BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON -- Antique and specialty store owners, real estate agents and community leaders trumpet the city's historic flavor. And about 1 million tourists visit the Warren County seat annually, many of them drawn to the quaint downtown and historic homes.
To preserve that atmosphere, city council three years ago passed a historic register ordinance. Now some city leaders want to take another look at the law, which was patterned after federal standards for rehabilitation of older homes.
Some officials consider the guidelines too strong; others see them as too lenient, City Planner Marty Kohler said Tuesday. He expects the city's planning commission to arrange a meeting within the next few weeks to discuss the measure.
The ordinance requires the 450 home and business owners in the city's four historic districts around downtown to go before the planning commission before making any modifications to the exteriors of their buildings.
Essentially, the guidelines call for building owners to make every effort to "repair instead of replace" and to avoid using materials such as aluminum or vinyl siding, Mr. Kohler said.
Before the historic register ordinance was passed, a planning commission member conducted a survey and found nearly 90 percent of residents supported such a measure, Mr. Kohler said.
"If Lebanon believes that historic preservation is a critical part of our community image, then the historic district ordinance is our way of ensuring that character is to be maintained."
