City needs historic preservation ordinance

The destruction of the house, not to mention the magnificent oak tree on the same lot, illustrates a critical local shortcoming — we have no means of protecting our beautiful and unique old buildings.

Commerce recently adopted a demolition ordinance that will provide some protection for its central business district, but it needs a preservation ordinance to assure that growth and progress don’t come at the expense of our culture and heritage.

Commerce is not exactly Madison. We don’t have the quantity of stately antebellum houses, but we’re at risk of losing those grand old houses we do have, not to mention our historic downtown facades that make Commerce unique, at the point when after a fire or act of God takes out a section of the downtown and a Starbucks or a Rite Aid Pharmacy or any other business sees an opportunity to locate in our community.

Commerce can be business friendly without sacrificing its heritage. We have ample space to locate new businesses without allowing them to remake Commerce into one large strip shopping center. It’s time to protect our historic buildings while we still have some left — and before some Fortune 500 Company buys up a block of town to reshape in its own style. Without a preservation ordinance, the appearance of Commerce is left in the hands of people whose only interest is in making money out of it.