Opinion: Preserving Palm Beach's heritage means embracing collaboration and flexibility

In a recent opinion piece ["Help homeowners with solutions, not just barriers," May 12], concerns were raised regarding the challenges faced by residents who steward Palm Beach's landmarked homes.

While it's undeniable that regulatory processes must be followed, painting the situation as a "no-win" scenario oversimplifies the many efforts being made to balance preservation with practicality. In reality, initiatives led by the Town of Palm Beach and the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach demonstrate a significant commitment to preserving the town's tangible heritage while accommodating the evolving needs of its residents.

Residents who buy landmark homes indeed undertake a noble responsibility by preserving irreplaceable pieces of history. The town's Planning, Zoning and Building Department, along with the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), are not adversaries in this process but guardians of Palm Beach's architectural legacy. The LPC approaches its task with professionalism, understanding, and a sincere desire to work with property owners.

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The town has several incentives, planning resources, consultants, and full-time staff to assist historic property owners through the process. The recently created position of design and preservation manager, held by accomplished preservation professional Friederike Mittner, shows a strong commitment from the town to provide excellent resources to aid the residents. The oversight of staff and the LPC ensures that proposed changes to our important tangible history align with preservation guidelines and maintain the town's aesthetic integrity.

The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach works tirelessly to advocate for the preservation of historic properties. Through educational programs, advocacy efforts, archival research, and partnerships with stakeholders, the foundation fosters a culture of appreciation for Palm Beach's unique heritage. Digital content created by the foundation highlights landmarked properties as well as the notable work of local craftsmen who make it possible to preserve their intricate historic details. Archival research performed by foundation staff utilizes the extensive collections of historic photographs and drawings to aid landmark projects. The foundation collaborates with design and construction professionals, as well as regulatory bodies, to streamline the preservation process.

As the foundation’s director of preservation and planning, I review and comment on projects that are presented to the LPC, and routinely meet with owners and design professionals to provide historic research, guidance on best preservation practices, and practical solutions that balance the goals of preservation and the property owner. If you have a project that could benefit from this type of research and guidance, please don’t hesitate to contact the foundation. The foundation provides all of this free of charge in order to help achieve the best possible preservation outcome.

Ultimately, numerous resources, as well as contractors, craftsmen, and design professionals, are available and willing to work together to preserve Palm Beach’s historic buildings, as is showcased every month at the LPC meetings. By engaging in collaborative constructive dialogue with regulatory bodies and leveraging the resources provided by organizations like the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, and the town, residents can navigate the preservation process with greater ease to the benefit of all. Together, we can all work together to uphold Palm Beach's architectural heritage and ensure it endures for present and future generations to enjoy.

Aimee Sunny is director of preservation and planning at the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Opinion: Collaboration, flexibility key to preservation in Palm Beach