The city council rejected the creation of an additional historic district within the heart of Yazoo City.
A public hearing was held on March 25 with both supporters and objectors to a proposed historic district, mainly created around the Grand Avenue area.
During the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting Monday, the proposed district was shot down on a 3-2 vote.
Mayor Diane Delaware and Aldermen Dr. Jack Varner and Aubry Brent Jr. voted to deny the creation of an additional district.
However, Brent first made a motion to accept the proposal.
“Most of the (objectors’) questions were about certain things they felt they would be mandated to do,” Brent began. “But when you do a historic district, you are improving your community if we follow-up on our roles. I would like to allow this to happen for the good of our city.”
Brent’s motion died for lack of a second.
Alderman Ron Johnson said many resident s in the Filmore Street area would be included within the new district lines.
“There are six houses there in opposition of getting in the district,” Johnson said. “Maybe we could re-draw it, leave them out. That would be OK.”
Johnson said he would approve the district if the lines were reconstructed around certain objectors.
Mayor Diane Delaware said she was “against it completely...at this time.”
“We can’t manage our current (historic) district,” she said. “We have enough to do as a city to maintain our current historic district. To add more into it won’t make it happen. At some other time, we may want to reconsider. But today, the city of Yazoo City can’t maintain it.”
Varner said residents who have historic homes know what to do.
“People with nice homes out there...maintain them,” he said. “They don’t need a historic district telling them to maintain it.
Alderman Gregory Robertson said he didn’t feel comfortable denying the district completely. But he would like to see residents have the opportunity to “opt-out” if they wanted.
