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 25 Residential Standards: Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Satellite Dishes/Communications General understanding and approach Accommodating alternative energy projects within the district is an important goal . Their integration into a historic structure or site should maintain the building and district’s look and feel considering the historic integrity of the site and building . Mounting and installation should be done in a manner that is reversible without harm to the historic building . To plan energy efficiency improvements, check out a suggested guide for the evaluation of all energy-generating technologies along with the importance of first utilizing strategies to reduce energy consumption prior to undertaking an energy generation project here . See also section on Sites here . What is your project? Install solar panels, wind turbines or satellite dish (equipment) • Equipment should be installed in a manner that is reversible without harm to historic materials and in locations shielded from public view . • Equipment should be placed on the ground in the rear of the property and designed, sized, and located in locations that avoid obscuring the building or significant site features. • Installation of equipment on a roof is a last resort if no suitable ground locations are possible . • Equipment proposed for a roof installation shall be mounted on roofs not facing or visible from a public street and installed as flush to the roof surface as possible . • Equipment shall not extend above the ridge line . • Equipment shall be placed on secondary roofs or rear wings and mounted to the rear of the roof and not towards the edge . • Exposed hardware, frames and piping should have a matte finish, and be consistent with the color scheme of the primary structure . • Exterior electrical and telephone cables should not be attached to the street elevations of the buildings . Return to the Table of Contents Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Satellite Dishes/Communications Administratively Approvable Installation of equipment on accessory buildings, or secondary roofs or rear wings not visible to the public from a public street.DRAFT