Prior to joining the St. Petersburg City Council, Copley Gerdes was a member of the Community Planning and Preservation Commission. He believes strongly that St. Petersburg’s history should be protected. 

At its Oct. 15 meeting, the council unanimously voted to explore the creation of a task force or similar body in regards to the development of a Historic Preservation Master Plan. 

“There was a joint CPPC and City Council meeting a couple weeks ago and during the discussions the idea was brought about possibly having a task force to help guide the master plan conversation,” Gerdes explained to the Catalyst. “Just to make sure it got done, I shepherded the item.” 

“I think when you talk to most people that are from here or have been here for a while, they understand the charm and character of St. Petersburg,” he continued. “Part of that charm is certainly the history of our city. So, how we want to continue to grow but also preserve the history that we have is an important conversation. How we go about doing that I think needs to be looked at every once in a while.”

St. Petersburg City Council member Copley Gerdes. Photo provided.

With Thursday’s approval, the new business item will be brought to the Committee of the Whole. When asked about what a potential guiding body would look like, Gerdes explained that this would be a key topic in a conversation. 

“A task force, from what the committee was talking about, would probably be difficult,” he explained. “So, we would have to navigate that and what Council wants it to look like.” 

Gerdes said that one option is for CPPC to oversee the process.

He believes that a variety of factors will shape a Historic Preservation Master Plan. These topics could include how old a building must be to qualify for historical status. 

“If we were to create a task force, the impact would be what does historic planning look like going forward?,” he explained. “What do we want it to look like 10, 20 or 30 years from now? In certain parts of our city, there’s a lot of history to be taken into account. So, we want to make sure we’re thinking about how it impacts residents today and residents of 2050 and 2070.”

Preserve the ‘Burg executive director Emanuel Leto believes that a Historic Preservation Master Plan could have an invaluable impact. According to the organization’s website, Preserve the ‘Burg’s mission is to educate, advocate and celebrate St. Pete’s historic built environment and landscapes of importance. 

“If you plan for something, you’re more likely to see those plans come to fruition,” he said. “We would welcome a more public planning process for historic preservation priorities.” 

Leto emphasized that preservation issues can “surface unexpectedly.” 

“We may find out a particular property is proposed for demolition or discover too late that a property has historic significance,” he explained. “So, I think the planning ahead will help us in that process and will help us be a little bit more forward thinking with our historic resources in the city.”