Boro must act to preserve Milltown's historic charm

With two applications pending that would do away with historic Milltown homes in favor of new construction, it's high time that borough officials begin considering ways to preserve the town's character and charm. As members

of the borough's Revitalization Committee recently stated in a letter to the Borough Council, action must be taken to protect the town's historical assets now and in the future.

The discussion comes as two buildings, the Forney Clinic and the Dehner-Zimmerman farmhouse, both dating back about a century and a half, are proposed for demolition. The owner of the Forney Clinic, North Main Street, is planning to sell the property to Valley National Bank for the construction of a new branch. That application, which does not conform to borough zoning, will be heard by the Zoning Board of Adjustment July 12.

Another applicant is scheduled for a hearing before the Planning Board on July 11 to subdivide the Kuhlthau Avenue property of the Dehner/-Zimmerman farmhouse. The farmhouse would be torn down in favor of one single-family home on each quarter-acre lot. That application does conform to borough zoning, meaning the borough could be on shaky legal ground if it were to deny the plan.

The Revitalization Committee has suggested that borough officials adopt a historic preservation ordinance to protect the town's older homes from such conforming applications that would have them demolished. Some have asked that Mayor Gloria Bradford and the council appoint a Historic Preservation Commission to oversee such activity, an idea that has borough officials concerned, partly due to the power a commission would have. It was also said that a commission may wind up placing too many requirements on the owners of historic properties, something officials want to avoid.

It is apparent that at the very least, a committee should be formed to research possibilities for historic preservation and make recommendations to the council, whose members appear to be more than willing to work toward protecting Milltown's aesthetic appeal. The mayor has also asked the borough's planner to review information on the establishment of a commission and a historic district, so that questions can be answered as to the impact of such status in the future.

Councilman Eric Steeber also noted that the borough should adopt new zoning guidelines to make sure that when the older structures can't be saved, at least the new homes and businesses conform to the surrounding architecture. Indeed, this is something the borough's professionals should be examining.

While the town's land-use boards grapple with issues surrounding two historic properties and the developments that would replace them, borough officials ought to be looking at the big picture. As Revitalization Committee member Steve Gregus has pointed out, these applications won't be the last such proposals to call for the razing of cherished remnants of the town's past. With less and less open land to be developed, older properties will be looked at more and more for redevelopment with new construction. In light of that trend, a town like Milltown needs to act fast.