Quoted without Comment
It was only in April 2000 that Royal Oak's historic battle began. This website, mailings, and comments to the City Commission have pretty much made clear how CPR is going about its campaign to repeal the City's four historic ordinances. Here is a helpful sampling of what non-CPR participants have said in the press about all this. CPR will supply more information about each quotation on request. For context, keep In mind that hundreds of letters were sent out by the City and that scores of homeowners were said to be seeking historic designation. So far, eleven have apparently applied.


"This is a study being done by request from homeowners in the original area."

Ruth Cleaveland

[Homeowners involved in the original group] "are anxious to gain status as a historic district."

Debbie Campbell

"Before we go further as a community working on preservation we have to have public support and understanding, not rumor and misinformation."

Barbara Randau

[Speaking of a house's exterior in an historic district] "what you tear off is what you put back on."

Ruth Cleaveland

"There is nothing against the law about taking pictures of houses."

Tom Hallock

[Reacting to anger expressed during the CPR rally] "They're still not understanding the issues."

Barbara Randau

"Cleaveland said she had taken two polls of property owners . . . and found that everyone still wants to participate."

Daily Tribune, 16 April

"I don't feel comfortable with a blanket statement that there's no residential property that shouldn't have a historic designation unless somebody volunteers."

Tom Kuhn

"Any city commission in the future can repeal this [voluntary resolution] ordinance. I'm still concerned that down the line people's property rights aren't violated."

Laura Harrison

"No one ever heard from this city commission that there'd be wholesale designations of neighborhoods."

Dennis Cowan

"Let's respond to this [Barton Towers area] neighborhood and then set a city-wide policy after we get more input."

Dennis Cowan

"We found 43 potential historic areas in the city. One area alone has hundreds of homes."

Elaine Robinson

"I have a friend in Oakland County who lives in an historic district. She can't change a doorknob without approval."

Laura Harrison

Harrison: "If a property owner isn't interested in this [becoming part of an historic district voted into being by a majority of his neighbors] he still has to participate?"

Robinson: "Yes. Otherwise, you'd have a Swiss cheese district."

[About historic designation] "In any given area, you may have 10 or 12 very active, very organized players against this, and a big majority waiting to speak up."

Jennifer Radcliff

"We need to find businesses and homeowners willing to create historic districts and be preservationists."

Dennis Cowan

"People can't expect to opt in and out of an historic district and get tax credits, too."

Barbara Randau

"People would have a chance to speak out on whether they support a particular district or not at a public hearing."

Barbara Randau

[Speaking of CPR] "I think most people think of them as a fringe group with an ax to grind."

Dennis Cowan

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