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<\/p>\nPrior to joining the St. Petersburg City Council, Copley Gerdes was a member of the\u00a0Community Planning and Preservation Commission. He believes strongly that St. Petersburg\u2019s history should be protected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere 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,\u201d Gerdes explained to the Catalyst. \u201cJust to make sure it got done, I shepherded the item.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d he continued. \u201cPart 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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St. Petersburg City Council member Copley Gerdes. Photo provided.<\/p>\n
With Thursday\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA task force, from what the committee was talking about, would probably be difficult,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo, we would have to navigate that and what Council wants it to look like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerdes said that one option is for CPPC to oversee the process.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we were to create a task force, the impact would be what does historic planning look like going forward?,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat do we want it to look like 10, 20 or 30 years from now? In certain parts of our city, there\u2019s a lot of history to be taken into account. So, we want to make sure we\u2019re thinking about how it impacts residents today and residents of 2050 and 2070.\u201d<\/p>\n