Incentives for Historic Preservation
Credit: Innovative Tools for Historic Preservation by Marya Morris, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Planning Advisory Service Report Number 438.
Financial incentives to rehabilitate and maintain historic buildings help foster private participation and investment in preservation. They encourage owners of historic property, who may or may not be active or interested in preservation, to save their structures and become advocates. With incentives, property owners can even become active participants in other preservation initiatives, such as historic and conservation zoning and landmark designation. Ultimately, incentives are the answer to the property owner's question, "What's in it for me?"
Incentive programs for historic preservation have at least five purposes. The first is to provide a contract of sorts between the property owner and the public that says, "If you take care of this property, the public will give you some public money." The second is to counter government forces or land-use policies that inadvertently threaten historic resources. The third is to generate systematic rehabilitation of historic buildings. The fourth is to provide a level playing field for rehabilitation projects to compete with new construction or abandonment. Finally, incentive programs compensate owners who may be significantly burdened by historic preservation laws.
For more detailed information, try the following pages:
Federal Tax Incentives Home Owners Tax Incentives
The Vermont Heritage Network
The University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program
Wheeler House, University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
(802)656-3180
http://www.uvm.edu/~vhnet
E-mail To: vhnet@zoo.uvm.edu