There are numerous statewide preservation-focused initiatives that are happening in Pennsylvania right now, and Pennsylvania Downtown Center has been invited to participate in partnership with many of them.
In November 2017, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) convened a group of statewide and regional nonprofit organizations, a Preservation Roundtable, to discuss ways that we can together, best support the state preservation ethic through the commonwealth. With the exciting release of the Pennsylvania’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan – 2018-2023: #PreservationHappensHere the group was eager to begin to implement the recommendations of activities and goals identified in the plan for ‘action and collaboration’. The plan identifies activities that PHMC will support and fulfill as the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO), but it also identifies activities that each one of us can help to accomplish: as individual residents, as non-profit organizations, as local government officials, as county or regional organizations, as well as statewide non-profit organizations.
The four broad goals of the plan are to:
· Implement the statewide historic preservation plan as a resource that provides solution-oriented steps for preservation outcomes.
· Use the power of planning to transform Pennsylvania’s historic places into vibrant and diverse communities.
· Position Pennsylvania to better respond to new preservation challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.
· Invest in the future of Pennsylvania through the commonwealth’s historic places and the people and programs that protect and celebrate them.
In May, many of Pennsylvania’s communities and organizations participated and supported Preservation Month by tweeting, sharing, liking and posting ways that we are all supporting preservation in our communities. Thank you for making the statewide cooperative social media blitz of ‘31 Stories for 31 Days’ so successful!
Additional areas of focus for the Preservation Roundtable are around: preservation awareness building activities, advocacy around other supportive and aligning efforts, and supporting and growing the PA Historic Preservation Tax Credit (HPTC).
PDC was invited to participate in a workshop jointly sponsored by the PA Senate Majority Policy Committee and the PA Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, in conjunction with Preservation PA and PHMC, held on June 18, 2018. With the leadership from Senator David Argall and Senator Tom McGarrigle, representatives were given opportunities to speak to the necessity and opportunities that the HPTC provides to communities, business owners, and developers all over Pennsylvania. We are one of thirty-five states that offer preservation tax credits, but each state differs greatly in the amount and options available, with most structured to be able to accompany or support the federal tax credit. In Pennsylvania, we are currently capped at $3 million annually, where states like Ohio have $60 million available annually. Other locations offer specific incentives relating to affordable housing projects, as well as projects that assist current homeowners.
In anticipation of the PA HPTC sun setting in fiscal year 2019-2020, Preservation PA has hired our friend, Donovan Rypkema from Place Economics, to undergo an economic impact study of the tax credit in PA. The study includes recommended improvements, such as: an annual allocation of upwards of $50 million, increasing the per project cap to $2.5 million, offering two rounds per year as to better serve the eligible projects, affordable housing benefits, priority funding given to communities that have not had previous projects, etc. Look for information in the near future on how you and your community can provide support and advocacy in support of these recommendations.
As the Commonwealth's only statewide, private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of historically and architecturally significant resources, Preservation PA is at the forefront of preservation-related initiatives and issues. As the only statewide nonprofit dedicated solely to the revitalization of the commonwealth's core communities, PDC is at the forefront of downtown and neighborhood revitalization.
They’re kind of like peanut butter and jelly, good on their own, but better together. Preservation PA and Pennsylvania Downtown Center is inquiring into ways that we can better coordinate our efforts so that Pennsylvania’s communities can benefit from our complementary missions.
Stay tuned to see what happens next!