The lot on which this residence at 726 W. Sherman St. sits was designated Monday night by the Paris City Council as a Historic Overlay District in recognition of the home’s historic, architectural or cultural significance. (eParisExtra photo by Charles Richards)
By CHARLES RICHARDS
eParisExtra
The Paris City Council on Monday night approved the request of a west Paris resident for a change in zoning to preserve and protect his property as historically significant.
George Ronald Shannon Sr., 69, asked that his residence at 726 W. Sherman St. be given a Historic District Overlay designation – a request that the city’s Historic Preservation Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission gave their nod of approval in recent weeks by 4-0 votes.
The purpose of a Historic Preservation District is to perpetuate individual structures and premises that have historic, architectural or cultural significance. Improvement on such structures must be in keeping with the character to be preserved and enhanced.
Shannon was present, but no one spoke at a public hearing on the proposal. The council then voted 6-0 to amend the city’s zoning ordinance to designate his property as a historic overlay district. The council gave passage on first reading by a super majority (two-thirds) vote of 6-0.
Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Grossnickle presided in the absence of Mayor AJ Hashmi, who was out of town.
On Sept. 24, Shannon told the Historic Preservation Commission that he has been in the house for 10 years and will be restoring it as close to the original as possible. The residence is a Latimer house, built with square nails and high ceilings.
At that meeting, one neighbor spoke in opposition to Shannon’s request. Kenneth Grubbs of 332 7th ST SW asked if the change would affect the entire block and if the designation would raise taxes on the property. Grubbs also expressed concern about the deterioration in the neighborhood.
Shannon told the commission he understands the guidelines and the restrictions the process will place on the property.
Skipper Steely, who lives at 801 Sherman St., almost across the street from Shannon, spoke at the same hearing, saying he was speaking neither for nor against it. He said his home is listed on the national register and he was unaware a person could request stand-alone designation.
Like Grubbs, Steely said he was concerned over the condition of property in the area. A number of homes are dilapidated and should be torn down, Steely said.
After the public hearing before the HPC, commission chairman Paul Denney said Shannon’s house would be the only property affected by the petition and that taxes would not go up unless something was done to cause the resident to be appraised at a higher value.
HPC member Ben Vaughan asked if the historic designated applied also to a barn on the property, and city official Jeanna Scott replied that it covered the entire property, but any structure must be 50 years old to qualify.
HPC member Douglas Cox asked during the September meeting if Shannon planned to restore the barn to its original state, and Shannon said he did not, but would be painting the barn and doing some work on the front porch of his residence.
Vaughan abstained from the HPC’s vote approving the overlay.
Charles Richards Charles Richards moved to Paris in 2004 after retiring from a 40-year career in journalism – the last 26 years as a news writer and sports writer with The Associated Press in Dallas and Washington, D.C. In mid-2004, The Paris News coaxed him out of retirement, and he began covering the police, court and regional beat for The Paris News. Then in early 2005, he was switched to coverage of a sharply divided Paris City Council. He was appointed by the City Council in 2006 to the 12-member City Charter Review Commission, which extensively rewrote the outmoded document. His writing awards include two first-place awards in statewide competition for feature writing. The most recent was his 2005 story on a Paris doctor’s startling use of leeches in a successful attempt to re-attach a man’s severed ear. Over his career, Richards’ interview subjects include Alabama Gov. George Wallace, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, David Koresh, Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali and numerous other political and sports figures. He is an alumnus of Texas Tech, where he was editor of the school newspaper. He lives in Paris with his wife, Barbara, who is retired after 30 years as a teacher and high school counselor.
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