Downtown property owners and homeowners in the vicinity of Lakeview and Forest avenues who are planning housing improvements can be made aware of incentives they can receive by attending a public workshop today.

At 6 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, located at 410 N. Main St., a Historic Tax Credit Workshop will be held that is being hosted by Preservation Buffalo Niagara and the Jamestown Renaissance Corp. Those attending the workshop will find out how property owners in downtown Jamestown and in two historic district neighborhoods — Lakeview and Forest avenues — are eligible for federal and state tax credits when making home improvements. Property owners can find out more information about what home improvement work qualifies and how to submit an application for the historic tax credits during the workshop. The event is free and open to the public.

Mary Maxwell, JRC neighborhood project manager, said there are two historic districts already establish in Jamestown — downtown and Lakeview Avenue — and a third — Forest Avenue — that will be added later this year.

“The downtown historic district and the Lakeview historic district were both developed before 2017. The JRC is now working to add the Forest Heights area to this group,” she said. “After that approval, there will be 471 properties in Jamestown that will be designated as being in a historic district. This designation allows property owners to make improvements to their properties with the possibility of receiving tax credits for their work. The workshop is being held to help answer some of the questions property owners will have about this process and to connect them with agencies that can guide them through this process.”

Maxwell said Preservation Buffalo Niagara is involved because they offer workshops on how to access tax credits for making repairs on old buildings, reuse vacant upper floors of Main Street buildings and make historic properties more energy efficient. She said the group provides timely grants that jump-start preservation projects all across the state, as well as offering robust assistance and advice to those completing grant applications and projects. She added the group has successfully advocated for the creation of the New York State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program and other incentives that have helped spur reinvestment in historic communities.

Maxwell said property owners in the historic districts can find out more information by attending the workshops and by contacting the JRC at mary@jamestownrenaissance.org.

In December 2016, Lakeview Avenue was added to the state Register of Historic Places. It was the first residential neighborhood in Jamestown to be added to the list. In May 2017, Lakeview Avenue was also approved for the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2014, the state added the downtown Jamestown Historic District to their preservation list. Later that year, the downtown district was also added to the National Register of Historic Places.