Historical district meeting delayed
Staff writer
A public hearing on development of a downtown Marion historical district, originally scheduled for Monday evening, was postponed to an uncertain date.
City Administrator Brian Wells told council members Monday that he had made attempts to reach Ben Moore Studio, the architectural firm that began working on the project in 2019, but had not heard back.
Getting the downtown declared a historical district would open the door to tax credits to pay for building improvements.
The project stalled during 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic, when public meetings could not be scheduled.
Ben Moore Studio was re-enlisted to shepherd the program this time around. The process usually takes a year to a year and a half.
When the downtown area was surveyed in 2019, a total of 44 buildings — nearly all of Marion’s downtown — were nominated for the Kansas Historical Society to review.
This time around, a slightly larger section of town is being considered for inclusion.
The buildings were in an area that includes Main St. from Walnut to 5th Sts., 3rd St. from Valley United Methodist Church to Marion City Library, and adjoining areas.
Once the proposed district is submitted to the state, it will be hard to add buildings to it, Moore said.
Buildings have to be at least 50 years old.