Suwanee Again To Discuss Potential Historic District

Update 9:55 a.m., March 16

The pending redevelopment of the Pierce's Corner building in Old Town Suwanee has prompted city officials to revive the possibility of a historic district.

Beth Hilscher of the Downtown Development Authority has invited some Old Town property owners via letter to a meeting Saturday, March 17, at 9:30 a.m. at Pierce's Corner on Main Street. DDA wants to pursue the registry of Pierce's Corner and also "would like to pursue creating a National Register Historic District" so that Pierce's Corner and other Old Town property owners could be eligible for federal tax credits, the letter says.

, but the idea was shelved due to lack of public interest. Old Town property owner Linda Fleming delivered a petition to City Council in which several residents were opposed to a historic district.

However, Hilscher's letter stated that a National Register Historic District is "very different" than a local historic district. "A National Register Historic District does not include such local regulatory restrictions," the letter reads.

"The DDA is not seeing to form a local historic district," Hilscher said in an email Friday. "Generally, being on the state or federal registry imposes no restrictions on private property owners' rights to use, modify, or even demolish their properties. It only provides those property owners access to state and/or federal tax credits for qualified renovation work."

The DDA letter also says that the , is interested in utilizing federal and state tax credits with an estimated value of $300,000. To be eligible for such credits, a building must be located in a National Register Historic District or be listed independently on a National Register of Historic Places.

Those credits would be worth more than the $258,000 purchase price for Pierce's Corner.