The Department of Historic Resources held a public information hearing Tuesday to receive comments on the nomination of a portion of Gloucester’s Main Street for inclusion on national and historic registers.

During the hearing at the Main Street Center Association’s office at Main Street Center, Pamela Schenian, acting director of DHR’s Tidewater Region Preservation Office, explained various tax credits that some property owners in the Main Street district might qualify for if the area is accepted in the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places programs.

Possible tax credits include a 25 percent state credit for buildings that are considered "contributing" to the special nature of the district, Schenian said, as well as a 20 percent federal rehabilitation credit for improvements like a building’s façade. In addition, she said that some owners of "noncontributing" properties in the district might be abl...