Fearing the destruction of the historic 4th Avenue Theatre downtown, city officials moved Tuesday to impose new restrictions and more public involvement when it comes to the demolition of historic properties.
An ordinance introduced to the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday sets up a review process tied to attempts to demolish historic buildings. It comes after the Assembly passed an emergency two-month moratorium on historic building demolitions in October.
Shortly before the Assembly imposed the moratorium, the owners of the theater, a building on the National Registry of Historic Places, requested a demolition permit.
Officials later said there was no imminent threat to the theater. But the episode highlighted a gap in the public process covering destruction of treasured buildings, they said.
Over the past two months, the city's Historic Preservation Commission has worked to draft a "demolition delay" ordinance with the help of a team of a consultants. Such an ordinance was already expected to be part of a broader effort to write a citywide historic preservation plan.
The ordinance presented to the Assembly Tuesday lays out a series of new steps before the owners of an invaluable historic property can raze it. That would include a review by the preservation commission, a possible public hearing and additional demolition delays.
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The latest version takes out some of the more controversial proposals, such as forcing owners to keep buildings from decay, and limiting the economic incentive for turning demolition sites into parking lots.
Other cities have adopted similar ordinances, including San Antonio, Texas.
The Assembly is set to hold a hearing on the ordinance on Dec. 20.