HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-058-05/07/1996-DESIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM HISTORIC PRESERVATION LANDMARKS RESOLUTION 96-58
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROVING THE "DESIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM"
WHICH IS AN ELEMENT OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION
PROGRAM PLAN OF THE CITY
WHEREAS,pursuant to Resolution 93-171,the Council of the City of Fort Collins approved
the Historic Resources Preservation Program Plan (the "Plan"); and
WHEREAS, the Plan identified as an important historic preservation incentive a "Design
Assistance Program" intended to encourage private sector preservation and rehabilitation of historic
resources by providing professional design assistance to applicants interested in performing
rehabilitation activities upon locally designated landmarks or contributing buildings in locally
designated landmark districts; and
WHEREAS,the staff and the Landmark Preservation Commission have prepared a proposed
Design Assistance Program and have recommended the same to the Council for adoption; and
WHEREAS, funds for the Design Assistance Program have been included in the Advance
Planning budget for 1996 in the sum of TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($10,000); and
WHEREAS, the Design Assistance Program will promote the welfare of the City by
improving the quality of information provided to the Landmark Preservation Commission for
approval of rehabilitation projects and will also benefit the Landmark Rehabilitation Grant Program
by providing design assistance for projects for which grant approval is requested; and
WHEREAS, for the foregoing reasons, the Council has determined that the Design
Assistance Program should be approved.
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS,that the Design Assistance Program, attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit
"A", being an element of the Historic Resources Preservation Program Plan of the City, is hereby
approved and adopted, provided that the funds to be expended through the Design Assistance
Program shall be limited to the funds appropriated and available for such purpose.
Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 7th day of May, A.D.
1996.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk
EXHIBIT "A"
DESIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
BACKGROUND:
The Fort Collins Historic Resources Preservation Program Plan (the "Plan'), adopted in 1993,
identified the Design Assistance Program as an incentive technique for implementing the Plan.
Design assistance using pre-qualified and trained professionals would be provided by the City, free
of charge,to locally designated landmarks or contributing buildings in a locally designated landmark
district.
According to the Plan, the Design Assistance Program is intended to "encourage private sector
preservation and rehabilitation of historic resources." Design assistance using pre-qualified and
trained professionals would be provided by the City,free of charge, to locally designed landmarks
or contributing buildings in a locally designated landmark district. The program should result in
improving the level and quality of information with which the Landmark Preservation Commission
(LPC) reviews regular design and state tax credit applications, reducing the need for the LPC to
design projects during hearings, serving as an incentive for property owners considering local
landmark designation, and serving as a natural adjunct to the Landmark Rehabilitation Grant
Program by providing design assistance for projects presented to the City for grant approval.
The Program:
Any property that is a locally designated landmark or a contributing building in a locally designated
landmark district is eligible for the Design Assistance Program(the"Program"). Design assistance
will be provided for exterior changes,which are those items that must be reviewed and approved by
the LPC prior to construction. Participation will be on a "first come, first served" basis. The
property owner will typically be the participant in the Program; however, a tenant may participate
upon providing written approval of the property owner to the City. Both commercial and residential
properties will be eligible for participation in the Program. The Program has been funded in 1996
by the General Fund of the City in the amount of$10,000. These funds have been included in the
Advance Planning 1996 budget.
Maximum dollar amounts available for each type of request will be:
Signage- $250
Awnings - $250
Exterior Color Design - $250
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(These requests are expected to require the assistance of design advice and scaled drawings and/or
colored elevations as a submittal to the LPC.)
Minor rehabilitation projects may be funded under the Program in an amount not to exceed$600 per
request, which assistance may be used to provide historical photo research, design, measurements
and drawings. "Minor rehabilitation" projects are smaller-scale projects that address secondary
elevation building elements, including,but not limited to the following:
1. Replacement, restoration,rehabilitation,removal or addition of doors or windows or
other secondary elevation building elements.
2. Replacement, restoration, rehabilitation, removal or addition of porches, decks or
patios located on secondary elevations of buildings.
Major rehabilitation projects may be funded under the Program in an amount not to exceed$900 per
request, which assistance may be used to provide historical photo research, design, measurements
and drawings. "Major rehabilitation" projects are larger-scale projects that address primary (front)
building facades and new construction, including,but not limited to the following:
1. Replacement, restoration, rehabilitation, removal or addition of porches, decks or
patios located on primary building facades.
2. Restoration, rehabilitation, reconstruction or additions to primary building facades
and/or other exterior building elevations .
If there is more than one need associated with a project (e.g. exterior color design and signage),
funding will be provided for each of these types of need on the same building in an amount not to
exceed $900, subject to funding availability; however, funding will be limited to one request per
building,per year.
There are no application fees for the Program, since the intent of the Program is to have it function
as an incentive. The Program will be administered by the Advance Planning Department.
The Procedure:
Applicants using the Program can apply for assistance through the following process:
1. Meet with Historic Preservation staff of the City to determine the nature and type of request.
Receive a listing of participating consultants and an application form.
2. Contact, interview and select consultant(s).
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3. Return to staff with completed application form(including the name, location and nature of
the project; property owner name and address; type(s) of design assistance requested;
consultant(s)selected,full amount of anticipated charges from consultant(s);signature blocks
for applicant and owner(s) of the property if the owner is not the applicant). Staff will then
review the application form and if it is complete and the funding is available, the Director
of Advance Planning will sign the approval block indicating authorization for the applicant
to proceed with the design work. (Project approval of application forms will be on a "first
come, first served" basis as long as program designated funds are available.)
4. Applicant completes consultation with the design consultant and receives copies of materials
appropriate to the particular request (e.g. scaled drawings, colored elevations, color chips,
material samples). The consultant signs the application form and returns it to staff along
with full reproducible copies of the design materials that have been prepared. Staff will
review the materials, and if acceptable to the staff,will authorize payment to the consultant.
5. Applicant makes formal submittal to staff, meeting the City's submittal requirements, for
LPC review of the request.
6. Upon approval by LPC and issuance of a building permit(if required by the City), work on
the project may commence. A project will be determined to be completed when a Certificate
of Occupancy(if required by the City) is issued by the City, or when all work represented on
the LPC application is completed.
7. Upon completion(as described in#6 above),the applicant will provide City staff with a copy
of the Certificate of Occupancy and/ or written or pictorial evidence as to the project's
completion. Projects shall be completed within one year of the date of approval by the LPC,
provided, however,that a 12-month extension can be requested and granted by staff, if good
cause can be shown as to why the project was not timely completed.
Implementation:
Implementation of the Program will require knowledgeable and interested consultants and applicants
that are aware of and understand the Program's opportunities.
In order to secure the participation of consultants, the following steps shall be followed:
1. The City will issue a Request For Proposals/Qualifications inviting all individuals and/or
firms interested to respond. The Scope of Services will help to ensure that the individuals
and firms responding to the RFP have a common level of understanding about the workings
of the Program and demonstrated experience with accepted historic preservation techniques.
2. When the qualified consultant listing has been established, a workshop on the Program will
be conducted by staff and LPC members for all participating consultants. This workshop
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will be important in establishing working relationships among those involved and for
identifying potential areas of concern. The workshop will introduce the specific operations
of the Program and the relationship of the program to the LPC's design review and will
include a viewing of the National Park Service's slide show on "The Secretary of the
Interior's Standards" and "Restoring Historic Storefronts". The workshop will be conducted
cooperatively with the consultants so that the consultants involved can assist staff in
publicizing the Program and building a positive working relationship.
3. The Program will be promoted by the City through a brochure explaining the Program and
its purpose,the procedures to be followed by the applicant,definitions of preservation terms
and a listing of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic
Buildings. Other sources will be utilized to publicize the Program, including public service
announcements and newspaper articles. Finally, applicants may be identified through
referrals by historic preservation staff as projects are brought to the City for conceptual
review or incomplete submittals are submitted for LPC design review.
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