Agenda Date: 09/13/2021
Subject:
Title
HPB Resolution 07-2021: Recommending approval of the downtown historic district designation
Body
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Prepared by: |
Andrea Mimnaugh, Senior Planner |
PURPOSE:
Consider an application to designate a historic district in Downtown Littleton and forward a recommendation on the application to city council.
PRESENTATIONS:
Staff Presenter(s): Andrea Mimnaugh, Senior Planner
Additional Presenter(s): N/A
SUMMARY:
The Downtown Historic District application proposes an all-inclusive district to include 82 structures on 71 properties with frontage on Main Street, Alamo Avenue and the portions of Prince, Nevada, Curtice and the east side of Rapp Street that are between Main Street and Alamo Avenue.
PRIOR ACTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS:
During their August 4, 2020 study session, city council directed staff to explore an all-inclusive Downtown Historic District to ensure that significant historic resources in Downtown’s core would be preserved. Over the following 12 months, the following actions and discussions occurred:
• Actions and Discussions - HPB Study Sessions, August 2020 - June 2021:
Between August 2020 and June 2021, HPB assisted with research and analysis on the buildings within the proposed district needed to develop the application. Discussion and recommendations to staff occurred during 7 study sessions.
• Engagement Process - Ongoing:
Outreach efforts to property owners within the proposed boundary began in May 2021 and continue through Council’s scheduled public hearing on October 26, 2021.
• City Council Direction on Next Steps - Study Session, August 3, 2021:
At their August 3rd, 2021 study session, city council directed staff to move forward with the Downtown Historic District application.
ANALYSIS:
Staff Analysis
Staff analyzed the application’s compliance with the criteria for establishing a historic district without owner’s consent and found it meets applicable criteria for designation. The following criteria are met:
Section 4-6-8(A) and (B)
• The district exemplifies the political, economic and social heritage of the community
• The district exemplifies an association with a notable person or the work of a notable person
• The district enhances sense of identity of the community
• The district is an established and familiar natural setting or visual feature of the community
• The district possesses such unusual or uncommon significance that the district’s potential demolition or major alteration would diminish the character and sense of place in the community of Littleton
• District boundaries will be defined by visual changes, historic documentation of different associations of patterns of development, or evidence of changes in site type or site density as established through testing or survey
• The proposed designation is consistent with the goals and policies of the comprehensive plan
• Noncontributing buildings within the district will be evaluated for their magnitude of impact by considering their size, scale, design, location, and/or information potential.
Section 4-6-11(B)1(a)
• Whether the property or district has overwhelming historic importance to the entire community
Section 4-6-11(A)3
Application’s relationship to the comprehensive plan
Council Goal, Objective, and/or Guiding Principle
• Goal S&D 1: A downtown that continues to serve the entire community as a civic, historic, cultural, and economic focal point.
• Goal HART 2: Continued protection and promotion of Littleton’s heritage, especially where it is tangibly visible in historic architecture, designated district and landmarks, and distinct neighborhoods and buildings.
Fiscal Impacts
If city council approves the designation of the Downtown Historic District, city council should consider expanding financial benefits for property owners in the district.
Alternatives
The Historical Preservation Board may adopt the resolution with conditions or may not adopt a resolution (effectively not recommending approval). In either case, the application will still be considered by city council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
In staff’s opinion, the proposed Historic District Designation complies with the approval criteria in Littleton City Code, as detailed in the staff report. Staff recommends approval of HPB Resolution 07-2021, which recommends council approval of the application.
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve HPB Resolution 07-2021 recommending approval of the Downtown Historic District designation.Body
REFERENCES:
Littleton Municipal Code - Historic Preservation
• https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/littleton-co-cc/doc-viewer.aspx#secid--1 <https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/littleton-co-cc/doc-viewer.aspx>
Comprehensive Plan
• <https://www.littletongov.org/home/showpublisheddocument?id=21312>
Downtown Historic Building Surveys
• <https://www.littletongov.org/building-development/historic-preservation/historic-resources/-folder-3683>
Survey Report for Historic Buildings Survey
• <https://www.littletongov.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=11076>
Commercial Modernism in the Greater West Littleton Boulevard Corridor 1950-1980
• <https://www.littletongov.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=23752>