Final Report: McAllen Historic Preservation Plan

Hardy Heck Moore, Inc; Clarion Associates

Executive summary: "In early 2009, the City of McAllen contracted Hardy·Heck·Moore, Inc. and Clarion Associates to complete a citywide historic preservation plan, along with design guidelines for the Las Palmas local historic district and the S. 17th Street area of downtown. The project was funded in part by a grant through the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program of the National Park Service, administered by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). The goals of the historic preservation plan were to examine the existing condition of historic preservation in McAllen and to develop strategies to survey and document historic resources, develop new incentives to promote preservation, encourage local education, and enhance heritage tourism. To this end, in March 2009 the project team conducted a series of community focus groups and a public forum, as well as a windshield survey within the 1962 annexation boundaries of the City of McAllen. The resulting preservation plan sets forth a series of action items that create synergy between historic preservation and ongoing economic development and urban redevelopment efforts. The vision guiding the preservation plan depicts a vibrant city with prioritized significant historic resources and historic districts, where appropriate rehabilitation is guided by a smooth and efficient public review process, surrounded by dynamic urban fabric. This vision is guided by five key themes that express the values of McAllen’s citizens: downtown revitalization, neighborhood stabilization, education, heritage tourism development, and efficient preservation program administration. These themes are translated into the following ten action items to promote visible, physical preservation of historic properties: 1. Fine Tune and Improve Historic Preservation Ordinance 2. Publicize and Supplement Existing Tax Incentives 3. Facilitate the Establishment of a Non-Profit Preservation Partner 4. Build Internal City Support for Preservation 5. Survey and Document Historic Resources 6. Protect and Rehabilitate the S. 17th Street Entertainment District 7. Use Complementary Planning Tools for Buffers Surrounding Historic Districts 8. Designate a Commercial Conservation District Downtown 9. Develop a Heritage Tourism Strategy 10. Create a Model Farm To conclude, these action items are integrated into an implementation matrix, which assigns specific tasks to responsible parties and sets a target implementation date. A series of appendices supports the preservation plan and provides the additional information necessary to guide its implementation." Funding was provided in part by a 2008 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of McAllen (project number TX-08-033) administered by the Texas State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 48-08-21748) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. McAllen, Texas is a Certified Local Government.

Final Report: McAllen Historic Preservation Plan

Collections