Dave Hughes receives well-deserved praise today in a Bill Vogrin column about his historic preservation efforts on the West side, which I support, and will continue to support, as long as these efforts remain voluntary, rather than coercive. Coercive historic preservation can lead to the kind of property rights abuses we're seeing in the Old North End historic zone, as described in a recent Gazette editorial. That effort also began with assurances that property rights would be respected, and that this was a purely voluntary exercise. But that's not how it is working out in practice.

Some North End homeowners now are captive of a process they didn't choose to participate in, and would gladly opt out of if given a choice. The case of the Christiansen's wall illustrates the injustice, pettiness and arbitrary application of silly rules that such overlay zones can bring. No matter the fate of this particular wall, it shows why residents should always preserve their right to opt out.

I don't share Vogrin's pessimism about the fate of the West Side overlay zone, since, from what I've been told, including by Hughes, most of the hardest work already has been done. It may take a little longer to get all the final pieces in place, and for West Side homeowners to apply for and receive their tax credits, when the city is short of staff, but all the pieces will come together eventually. Pride of ownership and community -- along with a pride of place Dave Hughes helped instill there -- will ensure that the West Side continues to improve in the meantime.