Carbondale planning commission unanimously recommends Old Town Residential design guidelines to trustees

The Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Dec. 11 to recommend that the Board of Trustees adopt the Old Town Residential design guidelines, a draft prepared by the Historic Preservation Commission and consultant Susanna Reid to guide infill and renovation in the town’s Old Town Residential (OTR) zone.

The document, funded through a grant and developed over 2025 with public site walks and open houses, aims "to guide massing and building form and key characteristics of pedestrian-friendly architecture without getting too heavy handed," Susanna Reid, the project consultant, told commissioners during the meeting. Jared (speaker 9) summarized the outreach and the commission’s role in providing feedback before trustees consider final adoption.

Why it matters: The OTR guidelines are intended to help ensure new development and additions respect the existing neighborhood scale, preserve historic features where appropriate and make design expectations clearer for homeowners and architects. Historic Preservation Commission members said the guidelines are primarily advisory but hoped the town’s enabling code would give them more influence over time.

Commissioners and HPC members spent most…