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0 In a historic district with houses similar to the stick Victorian at the top left, the Tudor at the top right is clearly out of character. <br />What should be done if the building seeks an addition? Since it cannot feasibly be made to look like a stick Victorian, mitigation <br />is necessary. A color change would draw less attention from the contributing historic homes (bottom left). And adding <br />landscaping to screen the Tudor home from the street enhances the effect (bottom right). <br />residential neighborhoods, the designed use <br />may be nonconforming under current zoning, <br />which can limit property investment. <br />HISTORIC DISTRICTS <br />The historic district mapped to contiguous <br />properties is the most common historic pres- <br />ervation zoning technique. Often jurisdictions <br />apply these districts as an overlay to an exist- <br />ing base zoning district. Essential elements of <br />a historic district are mapped boundaries, a <br />description of the historic style, design guide- <br />lines, the appointment of a board to review <br />and approve applications in the district, and <br />criteria for approval. <br />District Boundaries <br />The boundaries are generally easy when all <br />the buildings in a block or group of blocks are <br />historic. The difficulties arise when buildings <br />that do not meet the criteria for designation <br />or vacant lots are interspersed with historic <br />properties. Districts with vacant lots or non - <br />historic buildings require design standards <br />or guidelines that work for historic buildings, <br />new construction, and non -historic buildings. <br />If the district cannot be mapped to whole <br />blocks of historic properties, reduce the <br />number of vacant or non -historic structures <br />as much as possible, consistent with effective <br />district boundaries. While there is a general <br />rule to avoid spot zoning, it is possible ex- <br />clude lots within a historic district because <br />there is an existing reason for the exclusion <br />and their inclusion is likely to create major <br />issues for the landowners. <br />Style Description <br />The description of style should be straight- <br />forward. If it is a national register district, the <br />district documentation will contain detailed <br />information about the architectural styles in <br />the district, materials, and other elements <br />contributing to its historic merit. Fora locally <br />designated district there is a need for origi- <br />nal classification work. The recommended <br />ZONINGPRACTICE 4.17 <br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 3 <br />