Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts ordinance formalizing historic‑district design guidelines and ARB process
Summary
The council voted unanimously to amend the zoning ordinance to reference the Historic District Design Guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior standards, set a process for updating the guidelines and add an appeal process; staff said codifying the guidelines will reduce arbitrary decisions and improve enforceability.
The Petersburg City Council unanimously approved a zoning-text amendment Wednesday to formalize the city’s historic district design guidelines and the Architectural Review Board’s (ARB) review criteria.
Planning staff told the council the existing guidelines had never been formally codified in the ordinance, leaving the ARB’s decisions harder to defend on appeal. “The ARB has been working on a comprehensive update to the guidelines ... our goal is to formalize the guidelines through reference in the ordinance,” Planning Director Jared Cruz said. The amendment would require the ARB to use the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for rehabilitation alongside the city’s updated guidelines and establish a formal process for council to adopt guideline updates by resolution following an ARB recommendation.
A public commenter, Louis Malan, who identified himself as an interim preservation planner, urged adoption and said the change would reduce arbitrary decisions. The Planning Commission and the ARB recommended the draft measures (both recorded 6–0 votes). Councilmember Coburn moved to adopt the ordinance; the motion passed on a roll call vote with all members voting aye.
Staff noted the planning commission had discussed an application fee for ARB appeals and had recommended a waiver for applicants 60 and older, but staff said state enabling legislation prevents a local fee waiver in that form and the waiver was not included in the final recommendation.
