Preservation? (Richmond: upkeep, property, corporate)

[CNI]

Is restricting reasonable forms of development really "preservation"?I ask this question because in VA it seems that some of us view restricting any form of change to a property after a historically significant event occurs on that property as preservation.Others consider preservation to be providing upkeep and investments (financial, upgrades, so on) to a historically significant property to make its historical significance readily accesible and enjoyable to present and future generations.Example: As I ride past the old canal locks near Shockoe Bottom in Richmond it is very dismaying to see a landscape that, while historically "true", is not being maintained. Some of the old lock equipment looks as if it has not been touched in 1/2 century.Is this any way to draw present and future generations to historically significant sites?If there is no entity to invest in these sites then should they not be opened up for development (with a caveat being that development must incorporate historical aspects of the site)?Would like to know other's opinions.