Tennessee city may offer tax breaks to historic home owners

Dwain Livengood knows he can save money on his home renovation project by doing the work himself, but the owner of this 100-year-old farmhouse also realizes that DIY projects in historic homes require more planning and information than those in newer homes and that mistakes can be costly.
Dwain Livengood knows he can save money on his home renovation project by doing the work himself, but the owner of this 100-year-old farmhouse also realizes that DIY projects in historic homes require more planning and information than those in newer homes and that mistakes can be costly.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The metro council of Nashville, Tennessee, is considering a tax break for owners of historic homes who choose to improve their properties.

WPLN-FM reports the idea is to encourage owners to preserve historic homes rather than tearing them down.

If passed, the resolution would create a Historic Property Review Board that could consider applications for the program.

The idea was proposed by Councilman Jeff Syracuse. He says there are too few incentives to prevent historic properties from being demolished as land value soars.

Syracuse says the measure could help save historic neighborhoods such as Music Row.

The only other Tennessee county to implement a similar initiative is Rutherford. That program just started in September, and no one has taken advantage of it yet.

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