NATCHEZ &045; The commission charged with making sure new developments meet the City of Natchez’s preservation ordinances and design guidelines should be allowed to do its job with regards to a proposed condo development on the bluff.

That’s what Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation told Mayor Phillip West in a letter dated Oct. 4.

Preservationists and locals have said the $19 million condo development Ed Worley and Larry L. Brown Jr. of Natchez propose for the site &045; with more than 53 units, standing five stories tall &045; doesn’t fit in with the character of the surrounding buildings and isn’t in keeping with Natchez’s preservation ordinance or design guidelines.

City officials have said that such a development is needed to help boost Natchez’s struggling economy and act as a catalyst for further development along the riverfront.

The commission hasn’t acted on the Worley-Brown request yet, instead giving the developers more time to work out, with architects hired by the Historic Natchez Foundation, design changes that would help the complex fit the city’s preservation rules.

But in case the commission turns out Worley and Brown’s plans, aldermen in a recent meeting voted to change the city’s ordinance to state that appeals from the commission would go directly to the aldermen for reconsideration instead of to circuit court.

&8221;The National Trust respectfully reminds that Board of Aldermen of their role as mediators and requests that the preservation commission be permitted to guide design review in an atmosphere lacking political influence and tempered by good planning and good design practice,&8220; Moe wrote in his letter to West.

Moe went on to ask that the commission &8221;be allowed to negotiate the resolution by adhering to the preservation ordinance, which has served the city well in protect its invaluable historic character.&8220;

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Moe said the situation was brought to his attention by former Natchez City Planner David Preziosi, now director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, one of the National Trust’s state partners.

Moe said he is particularly interested in the Natchez situation because of the National Trust’s history with Natchez.

In the early 1990s, the National Trust learned of a design proposal that, in Moe’s words, &8221;would have irreparably harmed the character of the city and the bluffs.&8220; As a result it named the Natchez bluffs as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. However, in 2003 it also recognized Natchez as one of the nation’s Dozen Distinctive Designations, in part because of its history &045; and its track record of preserving that history.

&8221;The bluffs are important to character of Natchez, which is such a unique and historic place,&8220; Moe said. &8221;I don’t know if we (at the National Trust) will have a further role in this, but we’ll be watching it very carefully.&8220;

West said he will save his comments on the National Trust letter until he gets a chance to write a letter to Moe.