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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC1988-003 Parking Lot And Dumpster Design GuidelinesV. PARRING LOT AND DUMPSTER DESIGN GUIDELINES The provision of automobile parking is one of the most difficult design and regulatory challenges facing historic districts. Automobiles were not anticipated when many such areas were originally developed and are, therefore, inherenty obtrusive upon the historic character of the neighborhood. As the exclusion of automobiles is impracticable, the following guidelines have been developed in order to give direction to designers in limiting the impact of, -the car upon the streetscape: 1. Whenever possible, parking areas should be so located that they are screened from public view by the mass of a building. 2. In those cases where parking areas are not screened by a building mass or where the parking is only partially screened in this fashion, that part visible from the street should be screened by an opaque fence (see fence guidelines), earthen berms, dense evergreen landscaping (see plant guidelines) or combination thereof which produces a visual barrier no less than 5 ft. in height. Screening consisting solely of plants and landscaping should not be utilized. Land- scaping should be placed between fences and streets. 3. In no case should parking areas extend beyond any facade of a structure (porches, window bays or other projections are not considered to be part of the facade in this instance) abutting a street. In those cases where parking is on a lot with no buildings, setbacks should be provided which are the same as those of adjacent buildings or the average thereof in cases where there are differences in setback depth. Where neither method of determining setback is practicable, parking areas should be set back 25 ft. in the front yard and a minimum of 4 ft. along other streets. 4. Parking areas should be screened from view from adjacent properties not within the same develop- ment or common ownership in the manner listed above. The exception is when the parking is located adjacent to a dedicated public alleyway. , - I e 5. All dumpsters or other common trash collection points for other than single family uses, except those used in conjunction with construc- tion activities, shall be placed in enclosures which follow either the building or fencing sections of these guidelines. Such enclosures should: ae not be located between any building facade and an adjacent street. b. be so located as to cause minimum disruption, visually or aurally, to adjacent properties. 6. Parking lot lighting should be directional in nature with cutoffs at adjacent property lines. Lighting structures compatible with the surround- ing architecture shall be utilized if possible. 7. Interior landscaping should be provided in an amount equal to or greater than 10% of total parking area for all contiguous parking areas of 10 cars or more. - PROWP D AMENDMENT TO MACARTHUR PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT GUIDELINES IV. INFILL DESIGN The successful introduction of new buildings into an historic area is at best a difficult tasks Well designed infill buildings can be valuable additions to the neighborhood, reinforcing the continuity of the streetscape and contributing to the visual interest of the area. Poorly designed infill buildings interrupt the rhythm of the street and can destroy the character of the neighborhood. In order to encourage acceptable new buildings, the following concepts and criteria will be used in determining the appropriateness of new buildings proposed within the District's boundaries. 1. The replication of historic architectural styles is not encouraged except in the case of documented buildings being reconstructed on the same site as the original structure. 20 The use of period architectural embellishments on buildings of generally contemporary design in order to make said building more compatible with existing structures is not appropriate. 3. The introduction of historic styles which never existed in Little Rock or are generally inconsistent with the dominant architectural themes of the MacArthur Park Historic District (Federalist row houses are an example of this) are inappropriate for use as models for infill designs. 4. In general, the successful infill design should reflect the scale, massing, rhythm and siting of adjacent structures while reinterpreting these elements using a modern architectural vocabulary. In those instances where no appropriate model upon which to base a design exists, the architect may wish to choose to use the general characteristics (without replicating the particular style) of a style common to that particular portion of the District. (See Section III of these Guidelines) 5. The use of materials common to the existing structures within the district is recommended. Other materials may be introduced provided that: a) These materials are compatible with those commonly used on other buildings in the area. b) These materials do not, by their nature, constitute an intrusion into the fabric of the neighborhood, drawing attention away from the neighborhood's historic character. 6. In general, those facades which front -'on a street are the most important in establishing the appropriateness of an infill design. Therefore, particular attention must be paid to the design and evaluation of these facades. AMENDMENTS TO THE MACARTHUR PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT GUIDELINES 1. The following definition is to be placed in II.C.3. as L. Historic Plagues: Any sign used to denote the architectural, historical or cultural significance of a given site or building and whose text is limited to the name of the structure; date of construction; name of the building's architect; a narrative which accurately communicates the building's or site's architectural, historical or cultural significance and; the name or other identification of the plaque's donor so long as such acknowledgement does not exceed 10% of the total area of the plaque. All subsequent definitions in this section of the Guidelines are to be remembered accordingly. 2. The following paragraph is to be placed in II.C.6. as S. Historic Plaques: Allowed, provided that such signs are flush mounted in or adjacent to the sidewalk along the principal facade of a building or in or adjacent to the sidewalk along the principal street adjoining an historic site; generally conform to the pattern for such markers outlined in the "Downtown Little Rock Streetscape Strategy; do not exceed 24" X 24" and; are used to denote structures or sites generally recognized to be of architectural, historical or cultural merit. This section of the Guidelines does not preclude the necessity for obtaining a franchise from the Board of Directors for improvements in the right-of-way should such approval be necessary. AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS OF THE MACARTHUR PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION The following bylaw amendments are proposed in order to improve the administration of the MacArthur Park Historic District Commission. A. The following shall be added to Article V (Conduct of Business), Section E. (General Policies): 12. Notification of Action Written notification of final Commission action on all applications shall be sent by certified mail to the applicant(s) within 30 days of said action. This notification shall include the reasons for approval or denial as entered into the minute records of the Commission. 13. All materials, written, graphic or otherwise, presented to the Commission for consideration shall become the possessions of the Commission for a period of 41D days after the Commission's action. In the event that legal measures contesting the Commission's decision are taken within this time period, said materials shall remain in the possession of the Commission until such time as these legal measures are exhausted. B. The following sentences shall be added to Article V (Conduct of Business), Section D. (Special Rules of Procedure), Number 3. (Motion and Voting): "...thereon by simple voice vote." (new sentence) In the case that said motion is to approve or deny a Certificate of Appropriateness, the chair of the Commission shall designate a member of the Commission to prepare and circulate to the other Commission members a statement of the reasons for approval or denial of the application. Said statement, including such comments as other members may wish to add, shall be returned to the Secretary of the Commission within 15 days of the Commission's action and shall become a part of the permanent record. C. The following shall be added to Article V (Conduct of Business), Section D. (Special Rules of Procedure): 6. In the interest of creating a record of the applications suitable for judicial review/ the Secretary of the Commission shall affix an identification tag which includes the case number and an exhibit designation in sequence beginning with "A" to each item, visual or written, formally presented to the Commission at the time of the material's introduction to the Commission, which is designated by the applicant or other parties testifying before the Commission as a submission to form part of the record upon which the Commission makes its decision. D. The following paragraph shall replace Article V, Section E. Number 6. (c), (Reapplication): No application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for property shall be considered if a former application embracing the same property or a portion thereof has been denied by the Commission within a period of 12 months preceding the application, except for cause and with unanimous consent of all members present at a regular meeting. If the Commission decides to rehear a case it will require legal ad, notice to owners, etc., as required for new application. If an applica- tion for a Certificate of Appropriateness for property embracing the same property or a portion thereof has been previously denied by the Commission, the Commission shall not grant a Certificate of Appro- priateness pursuant to an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for such property unless a material change has been made by the applicant, which change is clearly designated by the applicant in the application, in the proposed erection, alteration, restoration, moving or demolition of buildings, structures or appurtenant fixtures on such property or portions thereof from that contained or proposed in the previous application(s) previously been denied by the Commission. E. The following paragraph shall replace Article V, Section E. Number 10. (Precedents): Actions of the Commission shall be deemed to have pre- cedential value. While each item docketed shall be decided upon its own merit and the circumstances attendant thereto, previous actions of the Commission shall be considered by the Commission with regard to implementation by the Commission of the policies established by: (i) these Bylaws; (ii) the ordinance establishing the Commission; and (iii) earlier decisions of the Commission. The Commission in its deliberations accordingly shall be guided by and give due consideration to, but shall not bound by, previous decisions of the Commission. F. The following paragraph shall be added to Article V, Section E. as Number 12. (Automatic Dismissals): If any application for a Certificate of Appropriateness is deemed by the Commission to contain insufficient information for the merits of the case to be weighed adequately by the Commission, the applicant shall have 30 days, or such other time period as may be set by the Commission, to amend the application to include the necessary information. At the end of this time period, if the application has not been suitably amended, the case shall be automatically dismissed and no further application may be filed for the period of one year from the date of the dismissal. yy/�� �.1� ,�.;i. •~ �, � a. :r': ,.�:Li:r.f� is S :�}: 3:;:ws:�:•r,�.,,7�7 -�. %4;���:,'�: =y•ytw_r�:fry�`C.�J ��yy'' .inr�;.•.f•�.'�F,'.: •hl •9�Vir•:':' .Y':tti.' Li;iy7r '[•rr i'r i.�?.:ir�.l •..,•Rr 7jti..r, f, t.�;. sue.--, ii.:t..,,.rr ^��:... '.i'';: .l,i�•.,1pr.:.� .sir 'L. .s, ..s� '• . - •�. .rya+y..,r�:...�! - , .'i s - .;�:;, ! • r,i. ,�'Ci:i F f'f7:,. �.,.r����r ��r. ;;5, . : rIti �r"rCf ��; • • - .'+,+•: ,S .�,a• '••J,v• .' 'i -:1,: r . :7i , .'S r ..4� n i,ir,In •riYSY •i• 5• !': i . J....}:. ::i.:' :: i. S`,, •1•; .�Y.:�.;i� �e yy.+%: �� : .y-. .,la� rsr:.:a '^,�i. - 1i.' y- •1•-,� ... _ ' 1 . . •I: �..� .Y t r ' FAQ+-•, - r ti � ... i .. . - . I � .. - ' � � , �rI :'r. fir,. - - � - . ... ' A • 7 .• - - • r. BY LAW AMENDMENT The following wording shall be placed in Article V.; Section E. (General Policies): 12. Review; The Commission shall consult the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program or its successors prior to taking any action involving areas of expertise not represented on the Commission.