Historic District Design Guidelines for the City of Danville
CRA was retained by the City of Danville to update the design guidelines for the city’s historic overlay districts. In this, CRA condensed existing guidelines for residential and commercial areas, which were previously addressed through separate documents, to reduce redundancies, enhance clarity, and provide a more comprehensive approach to addressing historic preservation in Danville. The new document was drafted with an eye toward explaining how preservation fits into the broader process of living in, working in, and maintaining a property to provide a more holistic approach to the treatment of historic places rather than addressing concerns piecemeal as they occur.
Working closely with the City, CRA prepared a new document that moves beyond the previous text-based guidelines to a user-friendly, highly-illustrative document that more appropriately complies with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Particular emphasis was placed on adding illustrations, including photographs and custom drawings, that convey the principles described in the narrative and providing language and recommendations to address energy efficiency, alternative materials, signage, and public art. The project was facilitated through multiple public forums and online groups that allowed the community to play a key role in the process.
