Amador County – The Jackson City Council last week reviewed architectural guidelines and historical design standards in a public hearing last week, and directed staff to separate those in city code for possible consideration next week.
Jackson City Planner Susan Peters said the city Development Code adopted in 2009 “contains guidelines for architectural review.” She said they are not standards, which are mandatory, but are voluntary guidelines.
She said Development Code addressed architectural and design review. One chapter “contains Design Guidelines which are applicable to multiple family residential, commercial, industrial, and public or institutional projects. These are guidelines (which means voluntary) and do not apply to single-family residences.”
Another chapter, Peters said, is the “Historic Design Review, applicable to structures in the Historic Commercial Zone.” She said the standards “require discretionary review by a Design Review Committee” for “any project in the Historic Commercial Zone which requires a building permit.”
Peters said “we started this process to change the guidelines to standards” in May 2009, when a committee was formed, did work, and sent results to the Council last year. “It was just getting way too complex,” and staff decided to use separate processes for guidelines and standards.
Peters said the Council established the nine-member Architectural Regulations Committee to create an outline for architectural guidelines and regulation in the city. It was to decide recommend if design review should be applied city-wide; whether to have voluntary guidelines or mandatory standards; and who would be responsible for the reviewing process.
Peters said the committee had contractors, architects, and several concerned citizens. “Seven members ended up being very active,” and recommended having standards, not guidelines; applied city-wide; and recommended forming a review committee. It recommended five members, including two professionals in the building industry, two architects or designers, and one concerned citizen. Committee decisions could be appealed to the Planning Commission, and eventually to the City Council.
Vice Mayor Keith Sweet said the most important paragraph in the architecture standards, in part, said “the review authority may interpret these standards with some flexibility.” He hoped design committee appointees would “think that these, as written, are not in cement,” and try to meet the spirit of the standards.
Peters and City Attorney Andrew Morris prepared an ordinance to adopt the new regulations. One change from committee recommendation was the definition of a “Historic Structure.” The “original definition referred to a map” and “if the structure was within the area designated on the map, then it was considered historic.” Peters said “this has been replaced with a clearer definition that applies to individual structures as opposed to an area.”
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
