The Eureka Springs Historic District Commission is in the process of revising its design guidelines that govern how homes and commercial buildings can be built or renovated, both historic and non-historic structures. There have been focus groups, workshops and discussion of the new guidelines at meetings of the HDC, and the proposals were developed with the help of consultants, The Lakota Group. Ways to inform residents about the process included an informational postcard that contains a link to the document at espreservation.org/draft.
The new guidelines, on track to be adopted by the end of the month, aren’t generating a lot of comments, Kylee Hevrdejs, director of the Eureka Springs Department of Planning & Community Development, said in a phone intrview. It may be that the few comments so far are related to length of the document, 198 pages.
But Hevrdejs said that, overall, the entire document is a simplification of the rules.
“It’s no longer a list of yes/no changes that blanket the entire district,” Hevrdejs said. “Now changes are based on preserving important features of historic buildings – meaning not each building is treated the same regardless of style, age, etc. The bulk of the document is information for property owners to learn about what makes their property unique and important, and gives guidance on ways to preserve and maintain those features so large-scale rehabilitation projects won’t be needed in the first place.”
The new document lays out guidance for maintenance, repair, and replacement (as a last resort). She said the guidelines are easily separated between residential and commercial properties and then offers information for each building area/component so it’s easy to navigate.
“Folks aren’t expected to ‘know all the rules,’ but the guidelines lay out best practices that help guide project planning,” Hevrdejs said. “Reaching out to me/my department is the best first step when they are still in the planning phase so we can collaborate on what the preservation priorities are for their specific building.”
Hevrdejs said overall HDC approvals will be much easier. For non-contributing buildings (buildings that are not considered historic), she can approve most projects in her office for projects that fit the guidelines. Applicants still have to fill out an application for a Certificate of Approval (COA), but don’t have to meet with the HDC to get approval.
“For maintenance that is clearly within guidelines like putting up storm windows in the winter and repainting, you don’t need a COA at all,” she said. “A lot of the feedback I’ve gotten from people in focus groups and from the draft is that a lot of their issues weren’t with the guidelines, but with the process that people had to go through. A house built in 2020 whose owners wanted to paint a door was held to the same standard and same level of review as a really significant impact on a building with Victorian era architectural style.”
One complaint over the years has been a requirement for a permit to approve the paint color of buildings, even when painting them the same color.
“The current recommendation from the state and my office is to not regulate this,” Hevrdejs said. “Since we don’t have an ‘approved palette’ to select from, this really just creates administrative work and a headache for property owners. Paint can always be changed so it’s not that impactful of an alteration. To clarify, this would not apply to areas that have not been painted, such as masonry surfaces.”
City code allows penalties of $500 per day per violation of HDC guidelines, but there have been no significant fines levied for HDC violations in recent years. Some residents and HDC commissioners have expressed concerns that violations are not prosecuted. Some people have been denied permission for a renovation while another does the same type of thing without getting a permit, and no action is taken. HDC is not allowed to enforce the guidelines. That is the responsibility of the city code enforcement officer.
Hevrdejs has heard concerns about lack of enforcement, and that people have found it cumbersome and difficult to get approvals. She feels the new guidelines will be much easier for people to comply with.
“We really did listen to people and what they wanted and tried to find a good balance between making the process as efficient as we can, but still protect the resources that we need to protect,” she said. “We are all here because we care about this place, and it is special. The history here is a huge part of that. I just want to make sure the HDC has the tools they need to make the best decisions, but also guidelines need to evolve over time.”
The next meeting of the HDC is June 15 at 6 p.m. General public comments are allowed at the end of the meeting. Comments on the revisions may also be emailed to Hevrdejs at khevrdejs@eurekaspringsar.gov.