State looks to move offices into historic buildings

Communities like Baker City that are committed to restoring downtown historic districts got a boost from an executive order scheduled to be signed today by Gov. Ted Kulongoski directing state agencies to make it a priority to locate offices and hold meetings in historic districts.

“It’s possible this may be the strongest executive order of any state in the nation” setting a requirement for state agencies to consider historic districts first, said Barbara Sidway of Baker City, who chaired a subcommittee on historic preservation that recommended and helped draft the executive order.

Mary Oberst, the governor’s wife, and Constance Beaumont of the Oregon Department of Transportation served on the subcommittee with Sidway.

“The executive order is a way to say that government needs to be a participant with private entities to make our downtowns be vibrant community centers,” Oberst said.

Creating more opportunities for people to work downtown will result in more customers for downtown restaurants, coffee shops and other businesses, Oberst said.

She said the executive order is “sort of a green measure,” based on the notion that “the greenest building we can use is a building that is already built.”

Sidway traveled to McMinnville to speak and to participate in the signing ceremony with Kulongoski, Oberst and others who also worked on the executive order.

Sidway said the order encourages state agencies needing office space to look first at historic districts, whether or not the buildings are listed on  the National Registry of Historic Buildings.

“We talked about that issue at some length, and we wanted it broadly for historic communities — not favoring buildings on the historic registry,” she said.

The preference for historic districts also requires state agencies to give preference to sites for new buildings within or in close proximity to historic districts, Sidway said.

In addition to provisions relating to locating state offices in historic districts, Sidway said the executive order also requires state agencies to consider holding meetings in historic districts, and when employees stay overnight while on state business, to choose accommodations in historic districts rather than on the outskirts of town, provided the costs are comparable.

The executive order was drafted at Kulongoski’s request to be revenue neutral, meaning “not one extra dollar in state tax revenues will be spent because this executive order was signed,” Sidway said.

“Downtown must be a cost-effective alternative,” she said.

To accomplish that, Sidway said the executive order calls for agency officials to compare costs of locating in historic districts with other sites, as part of the site selection process for new office space, meeting or lodging accommodations, events and so forth.

Sidway said there are empty buildings and unused upper stories in buildings in downtown Baker City and other historic districts in communities across the state that could see greater utilization in coming years as a result of the executive order.

In addition to the unused building space in historic districts, Sidway said those districts often have greater sewer and water main potential, wide streets and sidewalks and other infrastructure that is currently being underutilized.

 Sidway said she lobbied to have the executive order signed in Baker City, but due to travel costs for the governor and his staff, and other considerations, the governor’s office chose to hold the signing ceremony in McMinnville, which along with Baker City has one of the most successful downtown revitalization programs in the state.

“This is good news for historic buildings,” said Ann Mehaffy, program manager for Historic Baker City Inc., which manages Baker City’s downtown historic district renovation efforts.

“We want mixed use. The more these buildings are used the better,” Mehaffy said.

She said increasing utilization of upper stories in buildings for office and residential space is a priority for Baker City’s historic district rejuvenation efforts.

She said the prospect of getting state agencies involved in bringing older buildings and upper stories in historic districts up to current code requirements for office space would be very beneficial.

“Hopefully there will be more interest in resolving all of the fire and safety code issues that have to be addressed on the state level,” Mehaffy said.

She said fire and safety code issues have been an impediment to developing office space and apartments in the upper floors of historic buildings, and getting past that hurdle will go a long way to making downtown historic districts more successful and vital places.

“I will say any use of these buildings is a good use,” Mehaffy said.