The free, virtual workshop will take place on zoom at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 15 and the JRC also will have a space at City Hall where people can watch the presentation.

JRC Urban Core Director Frank Besse said the three historic districts in Jamestown include downtown, Lakeview district, and Forest Heights. He said those who choose to participate in the program can receive a tax credit on their New York State income tax, “You come up with a project and you have that project reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office, or what we call SHPO. They approve it and the work is then done. And you will get some paperwork from SHPO that says, ‘Hey, you passed the test,’ and then that is given to your accountant and they do their magic. But basically, you’ll have a credit that’s 20% if it’s a residential property. 20% of the value of the work.”

Besse said there is a $5,000 minimum threshold to trigger that credit. He said if you don’t have a state income tax liability, that credit turns into a refund.

JRC Neighborhood Project Coordinator Mary Maxwell said the City is working on applying to the state to add a fourth historic district on the west side.

She said the Lakeview district, which was approved in 2017, has had $88,000 invested in properties. The downtown district, which was approved in 2014, has seen $27 million reinvested by those taking advantage of the historic tax credits.

Pre-registration is required for the workshop and can be done at PreservationBuffaloNiagara.org. Those who wish to attend the presentation in person, or who want more information, should contact Mary Maxwell at mary@jamestownrenaissance.org or call (716) 708-6964.

Jamestown Renaissance Corporation’s Neighborhood Project Manager Mary Maxwell and others present details from the JRC’s Housing Market Analysis and Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Review to members of the Jamestown City Council Housing Committee during the committee’s Aug. 21 meeting.

JAMESTOWN – Four target area neighborhoods have been identified as the focus for any new strategies needed to help shore up housing value and market stability in Jamestown.

The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation shared details of its recently completed Housing Market Analysis and Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Review report with members of the Jamestown City Council’s housing committee on Monday night.

Representatives from the JRC went over the report prepared by Peter Lombardi from czb LLC, which offered details on the impact recent intervention programs had on target neighborhoods over a five-year period, as well as what new neighborhoods should be focused on during the next several years.

Examples of intervention programs include the Renaissance Block Challenge, the GROW Jamestown gardening and landscape program, and the establishment of Lakeview Ave. as a state and nationally recognized historic district. Each effort was largely funded by a combination of $1.25 million in program funding from the JRC ($350,000) and private investments by the property owners ($900,000).

According to the report, the neighborhoods that benefited from intensive intervention saw the average sale price of a single-family home increase by 5 percent. However, homes in neighborhoods that saw intermediate or only a small amount of intervention saw the average sale price go down by 13 percent. The average sale for homes in neighborhoods that didn’t get any intervention saw an increase of just under 2 percent.

As a result of the study findings, the JRC said it’s next round of intervention programs will focus on four neighborhoods in the city where there is a strong market area located next to a soft or very week housing market area: The Northside/Lakeview Focus Area;  the Western Gateway Focus Area; the Hazeltine/Forest Focus Area; and the Allen Park/Hospital Focus Area.

Some individuals in attendance raised questions about the report, as well as the conclusion that further investment should be provided in areas where there is a strong housing market. Patrick Morris, executive director of CODE, questioned why the funding isn’t being applied exclusively to neighborhoods that have seen housing prices decline, rather than also using the money in areas that have stability or seen a market increase.

“Our goal is to get the best value for the money we invest in a broader sense,” explained JRC board member Leonard Faulk. “One focus that we have is how do you develop an increased tax base? Part of our goal is how to we get people to have more confidence in the future so they are willing to invest more of their own money in housing improvements. That’s why we focus on areas where property owners can also invest their own money, instead of areas where property owners have little to no money to invest.”

Another attendee questioned the return on investment, considering more than $1.25 million in total investment had been made in the past target areas, with the 5 percent increase in housing prices in only some of the targeted areas being the final result, while other areas that saw a lesser amount of investment actually saw a decrease in housing prices.

Due to time constraints, a thorough discussion on the impact of the programs couldn’t take place. However, the report will also be presented to the full city council at an upcoming work session.

The JRC will be also be posting the housing report at jamestownrenaissance.org.

On Tuesday Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the New York State Board for Historic Preservation recommended adding 26 properties, resources and districts to the register.

The Lakeview Ave. district encompasses 219 properties, primarily residences, stretched along what was once a rough rural road in the early nineteenth century, that was deliberately transformed into an elegant residential street.

Once the recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register. More information and photos of the nominations are available on the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.

State and National Registers listing can assist property owners in revitalizing buildings, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.

There are more than 120,000 historic buildings, structures and sites throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic districts.

A representative from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation representative will be available to answer individual property owner questions. Property owners, realtors, contractors, and community leaders from the Lakeview Ave. area are encouraged to attend to learn about new opportunities provided by the National Historic District listing.

This event, which begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, is primarily targeting Lakeview Avenue area residents however is open to the public.