HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05-20 wittenburg letter1
Minyard, Brian
From:Ray Wittenberg <rwittenberg@oxfordamerican.org>
Sent:Wednesday, May 20, 2020 11:19 AM
To:Minyard, Brian
Subject:PLEASE DENY HDC2019-023.
May 14, 2020
The Honorable Frank Scott, Mayor
Little Rock Historic District Commissioners
Jamie Collins, Director, Planning and Development
Brian Minyard, Office of Planning and Development
RE: HDC2019-023 – PLEASE DENY
Dear All,
As a resident, property owner and/or friend of the MacArthur Park Historic District, I urge the Little Rock Historic
District Commission to deny HDC2019-023 because the proposed development will greatly diminish the District’s
historic integrity, unique character and coveted sense of place.
Appropriate infill development is welcome in the District but this 15-unit residential complex proposed for 3 vacant lots
at 10th and Rock Streets does not follow the design factors set forth in the MacArthur Park Historic District Guidelines
for Rehabilitation and New Construction and is not in keeping with the area’s R4-A Low Density Residential zoning which
allows for the development of duplex dwellings. A 15-unit residential complex is not low density and is an intrusion that
does not comply with the size, scale and massing of the surrounding historic neighborhood.
New construction should be harmonious in form, materials, setting and scale within the established District. The
project’s design elements and building materials are unsympathetic and out of character with the neighboring historic
structures and especially insulting to the simple mid-to-late 19 th Century and early 20th Century wood frame cottages that
face the site. The project application omits photographs of these smaller homes but does included photographs of the
largest structures in the area. Nor did the application include photographs of the tree-lined streets and generous green
space surrounding the historic housing stock.
Thank you for your continual efforts to protect Little Rock’s only Local Ordinance District from incompatible alterations
and even demolition. Now we ask you to take the same thoughtful consideration when reviewing this infill and support
us in our efforts to maintain the unique identity and irreplaceable character of this historic area.
PLEASE DENY HDC2019-023. This fragile neighborhood located in the heart of the MacArthur Park Historic District
deserves the protection Little Rock’s only Local Ordinance District was created to provide.
Respectfully yours,
Ray Wittenberg
The Oxford American
501-733-4164
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