Seven people want to serve on Beaufort’s historic review board. Here’s who they are
With a debate raging about the future of downtown development in Beaufort, the Historic District Review Board, which reviews building projects in the district, finds itself in the hot seat.
Seven residents think they can take the heat while offering important input on protecting and preserving the buildings within the district.
That’s how many have applied for four open positions on a five-member board that carries weight in a city with a 300-acre National Historic Landmark at its heart.
The applicants are:
- Adam Biery, an architect with Beaufort Design Build LLC.
- Maxine Lutz, former executive at the Historic Beaufort Foundation.
- Katherine Pringle, owner of the Rev. Thomas E. Ledbetter House and a commercial building at 818 Bay St. She currently serves on the board.
- Jeremiah Smith, an architect with Allison Ramsey Architects.
- Michelle Prentice, owner of Michelle Prentice Interiors LLC in Beaufort.
- Mike Sutton, a historic renovation and restoration contractor who served as HRB vice chair in the early 2000s.
- Beekman Webb, who is retired from the historic preservation business.
The City Council, which appoints members, is tentatively scheduled to vote Tuesday.
Development disputes increase interest
Mayor Stephen Murray called the number of applicants “a record.” When he first joined the council “we were begging people to apply,” he said.
Controversy is one reason for the heightened interest, he said.
Disputes have arisen over a handful of large developments and whether they are a good fit in the downtown area.
But over the past year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, residents discovered how much impact local government can have in the lives of residents. Murray thinks that is also driving more people to get involved.
The applicants are well qualified, Murray said.
Those selected will have to work in a controversial process that will require a lot of work with no pay “and potentially arrows,” Murray said.
In 1969, the 304-acre area comprising the original town was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1973, the district was designated a National Historic Landmark.
The board’s mission is to help preserve, protect and enhance the landmark district.
Board members, who serve three-year terms, review demolition, new construction and additions, rehabilitation work, renovations and restorations.
Council members interviewed the candidates publicly May 25 before closing the doors to review the candidates privately. Under state law, a public body may close a meeting to discuss the appointment of a person to a public body.
