Chatham County Historic Preservation Commission

Unincorporated Chatham County has a wealth of historic, cultural, environmental, and aesthetic resources. Over 200 historic sites have been identified, in addition to 1000 archaeological sites.

Historic areas can apply for designation on the Chatham County Register of Historic Places which will provide the area with a set of Design Standards created to reflect the character of the community. Historic designation protects communities from inappropriate alterations, unnecessary demolitions of historic structures, and incompatible new construction.

The Designation Process

There are three types of designation: Historic District, Conservation District, and Historic Property. Historic Districts typically consist of several properties with historic or cultural significance, and typically over 50 years old. A Conservation District typically consists of several properties with historic or cultural significance but less than 50 years old. A Historic Property is one property with historic or cultural significance and typically more than 50 years old.

The process begins with an Designation Application submittal. There are two types of applications: one for District Designation (whether Historic or Conservation) and one for Property Designation. A neighborhood organization representing the major of property owners may submit the designation application to the Preservation Professional. The Preservation Professional will review the application, verify research, document all the resources in the district, and create Design Guidelines with the residents. These Guidelines will establish specific review standards which reflect the individual character of the district and shall serve as the basis for issuing Certificates of Appropriateness. The Preservation Professional will then make a recommendation to the Chatham County Historic Preservation Commission (CCHPC). The CCHPC will review the application, hold a public hearing, and make a recommendation to the County Commissioners. The County Commissioners will review the application, hear from the public, and decide whether to adopt the ordinance as proposed, adopt the ordinance with amendments, or deny the ordinance.

This process of designation may take as long as nine months, depending on the size and complexity of a district.

Certificate of Appropriateness

Once the ordinance is adopted, all property owners within the district will receive written notification that a Certificate of Appropriateness must be obtained from the CCHPC prior to any material change in the exterior appearance effective the date of ordinance adoption. For many exterior alterations, the Preservation Professional can issue the Certificate of Appropriateness. New construction, major additions, and requests for demolition of historic structures require approval of the CCHPC.

For Certificate of Appropriateness applications that require CCHPC approval, the timeframe from submittal of complete application to approval is approximately three to five weeks. For Certificate of Appropriateness applications that require the Preservation Professional's approval, the timeframe from submittal of complete application to approval is approximately ten calendar days.

The Chatham County Historic Preservation Commission meets the first Wednesday of each month at 2:00 pm in the Metropolitan Planning Commission's Arthur A. Mendonsa Hearing Room (112 East State Street). The meeting is open and the public is welcome to attend and comment.

Listed Properties

Two properties are currently listed on the Chatham County Register of Historic Places: New Ogeechee Missionary Baptist Church and Maridon. Click on either to find out more.

News

Frank McIntosh, Director of Land Protection in East Georgia for the Georgia Land Trust wil be the guest speaker at the April 2nd CCHPC meeting at 2:00. The public is invited to attend!

The Sandfly community is currently considering becoming a local historic district! There will be a neighborhood meeting on Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 6:30 PM at Speedwell United Methodist Church to learn more about the process and a question and answer session.

The Pin Point Betterment Association has applied to become a local historic district! There will be a neighborhood meeting on Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 5:00 PM at Sweet Fields of Eden Baptist Church for a presentation and discussion. Click here to learn more about the process, see a map of the proposed district, etc.

A group of Isle of Hope residents has submitted an application to become a local historic district! Click here to learn more about the process, read the proposed Design Standards, see a map of the proposed district, etc.

For more information please contact Ellen Harris at 912-651-1482