Chicago Suburb Glencoe Weighs Preservation Incentives

Glencoe officials are debating how far the village should go to preserve its historic housing stock, as teardown pressure chips away at the North Shore suburb’s architectural legacy.

The Preservation Commission pitched a package of new incentives, from tax rebates to permit fee discounts, aimed at encouraging owners to landmark their properties, the Record North Shore reported. But trustees balked at the potential price tag, questioning whether the village should shoulder the cost of keeping older homes intact.

Glencoe designates homes in three categories: “certified landmarks,” which carry strict protections and qualify for state and local incentives; “honorary landmarks,” subject only to demolition delays and advisory reviews; and “historically significant” homes, which come with no regulatory teeth. Since 2013, when the state limited tax benefits to certified landmarks only, honorary designations have plummeted — and demolitions have picked up. Just three homes have received honorary status in the past 12 years, compared with 92 between 1990 and 2013. Eight honorary landmarks have been torn down since 2013, nearly matching the 13 lost over the prior two decades.

In an effort to reverse the trend, the commission proposed giving certified landmark owners rebates of up to 90 percent on building permit fees and $2,000 annual property tax breaks for eight years. Honorary landmarks would qualify for 50 percent fee rebates. Both programs would be capped annually to control village costs.

The group also asked trustees to consider zoning incentives, such as flexible setbacks and height allowances, as a lower-cost way to make preservation more appealing. Other recommendations included doubling demolition delays to 360 days and requiring owners to consent to honorary designations. The Village Board asked staff for more detail and is set to revisit the issue at its Sept. 18 meeting.

The question of preservation versus development is also being put to the test in other high-end Chicagoland suburbs. Last year, buyers in Winnetka wanted to tear down a $12.3 million historic mansion known as the Clement Stone Mansion, at 445 Sheridan Road, a Spanish revival built in 1912. And after rolling out an anti-teardown incentives package in Hinsdale three years ago, that town’s Historic Preservation Commission changed the minds of the buyers of a 1930s colonial mansion set to be demolished.

— Eric Weilbacher