Conservation Overlay District, Small Towns Grant Opportunities and a call of support for the Historic Preservation Fund


NPC Newsletter April 3, 2026

Brick, Porches and Pitched Roofs: A Denver Neighborhood's Proposal for Harmonious Streetscapes through Design

When we describe neighborhoods in which we feel connected, we don’t often think about pitched roofs. Characteristics like "walkability," "friendliness," and "neighborhood cohesion and belonging" is what more often comes to mind.

In the Denver community of City Park, a proposed conservation overlay designed to protect and strengthen the unique characteristics of the neighborhood identified roof forms, front porches, brick, and a healthy abundance of trees, as important elements that gave the community its sense of place. 

The recommended guidelines came out of a desire of residents to encourage any new development to be in harmony with the scale of existing brick housing stock that dated back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. 

A requirement for constructing front porches might seem arbitrary, but in reflecting the existing architectural designs of many homes in City Park, residents felt strongly that front porches with entrances on the street supported neighborly interactions, created pedestrian-friendly streets, and fostered a sense of sharing and communication.

How does your neighborhood design promote community?

Let us know!

Email: info@nycnpc.org

Sharing resources, events, grant and proposal deadlines

Two more Land Bank Resource to check out!

• Center for Community Progress: Land Bank Resource Learn more about land banking programs, community land trusts, surveys and more.

• Did you know that NYC's longest-running Community Land Trust (CLT), Cooper Square CLT on the Lower East Side, was founded in 1994 and owns and operates close to 400 affordable apartments and dozens of storefronts? Learn more about what a Community Land Trust is, what they look like in New York City and how to get involved! Bringing Land and Housing into Community Hands

Upcoming Small Towns and Community Proposal Deadlines

• The Hart Family Fund for Small Towns provides grants of $2,500–$15,000 to help communities with populations of 10,000 or fewer launch preservation projects. From sparking conversations and introducing preservation concepts to the public, to gaining technical expertise and encouraging financial participation by the private sector, these grants are designed to help local groups turn great ideas into real progress.

If your community has a preservation project ready to take the next step, applications due May 1, 2026

• The Knight Foundation's Knight Cities Challenge is a $5 million open call for communities in its service area to submit new, creative ideas for projects that can spark change and leave a lasting local impact.

Due Date: April 30, 2026.

Live webinar presentation on April 7 at 1pm.

Its National Library Week is from April 19 - 25, 2026!

Take the time to visit your local library - a true third space where individuals from all walks of life are welcome to enter and sit, peruse books and magazines, take part in lectures and programs, gain access to 21st century learning, and participate in an active democracy.

Libraries are economic engines, supporting job seekers, skill builders and entrepreneurs.

Libraries are fun! Learn about the power of libraries at the Urban Libraries Council and, at your local library.

Historic Preservation Fund Support Request

Preservation Action urges action on Senate Letter for support of the FY27 Historic Preservation Fund

As the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the 50th anniversary of the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), Preservation Action urges Congress to invest in the places that tell our country's story by providing $250 million for the HPF.

This year’s House and Senate letters requests up to $250 million in funding for the Historic Preservation Fund, the same level Preservation Action and advocates from around the country advocated for during National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week. The letter urges robust funding for State Historic Preservation Offices at $70 million, $34 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, includes $25 million for digitization of state and Tribal records to accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure projects, $13 million for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities preservation grant program, and $108 million for six existing preservation grant programs.

The bipartisan FY27 Senate HPF Dear Colleague Letter is now circulating in the Senate. To maximize the impact of the letter, we need as many Senators to sign-on as possible. 

The letter is led by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

Deadline for signatures in Friday, April 10th.

We need your support!

April brings renewal and growth and at the Neighborhood Preservation Center, we are passionate about the opportunities for revitalizing and building vibrant communities.

By sharing resources and connecting partners across disciplines and neighborhoods of all shapes and sizes, our goal is to support community renewal.

Please consider making a donation today.

Have a question or idea about your neighborhood preservation project?

Share your thoughts, suggestions, or resources by emailing us at:

info@nycnpc.org

NPC Newsletter Contributors

L. Danielle Cylich: NPC Board President, Danielle Cylich is always ready to share enthusiasm about the rich history and beauty found in the built environment and the people who inhabit our neighborhoods, and in protecting our natural resources.

The Neighborhood Preservation Center is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing and enabling conversations about the need for community space - both physical and virtual - in order to improve the urban environment and quality of life.

We work to facilitate mutually beneficial connections between like-minded groups in the livable cities sector, share resources and champion neighborhoods.