City Council to Vote to Initiate the Process for Local Historic District Designation for Mirror Lake Neighborhood

St. Petersburg, FL — St. Petersburg’s City Council will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, July 15, 2021, in which they will decide whether to initiate the designation process to establish a local Mirror Lake historic district. Preserve the ‘Burg, an advocate for local preservation, has been actively working to help the Mirror Lake neighborhood obtain historic district designation. Preserve the ‘Burg urges the public to voice their support for keeping St. Petersburg special ahead of this important hearing.

Mirror Lake currently contains the city’s most concentrated area of historically landmarked homes, at 11 buildings, but lacks the historic district designation that could protect the area as a whole. A decision to initiate the designation would begin a months-long process with multiple public hearings.

“A yes vote by City Council members seems like the sensible decision as it allows the designation process to continue, requires additional public hearings and opportunities for public input, and allows City Council to make a final decision about designation after all information is in hand,” said Peter Belmont, Preserve the ‘Burg’s Advocacy Chair. “The designation for the area around Mirror Lake is incredibly important because it would allow city planners to consider the compatibility of new development to the surrounding historic neighborhood.”

With rapid development taking place in and around Downtown St. Pete, starting the process of historic district designation is more important than ever for Mirror Lake. To date, two 21-story buildings have been approved in Mirror Lake—one of which will demolish four historic buildings with affordable housing across from the library.

“St. Petersburg residents are a group of passionate individuals who truly care about the integrity and history of their city,” said Robin Reed, Preserve the ‘Burg’s President. “We make it our mission to advocate for what makes St. Petersburg special and protect the past and future of our historic neighborhoods.”

Your help matters. To join Preserve the ‘Burg in support of Mirror Lake’s historic local district designation and share your voice with City Council fill out this form: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/bc5c80SFd08O31bc0rQPHehd6

To watch City Council’s public hearing live on July 15th, click here: https://www.stpete.org/connect_with_us/stpete_tv.php

To learn more about Preserve the Burg visit https://preservetheburg.org/ or follow their social media channels:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preservetheburgsp

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preservetheburg/