Huntley town square landmark status still up in air

Huntley’s Historic Preservation Commission may not have won the favor of the Village Board to designate the village’s town square as a landmark on its first try, but after the appointment of several new commissioners, the group is ready to try again.

Donna Britton, chairwoman of the commission, said the group had advised the board several years ago – before a tax increment financing district had been drawn around the area – that it would like to designate the town square as a landmark.

But because of the uncertainty of what development would be possible in the area, Britton said the board did not act on the request.

“Landmarking does pose some restrictions, and they didn’t want to restrict the [town square] in the future,” Britton said.

The commission discussed the matter again during its Tuesday meeting and is preparing an application, Britton said.

“We’re just collecting all that information, and by next month, we might have all of that collected and can advise the Village Board that we’d like to proceed,” Britton said.

Before a landmark designation ruling can be made, the commission must hold a public hearing to give residents the chance to express their views, according to village code. The commission then will review the information and submit its recommendations for Village Board consideration.

Once designated, no permits for the alteration, demolition or other physical modifications to a landmark may be issued by the village without the commission conducting an advisory review.