Southpinellas: State chips in $20,000 for building survey

State chips in $20,000 for building survey

The city must match the state grant for a survey of historic buildings, which will help their owners with federal flood rules.

By KATHY SAUNDERS

TREASURE ISLAND -- The state has approved the city's grant to count the island's historic buildings, which could give property owners some flexibility when dealing with federal flood regulations.

"I was jumping up and down excited when I got the notice," said City Planner Lynn Rosetti, who recently received word that the city was awarded $20,000 to conduct the survey of its historic landmarks.

When she applied for the grant in August, Rosetti figured the city would receive only a portion of the money it had requested because of the competition. More than 100 applicants were seeking $3-million in Bureau of Historic Preservation grants. But Secretary of State Katherine Harris said the city would receive the total amount of its request through the Division of Historical Resources.

If city commissioners agree to accept the money, the city has to match the grant. Rosetti said the city's contribution could be in staff or volunteer hours rather than dollars.

City officials have been concerned that federal regulations designed to limit growth in flood-prone areas might be pressuring homeowners into demolishing historic structures rather than rehabilitating them. If those landmarks are placed on the National Register of Historic Places, they would be exempt from the Federal Emergency Management Agency rules that limit renovations to 50 percent of the value of a property.

"Right now, if somebody wants to rehabilitate their bungalow, it (FEMA's rules) can be a real hindrance," said Rosetti. "Many of the mom-and-pop hotels are in that situation, too. Some of them are in really great shape."

Any structure built before 1951 could be eligible for the historic designation. Treasure Island was incorporated May 3, 1955, but many neighborhoods, particularly those along the beaches, were built before the city was established.

Besides being exempt from the FEMA regulations, historic buildings also could qualify for property tax credits, Rosetti said.

In addition, some state funding may be available for rehabilitation of historic landmarks.

Rosetti said the city would use a portion of the grant money to hire a specialist to conduct the research. The grant is available through June 2002, when the inventory should be complete.

"Then we can develop management plans to deal with our properties," Rosetti said. "It will be important to find out what the property owners think and then to look for incentives to encourage rehabilitation."

In the past three years, since commissioners changed their policy about applying for grants, Treasure Island has been awarded nearly $2-million in state and federal grants.

The city has received money to buy beachfront land, repair storm drains in Sunset Beach, buy laptop computers for the Police Department, and develop a program to shift sand from its larger beaches to eroding areas.

City Manager Chuck Coward said the city has another $1-million in applications pending for additional storm drainage improvements, the development of a park at the entrance to Sunset Beach and to extend an existing beach trail to that site.