During the recent trustee election, both candidates, Suzanne Murphy Sullivan and Emilio Grillo, called for the preservation of Rockville Centre. Also, just this past May, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to pass legislation that would cap the density of multi-family developments in the commercial district at 25 units per acre in an effort to keep oversized developments from popping up in the business district.
A historic preservation ordinance would be just another tool in the toolbox in preserving the character and integrity of a village teeming with many old homes, including old Victorians, Colonials and Sea Captains homes, many over 100-years-old.
Charla Bolton, preservation advocate for the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, said that many villages on Long Island don't have a local historic preservation law. "In the past, people have been more property rights oriented and reluctant to have more regulations imposed," she said. "However, the long term cost to that is development which really isn't suitable and will eventually result in the devaluation of property. People today are seeing the value of historic preservation laws as a way to protect community character and community design."
About five years ago, Bolton was invited to Rockville Centre to speak to the Historical Society about historic preservation. Liz Boylan, who organized the event, gave her a tour of the village, which greatly impressed Bolton. "[Rockville Centre] has a good collection of domestic architecture from the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth century, ranging from quite important buildings to more modest structures," she said.
After Bolton's visit, the historic preservation movement "went into limbo," Boylan said. At the time there was a lot of work being done on the Village Code, which took priority over historic preservation. "The time wasn't ripe for it then, but it seems ripe for it now," she said, "especially as older people are looking to sell the homes they've been in for forty to fifty years, and younger families come in."
Mary Parker, a 17-year resident of the Village who lives in a 103-year-old Victorian home on Morris Avenue, is deeply concerned by what she's been seeing in Rockville Centre. Over the past few years she's seen a trend in older, possibly historic homes, being demolished to make room for "McMansions," over-sized homes on a smaller plot of land, or several homes on a plot of land where previously only one stood. "If you buy old, then keep it old," she said. "If you want a modern home, then buy modern." She feels that people who live in the older homes should serve more as caretakers, so that the houses can be passed down to the next generation of homebuyers.
Along with many other residents, Parker is calling for a historic preservation ordinance. "People move from Queens and Brooklyn to places like Rockville Centre for the old, historic feel," she said. An ordinance will help people with older homes protect this feel.
Boylan agrees that the older homes are definitely threatened by new development. "It's always a concern when you see an old house for sale on a big piece of property that the wrecking ball is close by," she said. "Having a historical preservation law will be a benefit to Rockville Centre, the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County. It will also be an incentive for other areas to follow suit."
There are two ways for the Village to get a historical preservation ordinance. The first would be for the Village Board to draft such an ordinance and hold a public hearing about it. This is probably the most least likely way Rockville Centre will see the passing of such a law, as Mayor Eugene Murray believes many residents don't want historical homes because of heavy regulations that come with the title.
The best bet to see such a law passed would be to have the movement begin from within the community. The problem, said Boylan, will be finding someone within the community to step up and spearhead the effort.
"We need to maintain the character of the village," she said. "It's a link to the past. Once it's gone, it's gone. We've got to hold onto it, but unless it has the backing of the community, it has no teeth."
Parker also believes that the movement towards passing legislation needs to come from the community. "There's a lot of talent in Rockville Centre that could help to make this happen," she said. She'd like to see the Historical Society step up to take charge.
Ed Oppenheimer, current chair of the parking committee and a nearly 50-year resident of the Village, said historic preservation can be considered either a blessing or a burden on a community. "It's a blessing in the fact that we'd be able to keep important parts of our history and our past so that we could learn from it," he said, "but it can also be a burden on a property owner if they want to make improvements or changes to their home."
Bolton said there are often misconceptions, often promoted by the real estate industry, regarding regulations on historic homes, which is usually why people are opposed to designating their home as historic.
"If the law is well-written, the regulations do not prevent an owner from adding onto their home, from painting it whatever color they want or from doing anything in the interior," she said. "The essence of historic preservation law is architectural review. This means if you do want to add onto your house and it's an historical structure, the architecture of the addition is reviewed by a body of experts to ensure that it's compatible with the existing structure."
Each town or village can write their local preservation law so that it is tailored to the needs of the village. This means that it can be as strict and heavily regulated as the residents want it to be.
Both property owners and preserving history need to be considered when constructing such a law, Oppenheimer said. "You have to construct a law so that no one is ecstatic, but no one is thoroughly aggravated," he said. "If neither side walks away happy or upset, if they've each won and lost a little, then it's a pretty good [law]. You have to be cognizant that someone has to give a little."
A model law is available from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's Historic Preservation Fields Services Bureau.
For now, though there is no local law, buildings can be added to the national registry of historic places. The Post Office and Village Hall are both on this registry. The national registry gives buildings a certain amount of cache; however, it does not protect a building from being torn down, it only protects it from federal actions, such as road widenings. Local laws give these buildings much more protection by requiring extensive review before it can be torn down or majorly altered.
As more families move to Rockville Centre and older homes are threatened by new development, a local preservation law might be in the best interest of the Village. Bolton said, "Communities that have landmark laws do a better job of protecting their character."
"Whole sale change is good for the village," Oppenheimer said. "Is uncontrolled change good for the Village? No. But I think it... has to be open to change so that it stays somewhat fresh and does not stagnate." Still, he believes a local preservation law is worth considering.
Parker feels the community needs to work together in order to keep Rockville Centre a place where people want to live. "If there's no preservation and people are continued to be permitted to build anywhere, it will have a negative impact on the quality of life as well as property values."
She added, "People need a sense of their roots. You have to know where you came from to know where you're going."
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