Historic Macon calls on state to revisit historic tax credit program, help preserve storied buildings

Historic Macon is calling on the state to raise the cap on Georgia’s historic tax credit program, a move that the organization believes would help save beloved buildings in Macon that are falling into a state of disrepair.

Historic Macon made this request Thursday as it unveiled its Fading Five list, a collection of historically significant but vulnerable properties the foundation highlights for preservation efforts.

The historic tax credit program allows property owners of buildings on the state and national register of historic places to receive a state income tax credit equaling 25% of qualifying rehabilitation expenses, according to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

However, the program’s benefits are capped at $30 million, which the state has already reached. The program is up for renewal in 2029, but Historic Macon Executive Director Nathan Lott said Thursday that the state needs to revisit the program sooner and raise the cap to $60 million.

“Really, we are a victim of our own success,” Lott said. “But the pot is empty, so we need state lawmakers to act.”

To highlight the need for the tax credit program’s funds, Historic Macon added downtown’s vacant, historic commercial buildings as a category.

While the list is usually made up of individual properties, Lott said Historic Macon added those properties as a category because much of their preservation and development in the past has been spurred along by local, state and federal incentives such as the historic tax credit program.

Historic Macon is not the only organization calling for the program to be revisited. According to a Thursday news release, NewTown Macon and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation — which works to preserve historic sites and properties across the state — are also urging the state legislature to increase the program’s cap during next year’s General Assembly session, which opens in January.

Lott said the program is especially important to Macon, which is a leader in the state when it comes to utilizing the program.

“We’ve had a whole lot of success with the program, but we have a whole lot at stake,” Lott said.