By Valerie Baldowski
vbaldowski@henryherald.com

The City of McDonough already has a law on the books explaining how historic districts should be protected. Now, one group wants to identify what areas should be included in those protected districts.

The McDonough Historic Preservation Committee has called a town hall meeting for Saturday, to discuss concerns about the advantages of having the city enact an ordinance to preserve historic districts, said Robbie Robinson, chairman of the McDonough Historic Preservation Commission.

A city ordinance is in place to preserve the city’s historic areas, but it pertains to the ‘how’ and not the ‘where’ aspect, he said.

The preservation group also has called on Jennifer Martin-Lewis, of the University of Georgia’s Center for Community Design and Preservation, and a UGA historic preservation coordinator, to aid affected property owners in the move toward historic designation. The meeting will be in the Henry County Board of Education auditorium at 33 North Zack Hinton Parkway.

Lewis is scheduled to meet with owners of on designated properties listed on the National Park Service’s National Register [of Historic Places], according to Robinson. “We need to designate those districts in order to have protection for them,” he said Thursday. “Some homes in those districts date back as far as the 1890s. A building has to be at least 50 years old to be on the register.”

One district that preservationists want to set aside includes: one lot at 18 Atlanta Street; all or parts of Brown Avenue, Bryan Street, Cleveland Street, College Street, Griffin Street, Hampton Street, Jonesboro Street, Keys Ferry Street, Macon Street, Rogers Street, Sloan Street, and South Zack Hinton Boulevard.

A second district involves Lawrenceville Street, and one lot at 153 Decatur Road, said Robinson.

Rodney Heard, McDonough’s community development director, said there is a need to protect the properties in the historically-designated districts, but said the city should move carefully.

McDonough is considering such an ordinance, but town hall meetings need to be held prior to the city taking any action, he said. “The city has placed a high priority on its preservation efforts, but is being very methodical about public participation, prior to final adoption,” he said. “An ordinance too restrictive can be just as damaging as one with generic requirements.”

An ordinance with an emphasis placed on a simplified "common sense" approach will yield the best results for the city, he said.