Gilliam noted, “Historic Preservation complements Atlantic City’s economic development and revitalization by playing a strategic role in diversifying its economy. The Historic Preservation Commission will be a catalyst for economic revitalization and stabilization in city neighborhoods previously unrecognized as potential economic generators.”

Eligibility for inclusion on the Register is a demonstrated route for developers to utilize tax incentives to leverage their private investment. The potential for future designations, with accompanying tax advantages and eligibility for low interest rehabilitation loans, will be enhanced by an Historic Preservation Commission that can recognize additional historic sites.

The State Legislature is considered providing State Tax Credits for Historic Preservation. Today, thirty-five states offer credits against state taxes to provide incentives for the appropriate rehabilitation of historic buildings.

More than 165 New Jersey municipalities have Historic Preservation Commissions.

Mayor Gilliam appointed the following people to the Historic Preservation Commission:
 Tom Sykes, SOSH Architects
 Heather Halpin Perez, local historian
 Anthony Vraim, Zoning Board Member
 Joyce Hegan, Atlantic City Arts Foundation
 Jean Muchanic, Absecon Lighthouse
 Ralph Hunter, South Jersey African America Heritage Museum
 Sonny Ireland, Boardwalk Committee
 Libby Wells, First Ward Civic Association
 Carol Ruffu, Chelsea Neighborhood Association

One of the first actions of the Commission will be to petition the State to become a Certified Local Government (CLG), which permits the City to participate more directly in state and federal historic preservation grant programs.

The first meeting of the Atlantic City Historic Preservation Commission will be scheduled in July.

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