Historic Preservation Board approves Parkside overlay using Secretary of the Interior standards

The Colorado Springs Historic Preservation Board on March 3 voted to recommend approval of a zone map amendment designating 4.29 acres in the Parkside area as a Historic Preservation Overlay (HPO), adopting the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation as the district's design standards and incorporating the Old North End Interpretive Guide as a supporting reference.

The board's motion, approved by roll call, found that the Parkside nomination met the criteria for establishment of an overlay and directed that the standards reference the National Park Service guidance on the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation. The motion passed by recorded ayes from Board members Musick, Baumgartner, Fitzsimmons, Potter, Vierbaum and Hines; no no votes were recorded.

The approval follows a presentation and discussion focused on standards and guidance for applying an overlay in a neighborhood with a wide range of building types and construction dates. Tim Scanlon, a preservation historian who worked with advocates on the application, told the board the Secretary of the Interior Standards are "the default setting for preservation standards" in the United States and recommended presenting those standards to City Council with the Old North End Interpretive Guide offered as supporting, neighborhood-level guidance.

Board Chair Tara Lowenberg opened the agenda item and Phil Gray, staff presenter, summarized that staff had found the application satisfied the ordinance criteria for designation. Gray told the board staff had met with the applicant and revised the proposed motion to reference the Secretary of the Interior Standards plus the North End interpretive guide.

Scanlon said more-detailed, neighborhood-specific standards can be useful where a district has a visually identifiable, consistent character, but argued Parkside's 70-year development span and variety of building types make a single, highly detailed standards document impractical at this stage. "The only thing common to the Parkside nominated properties are the fact that they are residential and they're in close proximity to each other," Scanlon said.

Public commenters and neighborhood representatives spoke in favor of the overlay. Diane Bridges, representing the Historic Neighborhoods Partnership, said the organization "fully support[s] this ask on behalf of the Parkside District to establish an overlay in conjunction with use of the Secretary of Interior Design Standards and the guidance from the interpretive guide." Neighbor James Ringing, whose home at 614 Park Terrace is included in the proposed district, told the board he and others in the neighborhood "wanna join" and expressed support for moving forward.

Board members and staff discussed process questions raised by the application, including whether the Historic Preservation Board or the city should initiate future overlays, application fees, and the administrative workload for staff. Staff explained city code allows boards and commissions to submit overlay applications in rare cases but that most rezoning applications come from property owners; staff also said the Unified Development Code limits their ability to waive application fees, which the applicant estimated at roughly $3,600 total (the applicant reported about $1,300 for the initial application plus additional public-notice and poster costs).

The board's motion to recommend approval included the following conditions: incorporation of the Old North End Interpretive Guide by reference as a supporting guidance document and addition of a reference directing readers to the National Park Service Technical Preservation Services page for further information on the Secretary of the Interior Standards.

Under the Unified Development Code, the board's action can be appealed to City Council. Staff advised affected parties that an appeal and a $165 fee must be filed no later than 10 days after the board's action (appeal deadline: March 13, 2025).

The matter will next go to the City Planning Commission and then to City Council for final action.

Ending: The board's approval advances the Parkside application in the formal rezoning process while leaving more detailed, neighborhood-level standards and any future refinements for later review and potential separate action by council or staff.