No one disputes that Terre Haute’s history is important. Our community is proud of neighborhoods like Farrington’s Grove, 12 Points, and Collett Park. But while the petition paints GO 2, 2025 as a solution, it ignores a critical fact: this ordinance creates mandates and restrictions on homeowners and developers without securing the funding needed to make preservation feasible.

1. Funding is Shrinking, Not Growing
Federal Community Development Block Grant funding has already been reduced from $160 million nationally in 2023 to just $11 million projected for 2026. Indiana Landmarks, the state’s leading preservation organization, is currently asking residents to contact their legislators to save preservation funding because even their resources are being cut. If well-established preservation groups are struggling for funding, how realistic is it to expect Terre Haute homeowners—many of whom are already dealing with high maintenance costs and rising property taxes—to shoulder additional burdens without any financial assistance?

2. Vacancy Rates Are Already High
Farrington’s Grove alone has a vacancy rate of over 15%, far higher than many other Terre Haute neighborhoods, where the rate hovers between 6–8%. Adding new restrictions without offering grants or incentives could worsen blight by discouraging investment. We need policies that bring families and developers into these neighborhoods, not ones that risk driving them away.

3. Economic Growth Depends on Flexibility
Historic preservation ordinances often slow redevelopment. The Terre Haute House is a perfect example: 16 years of sitting empty because preservation stalled meaningful action. Once it was demolished, that site became home to one of the most successful Hilton Garden Inns in the nation. That redevelopment increased our tax base, attracted visitors, and contributed to downtown’s revival. Overregulation risks repeating past mistakes, keeping properties tied up in red tape while the city loses economic opportunities.

4. Even Supporters Don’t Have Answers
When asked about the scope of GO 2, 2025, one of its own sponsors admitted he wasn’t sure and said to “ask a lawyer.” If even the council members pushing this ordinance don’t know its full implications, homeowners and businesses have every reason to be alarmed. Laws with this much uncertainty should never be rushed through before there is clarity on both scope and funding.

5. Preservation Must Come with Partnership, Not Punishment
Other Indiana cities with preservation commissions—Bloomington, Lafayette, Vincennes—didn’t just create restrictions. They paired ordinances with strong local grant programs, tax abatements, and nonprofit partnerships to help residents comply. Terre Haute is proposing restrictions without the same tools, effectively punishing residents for owning historic properties. That’s not preservation, it’s regulation without support.

6. Erosion of Homeowner Rights
The members of Terre Haute City Council are deliberating over General Ordinance #2, a proposal that, if passed, would grant a commission the power to approve or deny personal home modifications. This means decisions about our own homes—as simple as the color you choose to paint your home, the style of fence you install, or even light fixtures you update—would no longer be yours alone. Homeowners could face fines for non-compliance with rules that we, the residents, have not set.

This ordinance intrudes on our personal freedoms and the rights we have as homeowners. Imagine wanting to replace a roof or make basic updates, only to be told “no” by this commission or penalized for trying to improve your property. Such excessive control is unwarranted and frustrating, turning what should be simple enhancements into regulatory red tape.

Our homes are more than structures; they are personal, emotional investments and reflections of who we are. Let’s ensure that residents of Farrington’s Grove, Ohio Boulevard, Edgewood Grove, Collett Park, 12 Points, Downtown Terre Haute, and other historic neighborhoods maintain the right to make choices about their own property.

 
Call to Action
Yes, we should value our history. But passing GO 2, 2025 as it stands would impose financial burdens on families, worsen vacancy rates, erode personal freedoms, and risk slowing redevelopment—all without the funding other communities rely on.

Preservation should be about collaboration and investment, not unfunded mandates and loss of homeowner rights. Until realistic funding mechanisms are in place, this ordinance is premature and should not move forward.

👉 That’s why we are asking you to sign the petition opposing GO 2, 2025. Stand with us to protect homeowners, encourage investment, and ensure Terre Haute’s future isn’t strangled by an unfunded, heavy-handed ordinance.