YOUNGSTOWN — Looking to have more control over historical buildings after the gas explosion and subsequent demolition of the former Realty Tower, city council’s zoning committee began a discussion on establishing a landmark district commission.

The committee talked about the possible creation of a commission at its Monday meeting. The subject was initially discussed about five years ago and went nowhere.

“This is several years in the making but really came about with the incident we had downtown this year,” said Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward, and committee chairwoman, about Realty Tower, which was a historic building in the city’s downtown.

The city law department provided draft legislation at Monday’s meeting.

The ordinance would establish city landmarks and landmark districts that would provide protection “by requiring thorough study of alternatives to incompatible alterations or demolition before such acts are performed.”

A seven-member commission would be established with “a commitment to historic preservation with a determination to maintain and safeguard the quality of city landmarks and landmark districts,” according to the proposed legislation.

“We want to do better with our historic preservation,” Turner said.

A May 28 gas explosion caused significant damage to Realty Tower on East Federal Street. The blast killed Akil Drake, who worked at the Chase Bank on the building’s ground floor, and injured nine others. Building owner YO Properties 47 LLC, over the objections of some city council members, decided June 17 to demolish the 23-apartment structure. Work started almost a month later and was finished Sept. 25.

Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, said of the commission’s creation, “It’s something we need to do.”

Oliver, who opposed the demolition, said if the commission was in place before the explosion, he didn’t know if it would have prohibited Realty’s owner from demolishing the building. Oliver questioned if the creation of a commission would hamper a building owner in the Realty case.

Jason Small, senior assistant law director who lived in Realty Tower, said if the owner of a historic landmark sought to “alter or destroy” its building, the owner would have to go in front of the commission.

“At least there is that level of review,” Small said.

If the entirety of downtown is designated as a historic landmark, Oliver said, “That could be very problematic for some business owners. Some may not have funds to deal with that.”

Turner said it might be a problem for all of downtown to be in a historic district, but the aesthetics of downtown is important.

The committee on Monday also discussed the possibility of a moratorium on housing rentals through Airbnb.

The first issue is that there is no zoning language in city codes regarding Airbnb, Oliver said.

Michael Durkin, the city’s code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent, said Airbnb rentals are not a “significant problem” in the city and he didn’t know if a moratorium was necessary.

Durkin said: “It’s not a huge problem, but it does wreak havoc” when someone rents it out in a residential neighborhood and those staying there park on the street and block traffic as well as garbage trucks from hauling away trash.