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

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City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 157 District Addendums: Chapin Park Local Historic District 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 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 . Site Projects Garages, Landscaping, Parking Areas, Decks, Driveways, Sidewalks, and Paths. • Sheds and accessory structures (gazebos, decks, doghouses, playhouses, fountains and small reflecting pools, outdoor sculpture, children’s play equipment, etc .) 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 . • 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: • Resurfacing of wood siding with new material that is inappropriate or was unavailable when the building was constructed, such as artificial stone, brick veneer, asbestos or asphalt shingles . • Alteration or removal of front porches, stoops, patios and steps that are important to the building’s style and development . • Prefabricated wood composition sheds should not be used unless they conform to all other guidelines and standards . • Prefabricated metal sheds shall not be used . • No changes may be made to the appearance of the site by removing trees, fencing, walkways, outbuildings or other elements before evaluating their importance to the property’s history and development . Front yard areas shall not be transformed into parking lots nor paved nor blacktopped, nor enclosed by solid fences, chain link, nor industrial/commercial style fences . • 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 . • Construction of new stairways and elevators that would alter important architectural features and spaces is prohibited . Return to the Table of ContentsDRAFT