A proposed historic preservation commission in Wiscasset drew a lot of praise and some concerns on Monday night. The would-be rules are workable and are needed to protect the town’s historic properties, some residents said.

“I’m very impressed with the accuracy, the attention to detail and the overall completeness of information provided in (the proposal),” Gordon Kontrath said.

However, Susan Hammond expressed concern about a “certificate of appropriateness” that property owners in a historic district would need for additions and other projects. It could pose problems for people whose homes in the district do not have historic value, Hammond said. As proposed, those property owners would also need their projects reviewed by the five-member, selectmen-appointed commission.

“I just find it an encroachment on our rights as landowners,” Hammond told the committee. Getting a project to meet the new rules could be a hardship, she said.

The ordinance townspeople began asking for several years ago is for the community’s benefit, Committee Chairman Karl Olson said.

“The town is considered a historic and beautiful place based on the architecture we have, and (the intent is) not to let that become corrupted by a bunch of totally different architectural styles,” he said.

“It comes off pretty elitist, to me,” Hammond responded.

The proposed rules call for the commission to review applications in the district for additions, new construction or rebuilding projects, alterations, removal or demolition of properties and for new fences and parking lots that can be seen from the street. The town’s code enforcement officer could decide requests for signs and minor or temporary changes, without a public meeting.

The committee has been working about a year on the proposal, which another panel crafted years ago, Olson said. The committee has tweaked the wording the earlier panel came up with, he said.

Kontrath asked the committee to make sure the rules allow enough time for other residents to prepare to respond to project applications. The proposal currently calls for the commission to hold a public meeting on an application within 30 days, or longer if the commission and applicant agree to an extension.

The person seeking to respond to an application may be a layperson, Kontrath said.

“If you have about  45 days, that gives the folks that are not researchers ... time to do the research,” he said.

Doris Pendleton told the committee that a home long known as the pumpkin house due to its color, is now being painted white. Olson said the committee decided against proposing the ordinance dictate a building’s color.

“We’re not telling you you can’t paint your house pink,” he said.

Committee members and Town Planner Jamel Torres planned to follow up on the night’s feedback. For the ordinance to take effect, it would first go to the Board of Selectmen, who could call for changes or pass it intact to go to voters, possibly in the spring, Olson said. If that happens, the planning board would hold a public hearing before the town vote, Olson said.

Also Monday, Olson told the turnout of about a dozen residents that the committee would like to fill two seats it has open. If interested, contact the town office at 207-882-8200.