We are homeowners in the Twickenham, Old Town, and Five Points historic districts who have organized to change what we believe is a broken system – one that jeopardizes the continued prosperity of our neighborhoods. We consider ourselves to be strong preservationists, who have chosen to live in historic real estate, have invested in expensive renovations, and deeply value and respect the historic architecture of our homes. We celebrate our neighborhood’s contribution to the City’s quality of life and image and want that to responsibly sustain it far into the future. We want a voice in how to ensure that for our City. 
 
We believe the following changes are essential to sustain our historic neighborhoods:
1.     Appropriate Standards: Federal standards developed for public structures should be balanced with local guidelines that are developed by local experts recognizing the uniqueness of our historic districts, our climate, and our lifestyles.
2.     Realistic Standards: The high cost of rare and expensive historic materials should be a factor in Certificate of Appropriateness decisions and allow high-quality replacement materials.
3.     Sustainable Solutions: Improving an historic home with environmentally-sound and sustainable materials should be a factor in Certificate of Appropriateness decisions.
4.     Consistency: The Commission should facilitate the painting of Non-Contributing homes and some Contributing homes using a historic district paint palette and written guidance.
5.     Historic Focus: Certificate of Appropriateness decisions should focus on the Contributing features of an historic home, consistent with National Register forms, and not applied to building additions and changes that are Non-Contributing or not visible from the street.
6. Community Representation: Historic district residents should serve in all nine Commission seats to ensure representation, fairness, and encourage compliance.