Historic Design Standards Update Project

Introduction

The City of Burlington has been awarded a FY2021 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grant to update the Burlington Design Standards. The HPF is a federal program administered by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. HPF grants for made available to CLGs (including non-profit organizations and educational institutions within a CLG) through the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO), Division of Historical Resources, Office of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. 

The Design Standards govern types of improvements and projects for properties within the two local historic districts (West Davis LHD and Glencoe HD).  

Key goals of the project include: 

  • Modernizing standards
  • Streamlining processes
  • Creating efficient and user-friendly standards

The Walker Group (Philip Walker – Walker Collaborative and Keith Covington – Common Ground Design) is the selected consultant team to prepare the update.

Updates on the project will be available on this webpage as they become available.

For more information, contact Jamie Lawson, AICP, CZO, Planning Director, at jlawson@burlingtonnc.gov or 336-380-7064. 

Looking to provide feedback on the project???  Click here to submit any recommendations or concerns.

Advisory Committee

An Advisory Committee of roughly 15 people from district residents, Preservation Burlington reps, Historic Preservation Commission members, local builders and architects, Planning and Zoning Commission members, City staff and others will assist the HPC with the rewrite of the guidelines/standards and process for City Council consideration by building consensus, providing feedback and professional expertise, and reviewing proposed drafts.  Members include: 

  • Tom Cowan, LHD resident and builder
  • Allen Gant Jr., LHD resident
  • Wendy Geise, HPC member and LHD resident
  • Faith Grant, Preservation Burlington and LHD resident
  • Ryan Kirk, Planning and Zoning Commission member
  • James Kirkpatrick, Alternate - Planning and Zoning Commission member
  • Susan Lazara, LHD resident
  • Kristina Meinking, HPC member and LHD resident
  • Bill Moser, LHD resident and architect
  • Brian Pennington, Alternate - HPC member and LHD resident 
  • Emily Robinson, LHD resident
  • Patrick Robinson, LHD resident
  • Jeff Wilkins, builder
  • Staff support: David Cheek, Nolan Kirkman, Jamie Lawson, Mike Nunn, Conrad Olmedo, Fred Patrick, Russell Williams, Michelle Grogan

Several Advisory Commission meetings will be held during the course of the project which should be completed by August 2022. The first meeting was held on April 6th at 6:00 p.m.  The second meeting was held on May 4, 2022 at 6:00 p.m., all virtually through the zoom platform.  An additional advisory committee meeting was held on June 1 at 6:00pm.

Project Kick-Off Meeting

A project kick-off meeting was held on April 12th at 5:30 p.m. in the Municipal Conference Room, located on the lower level of the Municipal Building at 425 S. Lexington Ave., Burlington, NC 27215. The purpose of the kick off meeting was to learn about the project, the Historic District Standards and process, to hear a presentation by the consultants, and to receive public input. 

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Historic Preservation Commission Special Meetings 

The City of Burlington Planning Department and the Historic Preservation Commission hosted a Special Meeting to receive public input regarding the Historic District Design Standards Update on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, beginning at 8:00pm.  On May 10, 2022, the Historic Preservation Commission held a Public Workshop as part of their regular meeting to receive additional input from the public.  An additional special meeting was held on June 8, 2022.  


At the June 8, 2022 Historic Preservation Commission meeting, both draft report and process assessment document with recommendations from the Historic Preservation Commission and Staff were forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Commission for consideration at their June 27, 2022 meeting.  


Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Info 

This item was placed on the Planning and Zoning Commission's June 27, 2022 meeting agenda, and the Special P/Z Commission meeting agenda for July 11, 2022 at 7:00pm.  At their July 11, 2022 meeting, the P/Z Commission unanimously recommended (7-0) the item for a recommendation to City Council.  

  

Here's a link to the P/Z agenda page:

https://www.burlingtonnc.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3831. 


Here's a link to the P/Z Commission meeting recordings:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2Do5DiQXjzICNpomFiwdSRDY7Dw8sRB


 

City Council Meeting Info

This item was placed on the July 19, 2022 City Council agenda for discussion purposes, and it was approved at a public hearing on August 16, 2022. 


Here's a link to the City Council agenda page:

https://www.burlingtonnc.gov/1241/City-Council-Meetings---Agendas-and-Pack


For any additional information on this project,  please contact Jamie Lawson at 336-380-7064 or jlawson@burlingtonnc.gov. 


***Click here to view the City of Burlington Press Release ***


Deliverables