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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 6, 2015 03:28 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative John A. Lawrence |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Historic Barn Preservation |
| Dear Colleagues – In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation amending the building code to encourage the preservation of historic barns and other agricultural buildings. Historic barns provide a unique link to the rich and distinct history of agriculture across the Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, many of these structures have been lost over the years for a variety of reasons. Oftentimes, these barns are of limited use for modern agricultural practices, despite their significant historic value. Some intrepid farmers have thoughtfully restored historic barns into venues for wedding ceremonies, receptions, and other special events. However, such a renovation can trigger extremely expensive upgrades to come into full compliance with modern building codes. These upgrades can result in such a substantial cost that the restoration becomes financially unfeasible, at which point the property is exceptionally vulnerable to demolition. Existing law provides specific exemptions from the building code for agricultural buildings. My proposal would extend these exemptions to recognized historic barns that are occasionally used as a place of public occupancy for special events such as a wedding reception, etc. I would appreciate your support of this initiative. |
Introduced as HB1771