As Canby celebrates the 150th anniversary of its naming and platting this year, its Heritage and Landmark Commission has recently put the finishing touches on something that’s never been done here before.
The HLC has completed its draft of Canby’s first Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan, which will be presented to the City Council for review at a June 3 work session.
Last year, Canby used a mix of city funds and grants from the Kinsman Foundation and the State Historic Preservation Office to hire the historic preservation consulting firm Northwest Vernacular (NWV). The firm was asked to assess the city’s existing preservation efforts and develop strategies to improve them.
As part of their assessment, the NWV team toured neighborhoods and commercial areas, reviewed the city’s plans, policies, and ordinances that relate to preservation, and gathered feedback from members of the community via a survey and stakeholder interviews.
“I was impressed with the scope of their work,” said HLC project lead Carol Palmer. “NWV took into consideration all of the community’s resources, from historic neighborhoods to parks to transportation corridors to waterways, and more.
“Most importantly, they recognized the importance of our agricultural history and how it has informed the evolution of the community.”
The June 3 meeting is open to the public, though due to social distancing measures, residents will be encouraged to watch via YouTube or on CTV Channel 5. The work session is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m.
The plan will also be shared with the public on the city’s website later this week, and HLC Chair Jennifer Giller encourages residents to review and provide feedback on this important effort.
If you have questions, please contact Carol Palmer at carolpalmer24@gmail.com.
To hear more about Northwest Vernacular and their efforts, revisit Episode 140 of the Canby Now Podcast, “That’s History”:
Photo courtesy the Canby Historical Society.