City of Kannapolis Heritage Districts and HeritageHistoric Preservation City Council Retreat Decembe

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City of KannapolisHeritage Districts and
Heritage/Historic Preservation City Council
RetreatDecember 3-4, 2009
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Why Preserve and Promote our Heritage?

• Creates jobs and businesses.
• Increases tax revenues.
• Diversifies local economy.
• Creates opportunities for partnerships.
• Attracts visitors interested in history and
  preservation.

• Increases historic attraction revenues.
• Preserves local traditions and culture.
• Generates local investment in historic resources.
  
• Builds community pride in heritage.
• Increases awareness of the site or areas
  significance.

Source National Trust for Historic Preservation
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Proposed Heritage Districts A geographic
manifestation of a larger initiative of historic
preservation and cultural heritage tourism.

• Center City (Downtown) District
• Mill Village District
• A.L. Brown District
• Carver Neighborhood District

• Geographic boundaries within which a wide range
  of historic preservation and heritage promotion
  activities are proposed to occur.
• A beginning point to a bigger effort.
• Geographic definition can often provide clarity
  and focus to an issue.

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What the Heritage District Plan is NOT(at least
not yet)

• Not recommending the pursuit of a National
  Register of Historic Places designation for any
  particular building or collection of
  buildings/homes.
• Not a Local Historic District (like those found
  in Concord and Salisbury).

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Recommendation

• Support the creation of the four Heritage
  Districts and to consider further study of the
  proposed activities within the districts
• Culture Heritage Trail.
• Improvements to Veterans Park.
• Kannapolis History Museum.
• A Cannon Family Tribute.
• Mill Village Preservation.

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Kannapolis Culture Heritage Trail
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Culture Heritage Trail

• Why do it?
• Kannapolis needs to embrace its unique heritage
  and culture for a variety of reasons.
• Builds pride.
• Brings in tourism dollars.
• Creates a much needed identity boost
• Facilitates the development of a more vibrant
  sense of place.
• Historic preservation and culture/heritage
  tourism are critical to the ultimate goal of
  creating a vibrant and inviting community.

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Culture Heritage Trail

• Why do it?
• A relatively inexpensive way to tell the
  Kannapolis story and to preserve, protect and
  honor our past.
• The Culture and Heritage Trail approach can
• Help preserve and promote the physical
  environment (e.g., historic buildings, historic
  value neighborhoods, natural resources, cultural
  assets like museums)
• Promote and honor the nostalgic memory of a
  physical environment now lost (e.g., location of
  significant buildings now gone, memorials to
  individuals, groups or causes such as statues,
  public art, plaques, markers, parks).

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Considerations

• Downtown Kannapolis has a number of cultural and
  heritage assets to protect and promote (and a few
  with the potential to be created and/or grown)
• the Dale Earnhardt Plaza
• an interim/permanent History Museum,
• the GI Memorial House and Museum
• AL Brown High School
• the Durham Building (now Old Stone Vino),
• the N.C. Music Hall of Fame (in the former
  Kannapolis Police Dept a story in itself)
• Curb Motorsports Museum
• Veterans Park
• Village Park
• a potential Cannon Family Tribute
• the Gem Theatre
• the historic Kannapolis Cemetery

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Considerations

• Other current or potential assets
• the historic Carver Cemetery (which needs a lot
  of work)
• a potentially relocated Dale Earnhardt/Sam Bass
  Gallery
• at least two major Mill Villages
• The Carver Neighborhood
• several large 75 year old single family homes
  on S. Ridge Avenue and South Main Street
• a potential recreated Model Mill Village
• several former sites with a rich history (a
  number of Cannon Mills sites, former YMCA site,
  sites in the Carver neighborhood, the companion
  movie theaters to the Gem, etc.)

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Recommendation

• Staff recommends that City Council endorse the
  idea of a Culture Heritage Trail and direct
  staff to proceed with the next steps
• Establish a working group with representatives of
  the Kannapolis History Associates, the Parks and
  Recreation Commission, Atlantic American
  Properties, Kannapolis Business Alliance,
  Cabarrus Convention and Visitors Bureau, City
  Council and (possibly) the Planning Commission to
  further this initiative.
• Several project development meetings will be held
  to identify resources, and map out the trail.
• A more formalized plan of action (including cost
  estimates for historic markers, marketing
  materials, etc.) will be completed and presented
  to the full groups (City Council, Parks and
  Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, etc).
  
• The plan is endorsed ball all groups with a
  pledge to support and promote the new Culture
  Heritage Trail.

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Budget

• Without a detailed plan for the Culture and
  Heritage Trail, it is difficult to establish a
  range of costs. However, due to the wide range
  of possibilities (marketing effort, installation
  of markers, signage, etc.) it is recommended that
  the balance of the History Book proceeds 42,700
  (57,700 less 15,000 for the proposed interim
  History Museum) should go towards the effort.
• There is the possibility of securing outside
  funding sources (grants) to help supplement these
  activities.
• No significant funds will be spent until such
  time that a detailed plan of action (and budget)
  is completed. This plan will be presented to
  City Council at a future meeting.

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Improvements to Veterans Park
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Veterans Park History

• During WW II. Cannon Mills constructed Little
  Mt. Vernon which names of those serving in the
  war were placed. It was removed after the war
  and lost.
• 1976. American Legion Beaver Pittman Post 115
  provided about 60,000 to carry out construction
  of gazebo and purchase of sundial (designed by
  Joe Haken of Chapel Hill who designed the sundial
  at Moorehead Planetarium in Charlotte). The
  money came from the American Legion sponsored
  baseball games. Walter Safrit raised the first
  flag over the new memorial.
• 1998. City Council acquired the formerly named
  Town Park from Atlantic American Properties.
• 2001. City Council officially changed the name to
  Veterans Park.
• 2006-07. Adjacent Town Lake and Circle Drive
  removed by the NCRC construction.
• 2006-07. 397,000 Funds included in the NCRC TIF
  financial plan for improvements to the Park.

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Improvements to Veterans Park

• Why do it?
• To transform this important park into a vital
  people gathering place for the NCRC, downtown and
  the City as a whole.
• To serve as a more fitting tribute to the Citys
  veterans and their families.
• To serve as an anchor to recently proposed
  downtown heritage district.

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First Baptist Church Request

• Request is that permission be given to construct
  a driveway (with a cul-de-sac bulb) at the rear
  of the church (essentially where the old circle
  drive used to be)
• Property in question owned by both AAP and the
  City.
• They would use this proposed driveway to allow
  for drop offs and pick ups, mostly for the
  churchs elderly and disabled members.
• Can be considered as part of the design of the
  park but it is unclear what the advantage to the
  City and its citizens would be to give up
  valuable land for this purpose.

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Recommendation

• City Council funds the NCRC TIF amount (est.
  397,000) assuming first TIF issuance has
  available proceeds.
• Establish a Veterans Park Citizens Committee
  (including representation from veterans
  organizations) to
• Pursue additional funding from private and
  non-profit sources for appropriate memorial
  improvements.
• Recommend approval of the design plans. (The
  Parks and Recreation Commission would also review
  and comment on the design).
• City hires landscape architect for the design of
  the park improvements. Architect works with
  Committee (and City) to design and construct the
  improvements.

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Budget

• 397,000 is included in the current NCRC TIF
  financial plan but its inclusion in the first
  bond series is to certain.
• Very preliminary cost estimates focused on
  reworking the pedestrian amenities, adding brick
  sidewalk pavers, a water feature and upgrading
  the lighting and landscaping.
• The intent of the TIF investment was to bring new
  life to the park and to promote its use as a
  gathering place for the NCRC and the general
  public.
• This budget figure focuses on basic park
  amenities and did not include significant dollars
  for improvements of items like the sundial or the
  gazebo.

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Budget

• Excluded were dollars for additional construction
  of new veterans memorial components.
• However, TIF funds should be used to leverage
  other funding sources, including financial
  participation from the community.
• Residents could be offered the opportunity to buy
  bricks bearing the name of a loved one who had
  died in service or in honor of serviceman or
  woman.
• Sponsorships of the major memorials should be
  examined closely.

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Kannapolis History Museum
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Kannapolis History Museum

• Why do it?
• The Kannapolis History Associates have long been
  interested finding a way to establish a location
  to house and display historic artifacts.
• The closure of the Visitors Center by Atlantic
  American Properties (AAP) has accelerated the
  need to establish a clear plan for this endeavor.
  
• The History Associates have recently hired a
  consultant to examine the available artifacts and
  the results were that there is a good collection
  of diverse materials to begin a museum.

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Considerations

• Short-Term
• At this time there are no plans or funding for a
  permanent museum, downtown or otherwise.
• Option partner with the Kannapolis History
  Associates to organize and display some of the
  historic artifacts on the walls and in open
  spaces in the Train Station (including the small
  meeting room).
• Could support both wall hangings and some limited
  artifacts occupying floor space.
• The downside to locating floor-based artifacts is
  that doing so could limit some flexibility of the
  space.
• These spaces are currently nearly barren and need
  some life to them.
• Some artifacts (at least pictures) could also be
  placed in the Citys Customer Service Center.
• The History Associates likely will be willing to
  manage the process of organizing and establishing
  the interim museum based on parameters the City
  sets in place.

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Considerations

• Long-Term
• Approach AAP about free/low cost space
• City could built some display space as part of
  its future City Hall.
• If a new building were to be constructed, the
  property off West A Street (the Pete Green
  property) might be a possibility. There has
  been discussions in the past about possibly
  recreating a typical Mill Village on this
  property with several donated mill homes.
• Kannapolis History Associates are in negotiations
  on a tract of land (in Kannapolis but outside of
  downtown).
• Would facilitate a restoration of an historic
  home and potentially build a museum there.
• They are also discussing a passive park but there
  is no commitment.
• The History Associates have hired a fundraiser
  and plan to start after the first of the year.
  This could take years.

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Recommendation

• Short-Term
• City staff recommends proceeding with the
  short-term plan of utilizing the Kannapolis Train
  Station as an interim repository/museum of
  historic Kannapolis artifacts.
• Long-Term
• City staff recommends that a more consistent line
  of communication be established with the
  Kannapolis History Associates to examine
  potential partnerships.

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Budget

• The History Associates appear to have some
  available resources that could possibly apply to
  the effort.
• It is recommended that up to 15,000 of the
  History Book proceeds should go towards the
  effort of establishing an interim History Museum
  for expenses such as
• consultant services to design the wall and floor
  spaces.
• physical movement of some of the larger pieces.
• wall mounting expenses and signage.

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A Cannon Family Tribute
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Cannon Family Tribute

• Why do it?
• The idea of a Cannon Family Tribute has been
  briefly discussed by City Council in the past.
• Previous discussions have centered on the idea
  that the community (including former mill
  employees) should take the lead on this effort.
• There is no disputing the value of honoring the
  contributions the Cannons made to Kannapolis,
  the region and the State.
• Community members may (or may not) decide that
  they would like to pursuing fundraising for a
  statue or some other tribute.

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Considerations

• Potential locations
• Village Park,
• City owned land along South Main Street adjacent
  to the railroad tracks
• On privately owned land somewhere on the NCRC or
  in Cannon Village,
• On the Train Station property perhaps on the
  loading platform (may not be enough room unless
  adjacent property is acquired).
• Should be downtown (within the boundaries of the
  proposed Heritage District).
• It may be difficult to accomplish a suitable
  Veterans Memorial and a first class Cannon
  Family Tribute concurrently.
• Recognition of the Cannon familys contributions
  can be incorporated into the proposed Kannapolis
  Heritage Trail and can be memorialized (rather
  inexpensively) through historic markers and
  similar means.

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Recommendation

• Staff recommends that the City Council appoint
  an exploratory committee to examine the
  challenges and opportunities involved in the
  construction of a suitable tribute to the Cannon
  family.

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Budget

• As a point of reference, the Dale Earnhardt
  Tribute cost approximately 525,000 (on free
  land) between 2001-2005 (including the 250,000
  statute)
• The Exploratory Committee would need to examine
  the potential costs, but 250,000 to 500,000 is
  a good range from which to start the discussion.

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Mill Village Preservation
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Mill Village Preservation

• Why do it?
• As new development begins to occur around the
  North Carolina Research Campus, the potential for
  undesired development within the Citys mill
  villages will certainly increase. As such,
  preserving the character of these neighborhoods
  becomes increasingly important.
• The City Council has indicated a desire to
  protect certain portions of the Citys mill
  villages while avoiding placing unreasonable
  burdens on property owners.

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Considerations

• Why do it?
• There are several options for preserving these
  areas, of which a Mill Village Overlay District
  seems to be most in line with City Councils
  desires.
• The requirements of an overlay district would be
  determined by Council rather than dictated by a
  State organization.
• Such a district could be designed to protect the
  character of the neighborhoods, by limiting the
  size and scope of projects, rather than
  regulating specific building materials and
  architectural styles.

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Recommendation

• Staff recommends that City Council direct the
  Planning Department to explore the challenges and
  opportunities involved in the creation of a Mill
  Village Overlay District and report back with
  findings and recommendations within 3 months.
• Postponement of this initiative might put these
  sensitive areas at risk for unwanted destruction
  and development. This is especially true as the
  economy improves and the NCRC gets back on track.

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Budget

• This project has no impact on the budget.
  However, if implemented correctly, the initiative
  can result in substantial property value
  protections and enhancements over time.

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Additional Discussion/Questions