(a)      Subject to any requirements of a local jurisdiction governing the acquisition of easements, a historic district commission or historic preservation commission may acquire easements in connection with individual sites or structures, or with sites or structures located in or adjacent to a locally designated historic district.

      (b)      The easements acquired by a historic district commission or historic preservation commission may grant to the commission, the residents of the historic district, and the general public the right to ensure that any site, structure, or surrounding property on which the easement is applied is protected, in perpetuity, from changes that would affect the historic, archeological, or architectural significance of the site, structure, or surrounding property.