HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC2008-024 Staff Report 11/05/2008City of Little Rock
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Department of Planning and Development
723 West Markham Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334
Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax: (501) 399-3435 or 371-6863
November 5, 2008
Karen Butler Miller Reddig
1301 Cumberland St
Little Rock, AR 72202
Dear Ms. Reddig,
Planning
Zoning and
Subdivision
In August of this year, you sent a letter to the Mayor and myself concerning the Little
Rock Historic District Commission and issues related to your house at 1301
Cumberland. I know that you and Brian Minyard have corresponded and reached
agreement concerning the most recent construction at your residence. However, your
letter also raised issues with the MacArthur Park Historic District and I felt that some
additional information would be helpful.
The overlap area between the Capitol Zoning District and the MacArthur Park Historic
District is bounded by the centerlines of 13th, Cumberland, 15th Streets, and the alley
between Scott and Main Streets. Your property is
across the street from the overlap area and is not
in the overlap area. See the graphic at the right.
The heavy black lines demark the boundaries of
the two districts.
The City of Little Rock Historic District
Commission (HDC) has an excellent working
relationship with the Capitol Zoning District
Commission on properties that are within the
overlap area. The latest project in the overlap was
the renovation of the Eastside Auditorium into
apartments and that project was reviewed by both
commissions.
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Graphic showing the overlap area.
The creation of the MacArthur Park National Register District (1977) and the MacArthur
Park Local Ordinance Historic District (1981) was a direct response to the planning and
construction of the 1-630 Interstate through downtown. The local ordinance district
mirrors exactly the boundaries of the national register district. While time has passed,
the district still maintains a 69% contributing status as of the latest survey that was just
completed earlier this year. Contributing status is a ratio of contributing buildings to the
overall total of buildings. Originally, in 1981, it had a 71% contributing status. The
numbers have slipped some because of the tornados that caused substantial damage
on Rock and Commerce Streets in 1999. The diligence of Staff and local landowners to
uphold the regulations of the district keep the high contributing status of the area. In the
latest survey, your house was deemed a contributing structure. Studies have shown
that owning a property in a National Register district can improve property values 4-5%.
Owning a home in a Local Ordinance District can improve your property value 20%.
The Historic District Commission is charged with protecting all structures in the district
by state law, whether they are contributing structures or not. Each application is to be
reviewed not only in context of the historic nature of that particular structure, but also to
not affect the historic district generally as a whole.
The MacArthur Park Historic District Guidelines, an important tool, were updated in
2006 to make them more user friendly with more photos and graphics as recommened
by Nore Winter, a nationally know Historic Preservation consultant hired for that task.
We do make them available on the web, in addition to hard copies that are available at
our office. The document is broken into multiple easy to read sections that address
different issues: procedure; history; architectural styles; guidelines for rehab, addition
and site design for residential and commercial structures; and appendices. The Staff is
always available to meet with property owners concerning construction projects in the
district.
The Staff of the Historic District Commission can approve many minor repair jobs
without requiring a public hearing. Normal routine maintenance such as painting wood
surfaces, repair of windows, gutters, siding, trim, etc., can be approved at a Staff level.
The State statute language, which is mirrored in the city ordinance, states that ordinary
maintenance does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). It is when a
property owner changes, or proposes to change, or adds to, a structure's materials that
the COA is required. The notification of adjoining property owners of a proposed COA
is a state law, Staff if merely upholding that law. Notifications to adjoining property
owners are researched though an abstract company. If a property owner does not have
their current mailing address at the tax assessor or tax collectors office, it can impede a
property owner receiving their notice. Staff reviews the list of property owners provided
by the abstract company before the public hearing is held to see that each property has
been sent a letter. Fluorescent green signs are posted on the property to notify
neighbors that a COA has been filed. No notifications of adjoining property owners are
necessary for maintenance work on a property.
The meetings of the Historic District Commission are held monthly, typically the second
Monday of each month. Most applicants complete the process of obtaining their COA in
a period of 4-5 weeks. A Certificate of Compliance (COC) for ordinary maintenance can
typically be granted within two or three days.
If there are any further questions, please contact us.
Sincerely,
Tony Boz ski, Director
Department of Planning and Development
cc: Bruce T Moore, City Manager