State Committee Suspends Move on Historic Districts

Above: Map showing historic districts in East Lansing, courtesy City of East Lansing

The Chair of the Local Government Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives is backing away from proposed legislation that might have made maintenance of historic districts throughout the state, including in East Lansing, significantly more difficult. The news comes in an email sent this evening to historic preservation advocates by Xiaohan Bao, Historic Properties Coordinator of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network.

Bao called this “a big victory for historic preservation in Michigan,” but warned his allies, “we all need to remain cautious and vigilant.” The Preservation Network had previously said the proposed legislation, known as HB-5232, would “jeopardize historic resources” in Michigan. ELi previously reported that the City of East Lansing had been gearing up, along with other cities, to fight against the legislation.

 According to the communication from Bao, Local Government Committee Chair Rep. Lee Chatfield, of the Petoskey area, has informed his constituents that he has “been unable to adequately satisfy many of the concerns of my constituents.” He said he was moving to “indefinitely suspend consideration” of the legislation as well as “the conversation of reform to the Michigan Historic Preservation Act.”