Cheney Historic Commission to discuss Sutton Park neighborhood

By DAVID TELLER

Staff Reporter

The Cheney Historic Preservation Commission will share information about forming another historical district near Sutton Park on West Sixth Street in Cheney at their monthly meeting Dec. 4 in the City Council Chambers.

Secretary to the commission, Sue Beeman, said the commission received an inquiry from Judy Hamel about listing properties near Sutton Park as a historical district. Beeman added that the commission entertained the idea, but was reluctant to take lead on the project without community input. She added that one of the interested residents, Judy Hamel, said she willing to take lead. For now, Hamel said she is just asking questions.

At the meeting, Hamel plans to inform the commission of her interest and learn about what historic district designation means.

“Most of us are not very clear about that,” Hamel said.

Hamel said she understands what it means to define a single house as historically significant:

The design of it is specific to a particular era of time. It must be owned by someone, or have a distinct history to it, and the age of house is considered. She added that a house is considered acceptable for historic preservation if it’s only 50 years old.

“I don’t understand exactly what happens when you have a historic district,” Hamel said. “Cheney has two historic districts.”

Hamel said it’s wonderful that Cheney has a Historic Preservation Commission. Something else she thinks is important is the interest in local history in the community. She said it hasn’t always been that way.

Hamel said there was practically no interest in history when she moved to town 38 years ago when West Sixth Street was called Summit Street. She said the lack of interest was most evident when the historical Sutton House was torn down shortly after she arrived in Cheney.

In recent years, that trend has turned around with the establishment of the Central Cheney Historical District and the Eastern Washington University Historical District. She added that the area near Sutton Park has evolved and connected the city and EWU.

Identifying the West Sixth Street neighborhood as a historical district has some tradeoffs. Beeman said while the homes are eligible for certain tax breaks, the zoning codes can be a hurdle.

How to go about rezoning the area has to be examined by the city. Hamel added that maintaining the neighborhood feel without changing zoning criteria is another consideration of a historical district. She said the decision is a long process of exploration that is “not uncomplicated.”

Beeman added that she has received mixed feedback on the idea, but noted the idea is not that well developed yet.

“Where this will go, we don’t know,” Hamel added.

For Hamel, it’s about connection with the community and learning about how the neighborhood can work together. She said a generation of people that grew up in the neighborhood befriended other generations. She said she loves being able to walk anywhere in town and she wants to pass that on to future generations.

Another aspect of Hamel’s interest is the craftsmanship of the older houses and historical preservation. She said she is in awe of how they built things and the level of quality to which they did it, also about history in the area.

“I feel like this is a neighborhood that we should maintain and should be part of our legacy to the community,” Hamel said.

David Teller can be reached at [email protected]