Heritage District Guidelines
The City of Plano currently has two locally designated heritage districts. The Haggard Park Heritage District, designated in 1999, is primarily residential and is comprised of houses built from the late 1800s to the early 1950s. Plano’s second heritage district is the Downtown heritage district, designated in 2002. This district is commercial with most of its structures dating from the 1890s. Both heritage districts have their own set of design guidelines. When reviewing Certificate of Appropriateness applications, the Heritage Commission and the Heritage Preservation Officer will refer to the design guidelines in making their decisions.
Certificates of Appropriateness
A Certificate of Appropriateness is an approval of plans for any alteration, construction, removal or demolition of a historic structure or site. Any property within Plano that is a locally designated heritage resource, or is part of a locally designated heritage district must acquire a certificate of appropriateness prior to beginning any exterior improvement projects. The Heritage Commission meets once a month to review applications for certificates of appropriateness. Certain projects may be approved by the Heritage Preservation Officer.
Heritage Resource Designation
Plano’s heritage resources are those buildings, sites, or districts that have been officially recognized as culturally and architecturally significant by the Heritage Commission, the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council. Properties may be individually designated or designated as part of a heritage district. Property owners may initiate the designation of a property or district by submitting a complete application for heritage resource designation to the Heritage Preservation Officer. Requests for designation must be approved by the Heritage Commission, the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council.
Heritage Preservation Tax Exemption Program
The City of Plano offers a tax exemption program for the purpose of providing tax relief needed to encourage the preservation and maintenance of Plano’s heritage resources. Participants are required to keep their historic properties properly maintained and on occasion may be required to complete specific repair items. The Heritage Commission and city staff survey the participating properties annually in order to verify that they are being property maintained. In addition to the City of Plano, other taxing entities such as Collin County, Plano Independent School District, and Collin County Community College participate in the tax exemption program. Properties that are individually designated heritage resources or are contributing structures within a heritage district are eligible to participate in the program. If you are unsure if your property is eligible, please contact the Heritage Preservation Officer.