HPC of South Bend and St. Joseph County - Standards Update Draft

Home Browse Search

City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 141 District Addendums: East Wayne Street Local Historic District erected on a single lot . Most of the properties include a double garage, usually located at the rear of the property . The majority of garages are accessed from straight driveways leading from the main thoroughfare, while a few are accessed from the alley . There are also a few homes with a covered carport located at the rear of the property, as well as a few with circular driveways . Driveway and sidewalk materials include concrete, asphalt and brick . All of the properties have trees and most have trimmed shrubbery and/or hedges . Most of the houses conform to a uniform setback line within each block . New Construction Massing and Scale. • The height of a new structure and its height to width proportions shall be consistent with adjacent buildings in the district . • The building height shall be no greater than that of the tallest existing structure and no less than that of the lowest existing structure of the same type in the same block . • Façade proportion shall be established by permitting no structure with a façade wider or narrower than those existing in the same block . • Additions to existing buildings shall be related in height and proportion to the existing structure . • Contemporary designs should be compatible in character and mood to the building or neighborhood . Site Projects Garages, Landscaping, Parking Areas, Decks, Driveways, Sidewalks, and Paths. • Accessory buildings shall be located at the rear of the property and as unobtrusively as possible while preserving historical relationships between the buildings, landscape features and open spaces . Proportions and materials shall conform to those required for new construction . Dominant land contours shall be retained . • Accessory building designs should be compatible in character and mood to the residence and the neighborhood . The following is prohibited and generally not approved by the Commission: • Changes made to the appearance of the site by removing major landscaping items, trees, fencing, walkways, outbuildings or other elements before evaluating their importance to the property’s history and development . • Front yard transformed into parking lots nor paved nor blacktopped . • Front yard areas fenced and fences extending forward beyond the setback line of the house . • Prefabricated wood composition sheds should not be used unless they conform to all other guidelines and standards . • Prefabricated metal sheds shall not be used . • The installation of unsightly large devices, such as television satellite dishes, skylights or solar panels, shall not be permitted in areas where they detract from the architecture of a building, are intrusive to the public view of the building or are highly visible from a public street, or ruled inappropriate after Commission review . • Utility poles with high-intensity overhead lights should be installed so that they cannot be seen from a street. The Commission will evaluate all installations as well as any potential exceptions resulting from special circumstances, before granting a C of A . Return to the Table of ContentsDRAFT