The Old West End Historic District
The District’s Location
Not all of the Old West End is in the Historic District overlay. You can check to see if your property is within the Historic District by map location or address.
What it means to you, as a homeowner.
The OWE Historic District is one of the City’s Historic Overlay Districts as defined in Chapter 1103.0300 of the Toledo Municipal Code. The Municipal Code contains the restrictions on environmental changes to buildings in historic districts, the guidelines to be used by the Historic District Commission and the procedures to be used by homeowners seeking to make changes (Ch. 1111.1100). The Toledo Municipal Code may be accessed on the City’s website here.
If you are seeking to make any environmental change to a property within the OWE Historic District, the process begins by submitting an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for review by the OWE Historic District Commission.
For more information on the historic districts within the City of Toledo, download and read this PDF.
Community Reinvestment Area (CRA)
The Community Reinvestment Area Program provides real property tax abatement for new construction or for the rehabilitation of residential, commercial, or industrial structures within pre-designated areas. The City of Toledo’s CRA program works to promote investment to properties located within neighborhoods that have experienced a decline as a result of disinvestment.
A little history, the CRA was created by the government to stop red lining in intercity neighborhoods. Government officials including banks and mortgage lenders actually drew red lines around neighborhoods to deny potential owners and buyer’s loans or insurance. Normally in low to moderate-income neighborhoods and individuals. The CRA was enacted to prevent this in 1977. And the Toledo Fair Housing Center and the OWEA won one of the first cases in the nation for this type of discrimination.
Here are some of the items that qualify: Roofs, gutters, electrical, plumbing, interior and exterior painting, heating and plumbing, and even landscaping. General information and the application can be found here.
Please remember that if you live in the Historic district you must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior work.
If you have questions or need assistance with application process, please contact Judy Stone at (419) 277-1344 or by email at judy@judystone.com
Report Unauthorized Work
If you feel that work is being performed on a home in the Historic Old West End without a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). You can contact 419-245-1220 to report. Please have address of home that is performing work.
Property owner or applicant are required to conspicuously display COA with a building permit (if required) while work is in progress.
You can view COA's at https://toledo.oh.gov/departments/plan-commission in pull down menu of Historic districts reports, maps, meeting minutes.
A Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) is similar to a building permit, and is required before beginning exterior work in a local or national register historic district. A COA is issued by the Historic District Commission and indicates that the proposed change has been reviewed and approved. Once the COA has been obtained, the applicant can apply for a building permit. In cases where a building permit is not required, it is still necessary to acquire a COA before beginning the project.
Stop Work Order
If a project that requires a Certificate of Appropriateness has been initiated without prior approval, a stop work order may be issued to the owners, occupants, contractors or subcontractors.
