Dayton residents want to leave historic district

Discussion concerning the removal of Dayton from the historic district is slated for the Comstock Historic District Commission meeting Monday.

Sharon Spencer, a member of the Citizens for Independence from the Historic District submitted a letter Oct. 23 requesting the topic be put on the agenda, and the commission has agreed.

According to Spencer this is a grass-roots movement. About 37 property owners have signed a petition, and Spencer expects about that many at Monday's meeting.

According to Spencer, the controversy concerning Mia's Swiss Restaurant is at the heart of the debate. Owners Max and Mia Kuerzi replaced a historic sign on the south side of the historic Odeon Hall with one of their own, a move challenged by the Comstock Historic District Commission and the Attorney General's Office.

After much ado and legal wrangling, the Kuerzis agreed to restore the original sign, dating from the early 20th century.

" We are tired of having the terms of our livelihood and our history dictated from another county under the guise of a state-sanctioned agency," Spencer said, noting she believes rulings have been prejudiced against the Kuerzis. "Dayton residents are calling for a clear unprejudiced set of codes and guidelines, criteria, and geographic boundaries."

"The issue has been addressed several times in the past," Bert Bedeau of the Comstock District Historic Commission said, noting the debate came up late last summer. "At that time, the citizens (of Dayton) made it clear that they did not want to be dropped out of district."

The commission was created in 1969 in the wake of the Bonanza television series when it was determined that historic preservation had become regionally important economic resource that could be diminished if measures to preserve it were not implemented.

The Comstock Historic District Commission encompasses Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City, Dayton, and Sutro, and is given the authority by state law to regulate all properties within historic areas offering guidelines for exteriors, signs and pavement.

What: Comstock Historic District Commission

When: Monday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

Where: Storey County Courthouse, Commissioners Meeting Room, 26 S. B St., Virginia City