Preserving Cape Girardeau's historic resources is a daunting task because so many elements of historic architecture and design are scattered around the city.

But a historic preservation study recommends creating conservation zones or districts to help preserve the historic sites in Cape Girardeau.

Twenty-four people attended a public hearing Wednesday night at City Hall to learn more about the plan.

If Cape Girardeau adopts a conservation zone approach it could be one of the first communities in the state to do so.

Though there might be some conservation zones in Missouri, most cities tend to favor the historic district approach, said Karen Grace, educational director for the historic preservation program of the Department of Natural Resources.

Phillip Thomason of Thomason and Associates, a preservation planning firm in Nashville, Tenn., helped draft the plan under the direction of the Historic Preservation Commission. The commission has been trying to determine what needs to happen in the community before protective zoning can be put in place, Thomason said.

Conservation zoning is the answer. It encompasses more of a historic area and is less restrictive where additions, construction and demolition are concerned.

"It would be a good tool for Cape Girardeau where there has been some resistance to the large district of historic zoning," he said.

In the areas where historic properties are being neglected or demolished, the conservation zoning would assure that new structures attract instead of distract, Thomason said.

And conservation zoning is generally better accepted by owners of historic properties because it is less restrictive.

Thomason showed examples of properties, both commercial and residential, that would possibly qualify for the conservation zone designation.

For a city of its size and history, Cape Girardeau is under-represented with sites on the National Register of Historic Places, Thomason said.

"There are collections scattered throughout the older neighborhoods" of homes built during the second decade of this century when the city experienced a growth spurt, he said.

These areas have enough concentration that they should be looked at for protection, Thomason said.

Other buildings that could be preserved with a multiple listing nomination on the historic register are those with early German brick architecture. Most are scattered around the city so they couldn't be designated as a single zone or area. There are at least 16 such buildings in the city.

Many individual buildings in the city could receive historic register designation because of their architectural significance, Thomason said. But further surveys would be necessary for such an application.

Thomason recommended that the historic commission:

-- Complete a multiple property nomination for the city. The early German buildings would take top priority and should be nominated within the next two years.

-- Continue surveys of historic properties. This would help define the parameters of some future conservation zones.

-- Research the city's African-American heritage. Much of the information and traditional neighborhoods could soon be lost if not recorded.

-- Prepare an archaeological resources plan. Many sites such as Fort D have been recorded, but others should be identified.

-- Create a non-profit historic protection organization and a revolving fund. The non-profit group, through the use of a revolving fund, could offer seed money or loans to people interested in refurbishing a historic property.

-- Adopt conservation zoning within the city's zoning ordinance. The ordinance would address new construction, additions and demolition in historic areas.

-- Prepare and adopt a comprehensive design plan that would set guidelines for owners regarding changes to existing property or construction.

-- Become a Main Street community. The Main Street Program helps with restoring historic commercial districts and could look at reuse of buildings in the Haarig district along Main Street and Broadway.

Brian Driscoll, chairman of the historic preservation commission, said the study helped identify historic areas of town and offers a sounding board for ideas related to preserving them.

"My hope in all this is that it would establish what we have in the city and what resources are important. But we need a better way to protect them."

If the idea of a conservation zone isn't acceptable to the city, there needs to be another option, Driscoll said. "We need to find a way to approach this."

Copies of the draft report are available at the Cape Girardeau Public Library and Kent Library for review. Copies of the report are available at cost at City Hall. A final report could be voted on by the commission in May.