MOUNT RAINIER’S ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION DISTRICT— DESIGN REVIEW BOARD RECOMMENDATION (PART 1) THE CHARACTER OF MOUNT RAINIER A recent architectural survey of Mount Rainier reveals the primary housing stock consists mainly of bungalows. The open front porches and occasional porch swing provide a welcoming face that defines the spirit of the city—a streetscape that has attracted many homeowners to Mount Rainier. The proposed architectural conservation district is intended to preserve this special character.
The Design Review Board believes the proposed architectural conservation district is a balanced compromise between existing zoning codes that do little to prevent the loss of this special character and more restrictive historic district regulations that could freeze the neighborhood in time. 1
Oct. 21, 2015
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CITY’S DESIGN REVIEW BOARD FOR MOUNT RAINIER’S ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION DISTRICT At the request of the City Council in 2008 and again in 2013, the county is currently developing a plan to protect our residential neighborhood’s character and affordability. The method to accomplish this goal is called an architectural conservation district (sometimes called an architectural conservation overlay zone or ACOZ for short). The process has raised many questions from both supporters, critics, and the undecided. The city’s Design Review Board is providing this presentation (broken into two parts) to provide details on the reasons for the architectural conservation district (ACD), what is proposed for the review process, how the standards will be decided, and enforcement. This is by no means the final plan, but the beginning of the next phase of working toward a final plan. More public meetings on the city and county level will follow. Beginning about 2005, with the frenzied real estate market, residents began expressing concerns about preserving the character of the neighborhood and what they felt were unacceptable changes to houses that negatively impacted neighboring homes. A public meeting in 2006 explored possible solutions to the problem, including an architectural conservation overlay zone.
October 2008 front page article announces a public hearing on the proposed architectural conservation district.
The city’s Design Review Board (5 residents appointed by the City Council to advise it on architecture and zoning issues) has been working for nearly a decade with the idea of an ACD and now is offering a draft recommendation to the City Council and residents so that the discussion can be October 2014 notice to property owners about the ACD from more focused and more input gathered. The DRB Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (also issued in Spanish). prepared this presentation as a starting point after listening to various viewpoints and expects that it will be revised after more community meetings. The DRB continues to support the goal of creating an architectural conservation district.
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The current project, nine years in the making, began to take shape over a year ago with a survey to document the neighborhood architecture. Notices were placed in the Message newsletter, in mailboxes, on the city website, and on Mount Rainier TV. The planners assigned to the project met with civic groups and held two community meetings (in March 2015 and July 2015). More information on the project is found at www.pgplanning.org/MRACOZ.htm. The next step is to determine what renovations, new construction, and additions will be subject to new compatibility standards established for the ACD and what will be exempt. Once that “standards list” is decided by the City Council, the county planners will write the standards and present them to the residents for comment. This presentation uses some real examples from Mount Rainier’s streetscape. Brentwood and D.C. examples are used as well. They are not the only examples, but the DRB determined that real examples best illustrate the concerns about the loss of the architectural character, negative impacts on neighboring homes, and what is worth preserving. WHAT IS THIS PROJECT ABOUT? There are three parts to this project: 1. Architectural Conservation District (ACD)— An ACD is an overlay zone intended to ensure that development and redevelopment efforts preserve and protect the architectural or design character of neighborhoods in accordance with an Architectural Conservation Plan. An architectural conservation district is an area designated by the Prince George’s County District Council for the purpose of protecting the character of single-family neighborhoods. 2. Architectural Conservation Plan (ACP)— Design guidelines specific to each conservation district are adopted with input from the community. Exterior alterations to properties are subject to review by the Architectural Conservation Design Review Committee (ACDRC or Design Committee), unless exempted by the ACP Design Guidelines found in the Plan. The county is now ready to begin the process of developing a draft Architectural Conservation Plan based on community input to date. 3. Pattern Book— A “pattern” book is a user-friendly visual guide written to help property owners, architects, contractors, and the public to clearly understand the conservation plan’s recommendations. It will be educational and informative so it is an essential and separate part of this project. WHAT IS AN ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION DISTRICT? Architectural conservation districts exist all across America but each district is unique because the standards must take into account the home styles as well as the goals, values, and economic realities of each neighborhood. The Mount Rainier ACD will affect only exterior changes in the single-family residential zone.
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Architectural conservation districts are different from historic districts or homeowners’ associations. For instance, ACDs in some cases do not require the use of historic materials when renovating a house. Vinyl siding and windows in some districts are fine. What might be required, however, is that the vinyl replacement windows be of the same style as the originals or match those in homes of a similar style. The DRB recommends that our ACD have NO paint color requirements.
WHY DO WE NEED AN ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION DISTRICT? An ACD is based on the concept that there is something about the character of the neighborhood that is worth maintaining. The ACD supporters and the DRB recognize that while the neighborhood shouldn’t be frozen in time, changes to homes should not disrespect the neighborhood and the investment neighbors’ have made in their homes. It also recognizes that our homes are close together—sometimes within several feet! Renovation choices next door can definitely have an impact on nearby homes. So what is worth conserving about Mount Rainier? Our city is known for its front porches and modest affordable homes with good sized yards and trees. The architectural styles prevalent here create a welcoming vibe. The Design Review Board believes that a key element of an ACD is “respect.” Respect for the character of the neighborhood. Respect for the investment of homeowners who have spent time and money to renovate homes. And respect for the private property rights of homeowners. An ACD requires compromise – finding a middle ground that respects those who want to change their homes as they please and those who want assurances that changes to neighbors’ homes won’t negatively impact their biggest financial investment. The DRB believes the ACD must also r espect the economic r ealities of the r esidents and minimize any added financial burdens on homeowners who are doing renovations. 4
Quirkiness and free expression are also important elements of Mount Rainier. We are a community filled with artists after all! We are all aware of Mount Rainier houses painted in vibrant colors, have front yards converted to gardens, or sport unique sculpture. Landscaping, walls, color choices, and artwork are not affected by the proposed plan.
Existing, in place, conditions in the city will be “grandfathered.” Repair and maintenance to the grandfathered conditions will not be affected. Part 2 of this presentation explores what will be proposed for exemptions and what proposed projects will be affected under the plan. The ACP will NOT prevent a developer from buying the small one-story bungalow next door, razing it to the foundation, and replacing it with a three-story dwelling. But, the proposed ACP standards will require that the new three-story house be compatible with surrounding homes so that it does not loom over them, or destroy the investments made by neighbors. The ACP may require that the new house blend into the fabric of the block with the inclusion of a front porch or stepping back the third story instead of going straight up. These compromises would ensure the new house gets built, but also that the new construction does not negatively impact the neighborhood’s character.
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WHAT ARE THE THREATS? A few of the identified “threats” to the character of the neighborhood are porch enclosures, flipping, and mansionization.
Front porch enclosures seriously harm the welcoming streetscape for which Mount Rainier is known. The proposed ACP standards in the DRB’s recommendation would strongly discourage porch enclosures but would ONLY apply when changes are proposed to a porch. Existing enclosures will be “grandfathered.”
Identical homes side-by-side but the partial porch enclosure to the left-hand house could have been more in character with its twin if it had included the open windows used in the renovation project (right inset) that partially enclosed the original porch.
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Side-by-side identical houses offer a contrast in keeping the open front porch versus enclosing it.
Flipping of houses— Investors continue to purchase and quickly renovate houses—often cheaply and with no regard for the neighborhood— then sell or “flip” the property. While flipping cannot be stopped with an ACD, home owners and flippers alike will follow the same standards that respect the neighborhood’s character.
During renovations quickly done by an investor, this classic home lost its front porch window.
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Mansionization—
Current residential zoning rules do not prevent large additions that loom over neighboring homes. Several houses have already been torn down and rebuilt at two or three times the original size. Supporters of the ACD expect the “teardowns,” mansionization, and “pop-ups” to continue and accelerate, but new standards would require the new homes to be compatible with the existing neighborhood. Below are examples of homes that have grown in size during renovations or construction.
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Characteristic Mount Rainier bungalow before the “pop-up” addition of two more floors (above). Very little of original house remains (middle) and now it looms over its neighbor (bottom).
A neighboring home offered a possible alternative configuration for the renovations —step-backed upper floors.
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ARE THERE OTHER WAYS TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS? Mount Rainier is a federally recognized historic district but that designation comes with no restrictions on changes to homes. County designated historic districts are very restrictive and all changes must be approved (this level of restrictions was rejected as a solution to the Mount Rainier problems). The city itself lacks zoning authority and is currently only required to provide comments when a variance is needed from current zoning standards. The current zoning standards are tied to issuance of a county building permit and those standards only address issues such as setbacks, height, and lot coverage. The current standards do not address whether the proposed new house or addition respects the character of the neighborhood. In addition, there are some changes that do not currently require a building permit, such as enclosing a front porch or removing a window. The ACP provides for a local committee to review such projects and issue an “authorization” that functions like a building permit. Current zoning does not provide for such local review and this local review is a key component of the proposed plan. Later this fall, a county zoning revision may propose creating a new overlay zone called a “neighborhood conservation overlay zone” (NCOZ). Early indications are that the proposed rewrite will not focus on preserving neighborhood architecture but will instead focus on features such as setbacks, size and height. It is unknown at this point as to whether the NCOZ will include a local review committee and without such a committee, the enclosure of front porches and removal of windows, for instance, could continue. It is thought that the NCOZ will streamline the review process by eliminating the limited detailed site plan level of review. The DRB hopes that such a streamlining could be provided for the ACP procedures as well, but retain the local review committee and keep the standards that prohibit porch enclosures and other projects that do not require a building permit but negatively affect the neighborhood character. Removal or inappropriate downsizing of windows is a concern addressed by the ACD standards.
NEXT UP IN PART 2— The “Standards List,” exemptions, enforcement, and next steps. 10