The Historic Neighborhood Alliance is sponsoring a forum Tuesday night for Salisbury City Council candidates to learn their positions on issues that impact historic neighborhoods.
The forum will be held 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday at Salisbury Station, 215 Depot St.
The Historic Neighborhood Alliance is a nonprofit organization with representatives from each of Salisbury’s historic districts.
It encourages support of continuing revitalization of the city’s neighborhoods; serves as an open channel of communication among the neighborhoods; and identifies issues of common concern while working together to facilitate the resolution of those issues.
Salisbury’s upcoming municipal election includes 13 candidates vying for five council seats.
The alliance will be asking candidates their positions on three topics:
– Ordinance enforcement and stronger ordinance language for historic districts.
– Landlord registration and a housing commission.
– A preservation plan for the city of Salisbury.
Residents of historic neighborhoods and people interested in preservation of those neighborhoods are encouraged to attend and hear the candidates.
The Historic Neighborhood Alliance has encouraged residents to submit questions to www.thehna. blogspot.com or through their neighborhood leaders.
The city’s historic districts have older properties, often with unique maintenance needs. They also tend to have a greater number of rental units.
Some of the rental property issues in older neighborhoods involve absentee landlords, problem tenants and houses that are allowed to fall into extreme disrepair.
With these things in mind, city code enforcement becomes important, as does landlord and tenant accountability, according to alliance members.
The alliance also has expressed an interest in an overall city Preservation Plan to provide guidance on how to grow and develop historic areas while preserving their history and architecture.