Page 100 - Plano, TX Heritage Preservation Plan

BENEFITS &

PROTECTIONS

Management tools are the mechanisms for protecting heritage resources and providing technical assistance related to
preservation. A diverse assortment of preservation tools based on national best practices, and tailored to Plano, should
serve the city’s needs. Proper management begins with the identification of heritage resources through surveys and
evaluation of potential historic significance. Maintaining a comprehensive, up-to-date survey provides property owners
and public officials important information that informs their decisions about the acquisition, designation, maintenance,
and stewardship of historic structures. Maintaining this survey is also a condition of continuing the city’s Certified Local
Government (CLG) status. The city and county’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are also important tools for
identifying potentially significant resources, especially as new resources come of age. Additional data provided by the
County Assessor also enhances the database. After surveys are updated, the designation, protection, and maintenance of
heritage resources can be accomplished. In Plano, these tasks are accomplished through ordinances, underlying zoning,
design guidelines, and a design review process.

Finally, heritage resources cannot be properly cared for without the application of incentives and benefits, which include
financial assistance, regulatory relief, and technical assistance that help property owners maintain historic structures.
Effective preservation programs offer special benefits to stimulate investment in historic structures, encourage owners to
follow appropriate rehabilitation procedures, and assist those with limited budgets.

Goal: Provide the necessary protections to preserve Plano’s heritage resources and
provide quality incentives to support and empower Plano’s heritage partners and property
owners.

IDENTIFICATION OF HERITAGE
RESOURCES

Description
Identifying properties that could be eligible for designation as a heritage
resource, either individually or as a district, is key to ensuring Plano’s heritage
resources are preserved. The City of Plano utilizes the 50-year national threshold
as the initial qualification for heritage resource designation consideration.

Surveys
A survey identifies which properties have historic, architectural, cultural, or
archaeological significance, and which do not. A reconnaissance level survey
(RLS) is a light inspection of an area’s resources, while an intensive level survey
(ILS) provides a closer look at the historic resources in an area. When conducting
a survey, professionals use adopted criteria for determining significance.

Typical Reconnaissance Level Survey In preparation for this 2018 update to the Heritage Preservation Plan, the City
of Plano conducted citywide RLS surveys of residential and non-residential
structures built pre-1960. This survey included approximately 527 locations
across the city.

A second phase of the RLS survey was conducted in early 2018 and included
religious and industrial structures built pre-1960, and city blocks/subdivisions
built between 1960 and 1969. HHM & Associates conducted this phase of the
project.
100 Preservation Plano 150 NOVEMBER 2018