GUILDERLAND — A handful of residents of McKownville are beginning the process of applying for designation as a historic district through the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The idea, said Don Reeb, former longtime president of the McKownville Improvement Association, first came from a neighbor at a meeting “a long time ago.” That neighbor, Reeb said, had told the group that Slingerlands, in the nearby town of Bethlehem, had received the designation and suggested it might give McKownville a little more recognition.

“Some places are easier to preserve, because they’re off the beaten track, like Altamont,” Reeb said. “But for places that have a Western Avenue running through them, it’s a little more difficult.”

McKownville, a suburban enclave bordering the city of Albany, was named for John McKown, a Scotsman who ran a tavern on the old Kings Highway in the 18th Century. The hamlet is bisected by Western Avenue, built in part on land donated by the McKown family, and also is impacted by the Northway and the burgeoning University at Albany campus.

It’s hard to stop developers altogether if they are determined, said Reeb, giving the examples of the 252-unit apartment building planned for Sandidge Way, at the edge of McKownville on the border of Albany, and the buildings on the historic Holt-Harris property, demolished by the University Foundation in April 2016.

“But I still think it’s worth doing, because the modest-priced neighborhoods with access to public transportation and well-maintained homes should continue to be available,” Reeb said.

Guilderland has two historic districts recognized by the state and national registers The Altamont Historic District features many grand Victorian buildings. The Rapp Road Community Historic District features modest homes, many of them built by hand, by the community’s original settlers. It was settled during the Great Migration, largely by African Americans fleeing Shubuta, Mississippi and the Jim Crow South.

Beverly Bardequez, a third-generation resident of the Rapp Road Historic District who has members of the fourth and fifth generations in her household, says that having the district placed on the registers has made developers less eager to impinge on the historic homes.

“It’s kind of made people step back,” said Bardequez, who was instrumental in getting the designation.

“We face challenges, because as the original owners die off, if their children aren’t interested in maintaining the properties, then it falls into the hands of whoever,” she said. “For example, one of the last elders — there were only two of the original settlers — one was the cousin who died two years ago. His house was just auctioned, and SEFCU bought it,” she said of the State Employees Federal Credit Union.

“I said I was going to write them a letter and let them know that we hope they will respect that this is a historic community, and that they will keep that in mind with whatever they decide to do with the home.”

McKownville’s informal committee is in the process of gathering information on and having photographs taken of homes in the area.

The district would likely include the southerly portions of Elmwood, Parkwood, Glenwood, and Norwood streets; all of Waverly Place; and part of the north side of Western Avenue.

The idea, said Ellen Manning, president of the McKownville Improvement Association, is “to give us a little bit of protection.”

She added, “We don’t think the university’s interested in coming in and acquiring the buildings. We’re thinking of the future.”

Becoming a historic district on the state or national register would make it more difficult for any developer using state or federal funds to demolish the homes; it would still be possible, but the neighborhood’s designation would trigger a more involved review process, according to information on the website of the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.

Repeated calls to an agency spokesman were not returned.

“The cohesiveness of the architecture makes people from the office of Historic Preservation think it might be eligible,” said Manning of the neighborhood.

Currently, the board of directors of the McKownville Improvement Association and a number of volunteers are involved, said Manning. She added of the project, “It’s just the beginning stage, slightly more advanced than just an idea in somebody’s mind.”

She noted that a representative of the agency came out a year ago and walked the neighborhood with her and identified the streets and the area that might be most likely to be eligible.

She said that being part of a historic district would not affect at all what people can do with their homes, inside or outside.

There is a lot of research left to be done, Manning said. Descriptions of each home in the district, with some historic background, would need to be written “in a way beyond the scope of laypeople,” she said. It might be necessary to get a grant to help with the research and writing, Manning said.

The system of seven alleyways between the various streets will also be part of the application, Manning said, noting that they provided access to separate garages in the neighborhood that was originally without driveways.

The alleyways also connect neighbors on different streets. “I’ll say to Don Reeb, if we’re going someplace, ‘I’ll meet you in the alley.’ Or sometimes we have brief meetings — confabs — with four or five neighbors in the alley,” Manning said.

“It can also contribute to our sense of civic pride,” Manning said. “We all like the neighborhood, but it gives a little distinction.”

Another benefit of being part of a district, according to the agency’s website, is that owners of depreciable, certified historic properties may take a 20 percent federal income tax credit for the costs of “substantial rehabilitation.”

Neighbors are becoming involved on a completely voluntary basis, said town Supervisor Peter Barber when asked for his opinion; the town is not directly involved.

“I fully support this effort,” said Barber.

He echoed Manning, saying that the effort to see the neighborhood designated as historic is “completely voluntary” and “not meant to put a burden on anybody.

“They’re not going to start looking at people’s doors and making sure they’re the right color, or anything,” Barber said.

He added, “What it does is give a community a way to join together, recognizing the historic nature of their homes.”