The Sutter Creek City Council has voted to approve a set of architectural guidelines that will assist in governing development styles in the town’s historic residential district. The council heard a presentation on the guidelines from Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha. Cunha said that he was presenting the document for Commission Chairman Robin Peters, who was sick with the flu. Cunha summarized the five year history of the creation of the document which consisted of a “tremendous amount” of background work and research completed by a committee.

Cunha then explained that the city currently has three ordinances that regulate Sutter Creek’s housing, which “are often in conflict with each other.” He said that the purpose of the architectural guidelines is to provide support for the ordinances, which can now be “tightened up” and possibly combined into one. Public comment on the matter included suggestions to include more information about lighting and ancillary structures, as well as a request for clarification on who will be the city’s “qualified consultant” on architectural matters.

Members of the council expressed extremely positive opinions of the document, and congratulated members of the committee on their accomplishment. The next steps for the council will be to bring existing housing ordinances into harmony with each other, and to form an architectural review committee to help enforce the new guidelines.