Smithfield delays vote on updated historic district and entrance-corridor design guidelines

The Smithfield Town Council on Jan. 7 heard a presentation on updated historic district design guidelines and entrance corridor overlay guidelines but voted to postpone final action for 30 days.

Caleb Gasparick, historian and historic preservation planner with Chronicle Heritage, summarized the 2025 update to the town’s historic-district design guidelines. He described the changes as an update to the 2006 document that includes new formatting, interactive online features, updated illustrations and new sections on modern preservation topics such as installing solar panels on historic buildings. “Historic districts are not defined by individual buildings and sites. They are defined by the interaction between individual buildings and the landscape,” Gasparick said during his presentation.

Gasparick and subconsultant Meredith Johnson (Johnson Planning and Preservation) also previewed the entrance corridor overlay guidelines, which were updated to include environmental considerations, climate-resilient planting guidance and dark-sky conscious lighting.

Tammy Clary, town planning staff, told the council staff recommended approval of both guideline documents contingent on resolving remaining staff comments. Several council members — including Vice Mayor Bill Harris — said the documents are substantial and requested extra time for review. Harris moved to table consideration for 30 days so the full council could review staff comments and the documents; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously by roll call.

Council and staff said the extension will allow time for minor edits, photo replacements and finalization of liaison appointments in the documents. Planning Commission members who reviewed the drafts previously reported detailed review work and recommended the documents with staff conditions.