Elm Street Historic District Answers
Elm Street Historic District Commission CPA Grant Proposal
CPC Questions and Answers
1) Is there a regulation/requirement to print 500 copies of the new regulations?
There is no required quantity of the handbook. There are close to 50 private
property owners, not counting Smith College who owns a considerable number of
buildings. There are realtors who we hope will each receive a copy; as of now,
many do not make prospective buyers in the District privy to the fact that they are
buying in a historic district. We would like them available to contractors who
receive permits to work in the District. We would like to have copies in public
places. We must account for new future property owners and some new properties
in the expanded area.
The compilation and the layout, etc. is the greater part of the expense. We
suggested reducing the number of copies to 300, but PVPC said that while there
was not enough time prior to Mar 1 to get an exact price reduction from the
printing company, there are economies in larger numbers and we should not
anticipate a reduction any greater than around $100. We can opt for the reduced
printing cost of paper noted on the application.
Can you post the regulations online and send postcards?
Most historic district guidelines are posted online; however, they are also
available in hardcopy. Not everyone has access to the Internet, particularly
seniors. Online access is, unfortunately, not an effective substitute for a user-
friendly attractive illustrated handbook that can not only be used as a reference
tool for homeowners, but can be shown to prospective property owners, rather
than telling them to go online (which they would be less likely to do).
The Commission seeks to give the property owners the greatest advantage when
applying to the Commission. The more information the applicant has access to,
the more favorable their applications will be and this will expedite the application
process.
Contractors, upon receiving permits to work in the district, would sign,
acknowledging receipt of a handbook. It will also be a welcoming and impressive
presentation on the history and architecture of the District, available to the
community, visitors and prospective real estate buyers, available in Forbes &
Lilly libraries, Nielson Library, Chamber of Commerce, Registry of Deeds, City
Hall and other appropriate public places.
2) What is a Certified Local Government Applicant? It seems this designation would
be very helpful in applying, because the CPC could then apply matching funds.
Without this ability, funding may have to wait until the next fiscal year.
A certified local government applicant is one who is part of the certified local
government program. This program is a unique partnership that provides for a close
integration of federal, state, and local historic preservation activities. It is recognition
that a community's municipal historic preservation program meets certain state and
federal standards. The certified local government program, developed by the
Secretary of the Interior, National Park Service, is administered in Massachusetts by
the Massachusetts Historical Commission. It allows the MHC to formally recognize
the maturity of some of the local historic preservation programs while strengthening
others. This is a lengthy application process for which we are not sure we meet the
requirements. Even if we receive such status, we cannot be assured of receiving
funding as funds are limited in general. We would probably have a better chance at
becoming part of this program if we already had this handbook in place.
3) What about providing a match from District property owners?
If CPA funds are used, the property owners are already paying with their tax
money. They would be matching their own funding if we asked them to match
CPA monies
The funding offered us by the Office of Planning and Development is only on the
table until the end of this year and must be appropriated by then.
4) Would MHC potentially fund this project?
We applied to MHC for a Survey and Planning Grant but our eligibility
application was rejected along with 51 out of 57 other applications. While MHC
has funded such projects like this in the past (ex. Methuen) they are apparently so
short of funds that they appropriated only $75,000 out of the $754,718 requested.
Also, their funding requires a local match.
5) If CPA funds are used for Part I, how does this iimpact the project’s educational
and regulatory benefits?
It would have 100% impact on educational and regulatory benefits. We, as
stewards of the historic district, have a responsibility to be fair in the decision
process, and the design standards handbook would greatly facilitate this process
by equipping owners with the tool to know what they are dealing with and thus
enable them to make more favorable applications. This in turn, would expedite the
review and approval process. Time is often a great concern whether it is due to
weather, contractor availability, or a detrimental architectural situation. It would
educate contractors and architects, and thus also expedite the process. It would
provide suggestions for green alternatives to alterations with clear do’s and don’ts
of appropriate restoration and/or alteration or new construction. In addition, the
handbook serves are a guide to other areas of historic architecture in the
community, and educates the community at large to the special architectural and
historical significance of the Northampton Elm Street Historic District. And of
great importance, Part I would allow for the necessary inventory and creation of
Form B’s of property in the proposed expansion, without which the Commission
cannot propose an expansion.
While Part II would enhance the project, it is not essential to the project and can
be undertaken at a later time.
6) What was the reasoning not including the Cudnohufsky proposal, which
suggested the firm would work hand-in-hand with PVPC for an additional
$7,880?
We chose not to include Cudnohufsky & Associates, Inc. because, according to
the City’s procurement officer Joe Cook, we understood that we were compelled
to take the lowest bid. Cudnohufsky & Associate’s working together with PVPC
would only increase the cost of the project that could be satisfactorily completed
by PVPC alone. Furthermore, we felt that some of their suggestions were out of
our jurisdiction to regulate.
7) Time sensitivity: How imminent are Smith College’s expansion plans into the
District?
While Smith has told us that they have no plans to expand in the District in the
near future, they do speak of expansion in general in other conversations. Our
project is of vital importance because we want to be ready; that is why the City
Council requested that we work with “expedience” to revise the guidelines.
We awoke one morning to find 50 mature trees felled in preparation for a Campus
Center that had not nearly received approval. That is how Smith works. And,
according to our present guidelines, there was absolutely nothing we could have
done to prevent that. As of now, because of the Dover Amendment, Smith can
demolish a building in preparation for new construction farther down the road.
Without incorporating expanded streets into the Historic District, we would be
unable to regulate such an action. Giving them this capacity, we leave ourselves
wide open for the college to take action.
8) Could Smith College Student center be built under new regulations?
No, because we will have defined stricter regulations on design standards of new
construction, the removal of mature trees, demolition of existing buildings, as
well as alterations of and any additions to existing buildings. As stated above, by
expanding the District, we will safeguard against inappropriate demolition,
construction and alteration of buildings on the side streets off of Elm Street. A
high-rise dorm on streets like Bedford Terrace or Prospect St. would impact on
the Elm Street Corridor cityscape as well as disrupt the sense of space and place
with inappropriate size and setback.
9) Explain how this project will relate to the Education Use Overlay District.
The relationship is not direct, but this project is necessary to ensure good design
along Elm Street because of the Education Use Overlay AND because of state law
(Dover Amendment). Under the state zoning enabling act, Dover Amendment, the
ability to regulate educational uses is severely limited. As a result, given that our
zoning was not that strong in the first place, City Council agreed to create the
Education Use Overlay to provide Smith College with a clear set of rules and to
avoid the potential for litigation to the city. At the time, the discussion was that
we can’t regulate “design” through zoning but we can through historic districts
(which are not limited by the Dover Amendment).
What further action on the historic district (ordinances, etc.) will be required for
this project to have impact?
The ordinance revisions need to be approved; the handbook completed, and the
regulated public notified. The Commission is poised to present ordinance
revisions at an open hearing next month. Again, these revisions were requested by
Council and the Mayor and are supported by the Office of Planning and
Development.
10) Could placing limits on the height of buildings constructed by Smith result in less
vertical and more horizontal expansion, thereby negatively impacting more
neighborhoods?
While height is stipulated by zoning and design is not, both are stipulated by
historic commissions in historic districts. Therefore, placing limits on the height
of buildings constructed by Smith could not result in less vertical and more
horizontal expansion because according to the new proposed regulations on new
construction, all aspects of all new construction, whether of entire buildings or
alterations or additions to existing buildings, shall be designed to harmonize with
the predominant characteristics of the district in height, mass, fenestration,
setback, rhythm, scale, proportions, location, land coverage, and materials.
Massing of large new construction in an area of mixed residential and institutional
buildings must be articulated into a composition of manageable pieces, i.e., wings,
ells, garages equivalent to the neighboring structures. New construction must also
respect the existing historic streetscape. The historic relationship of buildings to
the street, including setbacks and open spaces must be maintained.
11) What is/will be exempt from Commission review?
The following is a list of alterations “exempt” from Commission review:
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Temporary ramps involving no permanent alteration to existing physical structure,
and in existence for 6 months or less.
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Repointing of chimneys with like materials and matching mortar color to existing
mortar.
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Repair of fences with identical material.
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Planting, pruning, trimming or removal of small or hazardous trees, shrubs,
flowers and other plants.
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Motion-activated lighting for driveways or walkways.
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Mailboxes.
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Masonry and stucco repairs using like materials and color.
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Painting color.
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Repairs to driveways, walkways, siding, roofs and minor repairs to foundations,
when using like materials and color.
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Signs indicating address and/or approximate age of structure, approximately
8”x12” in size and with design compatible to building style.
12) Do or will the affected sites have preservation restrictions applied to them?
No.
13) Could the work requested here apply to other historic district in the city?
This project provides information on alterations, a glossary of architecture terms,
pictorial account of architectural history, style and design concepts, architectural
concepts, illustrated do’s and don’ts of restoration and alteration, and green
suggestion for alterations and restoration that can easily be applied to other
historic districts in the city. In addition, the handbook serves as a model for any
future handbooks.