Boundaries are being drawn for a possible historic district in Chickamauga that could bring the city additional funds and low-interest loans.

“If you’ve got an income-producing historic piece of property like the Gordon-Lee Mansion, then by being in a historic district, that opens you up for some tax savings,” said Chickamauga City Manager John Culpepper.

Fourteen attended a meeting Monday, Nov. 19, to learn more about registering parts of Chickamauga as a National Historic Preservation District.

Annie McDonald of the Southeast Tennessee Development District conducted the “general information meeting for the citizens that are interested to learn more about (the) national historic preservation district,” said Chickamauga City Councilman Jim Staub.

At previous city council meetings, city officials cited St. Elmo in Chattanooga and Barnhardt Circle in Fort Oglethorpe as examples of National Historic Preservation Districts.

Boundaries of a proposed historic district will center around downtown Chickamauga, Staub said.

Staub wants to “belay any fears (citizens) have about any additional government interference in relation to their properties and development on their properties.”

“With the designation of a national historic district, the City of Chickamauga is not proposing any restrictive ordinance that would restrict in any way property development other than what standards and guidelines exist already in the zoning ordinance of the city.”

According to Culpepper, a house or building has to be more than 51 years old to be declared historic.

Becoming a national historic district “is just an opportunity for the city to document the resources and have it officially recognized as an important part of the community as well as the region,” Staub said. “That’s really what it’s all about.”

“The meeting was positive,” Culpepper said. “It’s just another piece of the puzzle for what we’re trying to do here in Chickamauga.