Southport continues efforts to preserve historic district

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY)– Historic charm, that’s what the City of Southport is known and loved for. 

“History runs very deep in Southport, we have a lot of history in the town, and we want to preserve that,” said Charles Drew, Historic Preservation Commission Chairman.   

The Historic Preservation Commission has been working for several months to develop plans to preserve the city’s history.  

“These design guidelines we are coming up with are going to set the tone of the history and character of the City of Southport. We’re not doing anything that’s abnormal. We’re trying to stick to what we already have to just preserve it and make sure we keep the character,” said Drew.  

Today’s Special Meeting was focused on specifics of residential structures, such as roofs and siding on homes in the historic district.  

The guidelines emphasize preserving the original forms of the homes by limiting colors, shapes, and size when reconstructing or renovating. 

“I think everybody across the region knows that this city has a whole lot of character and its worth protecting. What we’re after here is developing standards that’ll help ensure that future generations can enjoy that as well,” said Travis Henley, Development Services Director of the City of Southport.   

Board members say this is the first of many meetings, and that these standards will take some time to adapt to be sure everything is calibrated the right way.  

“There’s a whole lot that makes this city special and we are just interested in making sure we are protecting it,” said Henley.    

The Historic Preservation Commission, alongside the City of Southport and its citizens, plans to adopt these standards by the end of the year.