Historic District Commission 

The historic district commission is the regulatory body that reviews work in local historic districts. Commission members are appointed by the local unit of government and serve three-year terms. Depending on the size of the community, the historic district commission consists of five to seven members who are residents of the community and have a demonstrated knowledge of history, architecture and historic preservation. When a local unit of government votes to establish a local historic district, it must adopt a historic district ordinance and appoint a historic district commission to carry out the procedures set forth in the ordinance.

The commission reviews any work that changes the exterior appearance of a resource in a local historic district using the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The commission can develop additional guidelines that deal with specific features, but these guidelines must be approved by the State Historic Preservation Office. Work is described as construction, addition, alteration, repair, moving excavation or demolition. A resource can be a building, structure, object, site, feature or open space. The commission reviews:

• Proposed work to all sides of the resource whether they are visible from the right of way or not

• Proposed work to both historic and non-historic resources in a designated district

• The open space that ties buildings together in a district. Examples: Old growth street trees planted along a boulevard, a park, or a garden designed by a famous landscape architect.

• Work that would affect small features or ancillary buildings that have been determined to be significant to the district such as street lights, stone walls, brick pavements and garages

• All resources in the district at the same level of review using the same standards and guidelines

• The Appeal Process
  
  
• Frequently Asked Questions About Local Historic Districts
  
  
• Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation 

• Greenville Historic District Application for Project Review (Email to the City Assessor at lchristensen@greenvillemi.org)
  

Historic District Commission
Cameron Van Wyngarden
411 South Lafayette Street
Greenville, Michigan 48838
(616) 754-5645
cvanwyngarden@greenvillemi.org