Historic board concurs with cultural review and signs off on Smart St. Augustine design direction with material clarifications

The board on March 20 concurred with a cultural resources assessment (CRAS) for Smart St. Augustine — a federally funded city project to install arterial dynamic message signs, mobility hubs, kiosks, EV chargers and sensor infrastructure — and approved design direction with clarifications intended to limit visual impacts in the National Historic Landmark and downtown historic districts.

City staff and Metric Engineering presented the project scope and the CRAS findings prepared by SEARCH, which concluded that the proposed improvements would result in no adverse effect to identified historic properties provided archaeological monitoring and specified mitigation measures accompany ground disturbance. The board reviewed proposed kiosk designs, parking message signs and mobility hub components and directed the city and its consultants to: use a chestnut‑brown palette for parking signage within the historic district (with the familiar blue “P” retained and the city seal added to clarify municipal lots), prefer black for street‑furniture elements such as bike racks and benches, retain EV chargers in off‑street lots and on the top of the parking garage rather than on primary pedestrian streets, and require archaeological monitoring for identified sensitive locations and hand‑excavation protocols where pole embedments and utility trenches intersect archaeological zones.

After discussion the board voted to concur with the CRAS and approved the project concept with those material and siting clarifications. Members asked staff to circulate final color and material samples and to coordinate with National Park Service and state SHPO as the federal Section 106 process advances.