Agenda Date: March 20, 2017
Subject:
Title
Resolution recommending adoption of Louthan Heights Historic District Design Guidelines
Body
Presented By:
Dennis Swain, Senior Planner
POLICY QUESTION:
Does the historical preservation board recommend adoption of the Louthan Heights Historic District Design Guidelines?
BACKGROUND:
Noted for its architectural significance and its contribution to the city's cultural heritage, the 17-house Louthan Heights Historic District, in the 5600 block of South Louthan Street, has a concentration of Craftsman-style houses. Craftsman elements - such as broad porches, clipped gable roofs with overhanging eaves, and exposed rafters - characterize the houses in the district. Thirteen of the seventeen houses have a distinctive pebble dash stucco exterior, with the stucco on each house having a pebble stone distinct from those used on the other 12 houses with a pebble stone stucco exterior.
The adoption of design guidelines for the Louthan Heights Historic District will meet a critical, and long awaited, need for consistency, predictability, and creativity in design development and review. It will also provide the specificity of direction needed to address conditions that are unique to the district. The neighborhood has asked for design guidelines since the formation of the district in 2002, the True Grit program recommended their development, and HPB's subsequent annual work programs have included them. In response to this need, the city applied for and was awarded a State of Colorado Certified Local Government (CLG) grant to develop design guidelines for the Louthan Heights Historic District.
The grant allowed the city to hire Melanie Short and Abigail Christman, both with Kore Architects, to develop the guidelines. Melanie and Abigail, both of whom have extensive backgrounds in historic preservation, worked with the neighborhood and city staff to craft design guidelines unique to the district. The consultants met with the n...
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