City Moves Forward With Plans to Protect The Past
January 23, 2007
Greenwood, SC – Greenwood City Council adopted an ordinance on second reading Monday, January 22 to establish Greenwood’s first overlay design review district. The overlay district includes all the properties within and adjacent to Uptown Greenwood’s developing Emerald Triangle Arts and Cultural District along Oregon and Maxwell Avenues ( download district guidelines pdf ).
“With the development of the City Center Masterplan and the many efforts to redevelop Uptown Greenwood, I am excited that we have adopted a plan to protect the unique character of many of the historic structures in Uptown,” said Mayor Floyd Nicholson.
The intent of the design review process is to ensure that alterations, additions, demolitions, and new construction will not adversely affect the architectural character of an area.
The creation of the district was one of the identified implementation strategies of the adopted City Center Masterplan.
City Council expressed an interest in creating the overlay district guidelines for the Emerald Triangle upon the award of the South Carolina Department of Commerce Opportunity Grant for façade improvements to 26 buildings in the area. The Council also wanted to protect the recent investments in the Arts Center at the Federal Building and the Greenwood Community Theater.
Furman Architects, Inc. of Greenwood developed the district guidelines with input from the City/County Planning Department and property owners within the Emerald Triangle.
“The new guidelines provide the property owner with the flexibility to make changes while at the same time protecting the character and flavor of the Emerald Triangle,” said Greenwood City/County Planning Director Phil Lindler.
An overlay district is attached to an existing zoning land use district designation and identifies an area subject to supplemental regulations. Lands affected by an overlay zone are subject to the regulations of the underlying zoning district, as well as the rules of the overlay zone.
The overlay may modify or eliminate regulations of the underlying zone, or it may introduce additional regulations for the overlay district. Land included within an overlay district shares characteristics which qualify it for special consideration and which distinguish it from adjacent land not included in the overlay district.
The guidelines help protect property owners’ investments by encouraging compatible changes to neighboring properties.
In 2006, Greenwood City Council established a Board of Architectural Review (BAR). The Board is comprised of 7 members. Every effort was made to appoint individuals who have an interest in architecture or history. The BAR presently is comprised of individuals including an architect, a real estate lawyer, and a historical research specialist.
Alterations within the Emerald Triangle must now seek BAR approval, in the form of a "certificate of appropriateness," prior to receiving approval proceed with a project. To be approved, an application must meet the design review criteria within the preservation ordinance adopted by City Council.
To learn more about the BAR or the new Uptown overlay district guidelines, visit www.cityofgreenwoodsc.com or call (864) 942-8716.
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Additional Online Resources for Design Districts
South Carolina History and Archives
National Park Service - US Department of Interior
National Trust for Historic Preservation