Town of Georgetown
Design Guidelines
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Introduction |
The Historic Hillside Character Area is a partially developed area, with many houses constructed with traditional building forms. Many houses are built on steep slopes and have extensive retaining walls. They are located just up the mountainside above the homes in the Historic Residential Character Area.
This area has also been perceived as open space, and established trails in the area provide access above the town. Undeveloped land here is in a relatively natural state, which contrasts strongly with the Historic Residential Character Area below and therefore serves as a distinct boundary between the established settlement and the surrounding mountains. Since this area is quite visible from viewpoints lower on the valley floor, concern should be given to the visual impact of any project upon the overall perception of open space that forms the dramatic background for the Historic Residential and Commercial Character Areas. In some locations, steep slopes may present technical construction problems and visual impacts may be especially significant.
Summary of Key Characteristics
Key design characteristics of this Character Area include the following:
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trees and open space
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views (to and from)
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steep slopes
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retaining walls
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front yards on the uphill side
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single-family residences
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gabled or hipped roof forms
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horizontal wood siding
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simple detailing
Design Goals
The Historic Hillside Character Area contains many existing buildings-both
historic and not-as well as steep slopes and open space, some of which
is undevelopable. The opportunity exists for increased development to
occur on these slopes. Where sites are developable, projects should
be designed to minimize their visual impacts as seen from the valley
floor.
The design goals for the Historic Hillside Character Area are:
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To maintain the natural, wooded character of the hillside
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To avoid the cut-and-fill technique for building on steep slopes that might have negative visual impacts or create a geo-hazard
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To avoid the removal of existing landscaping and to provide adequate, new landscaping that may help reduce a building's perceived size
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To continue the use of stone retaining walls.
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To preserve all historic buildings that significantly contribute to the integrity of the town
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To reduce the visual impacts of new developments, including additions (e.g., Keeping a structure small in size is encouraged.)
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To relate to the character of buildings located below these slopes through building form, material and size
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To minimize the amount of light spill from a structure
Organization of This Chapter
This chapter presents the design policies and guidelines that are applicable
to both new construction and alterations of non-historic buildings located
in Georgetown's Historic Hillside Character Area. They are organized
into four sections dealing with the following issues:
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Building mass, size and form
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Setting
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Site design
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Building features
1. Mass and Size
The mass and size of buildings in Georgetown are among the greatest concerns for compatible construction in the community. The rugged, hillside character of the Historic Hillside Character Area is important and should also be maintained. Buildings in this Character Area will have significant impacts on the surrounding historic structures below. These impacts should be minimized. Visually overpowering building forms should be avoided.
A. Use building masses that reinforce the perception of the natural topography.
- Buildings that cut into slopes are encouraged where they can help minimize the perceived mass and size.
- Step buildings down at hillside edges, to minimize visual impacts and reduce the apparent height.
- Avoid placing tall buildings at high points on the site or in other highly visible areas.
2. Building and Roof Form
Traditionally, simple building forms appeared in Georgetown. Most were modest rectangular shapes. In some cases, larger masses were achieved by combining two or more simple masses, in which case one of the masses typically appeared to be the "dominant" element, while others appeared to be attached to it. The "integrity" of the dominant form was a distinctive feature. Maintaining this tradition of building is vital to the protection of the character of Georgetown and the visual relationship with the Historic Residential Character Area.
A. Use building forms similar to those used traditionally in the Historic Residential Character Area.
- The overall building form should be similar to historic buildings found along the edge of the historic district.
- Maintain the traditional proportions (height to width to depth) found in the residential neighborhoods of Georgetown.
B. Roof slopes that repeat the slope of the hillside are encouraged.
- Roof forms that protect views of significant features and existing view corridors are encouraged.
- Use muted colors that blend with the hillside.
3. Platting
The Historic Hillside Character Area establishes the outermost edge of development in the town. The platting and placement of buildings should result in projects that blend with the natural hillside and which are minimally visible from within the core of the town.
A. Locate buildings in line with existing contours.
- However, where a new building faces or abuts edges of the Historic Residential Character Area, compliance with the traditional grid is generally more important than conforming to natural contours.
B. New platting arrangements may be appropriate where they help to minimize the visual impact of projects and preserve the natural character of the hillside.
4. Streets
The location of the Historic Hillside Character Area above the core of
the town, along with the steep terrain, increase the visibility of streets
and driveways in the area. The area should establish a gradual change
from the core to the hillside. While building siting and streets should
attempt to respect the historic grid, they should not result in projects
that are out of character with the natural hillside. Of special concern
are those areas where the topography requires substantial cuts and retaining
structures.
A. Minimize the visual appearance of all new roads, as seen from lower viewpoints in town.
- Although some road layouts are established in this area, consider ways to minimize disturbance of natural topography wherever new roads or drives are contemplated.
- Keep cut-and-fill to a minimum.
- Consider schemes that provide for compact streets and shared drives to minimize the area of paved (impervious) surfaces.
5. Views
Views from the area into the core of town and to the Historic Hillside Character Area from town are very important and should be preserved. The impact that structures and site elements could have on these view corridors is great and should be avoided. Careful planning of the proposed project is a must.
A. Preserve views to scenic features.
- Consider positioning buildings on the site to maintain significant view corridors.
- See also the design guidelines for Views in Chapter 1: General Design Guidelines for the Historic Design District.
6. Building Orientation
New projects in the Historic Hillside Character Area may be seen from lower viewpoints, and therefore any project has the potential for significant visual impact on the overall character of the town. Visual impacts of any hillside development should be minimized.
A. Place buildings in locations that minimize visibility, not on high points of the proposed site.
- Consider clustering if buildings will be clearly visible from below.
B. Orient buildings on the site to complement the natural topography.
- Orientation to the conventional grid is not required in this Character Area.
7. Cut-and-Fill
Site development in the Historic Hillside Character Area may require cutting new roads or driveways into relatively steep slopes along with substantial excavations for foundations. While basic engineering concerns are major issues in these cases, the visual impacts of the cuts that result are significant as well. To the greatest extent possible, cutting-and-filling of sloping areas should be avoided but, where it must occur, the visual impacts should be minimized.
A. Minimize cut-and-fill excavation that would alter the perceived natural topography of the hillside.
- Use earth berms, rock forms or stone retaining walls to minimize visual impacts of cuts. Hedges and fences may also be appropriate in some locations.
- Minimize the height of walls and retaining devices.
- Simple rock walls that use native stone may be considered. Exposed gabions, large, continuous surfaces of smooth, raw concrete and related structures are inappropriate.
- The height of a retaining wall should not exceed four feet. In areas where cuts are steeper, a stepped or terraced wall should be used. The DRC will consider proposals for taller walls on a case-by-case basis.
- See also the design guidelines for Fences and Walls in Chapter 1: General Design Guidelines for the Historic Design District.
8. Landscaping
Although most projects are encouraged to provide landscaping and screening
on site, the use of typical ornamental materials may not be appropriate
in the Historic Hillside Character Area. Typical hillside planting materials
are natural and very modest in character. Simple grasses and trees
should be considered for landscaping materials.
A. Use plant materials that blend with the hillside.
- Landscape schemes that are rough, natural and/or subdued in character are encouraged.
- Extensive areas of exotic plants and sod are discouraged where they would be visible from the public right-of-way.
- Preserve existing plant materials of significant size (e.g., including trees, shrubs and other natural landscape features) in place or relocate them within the site.
- See also the design guidelines for Landscaping in Chapter 1: General Design Guidelines for the Historic Design District.
9. Lighting
Those in the other parts of Georgetown can easily see all of the Historic Hillside Character Area. Light emanating from within a building can have an effect upon the character of the town at night. Large areas of glass can become sources of glare and can affect perception of the night sky. For this reason, the DRC will consider the potential lighting impacts that large glass areas may have. Lighting should be shielded or otherwise minimized.
A. Reduce the amount of light emanating from a development in the hillside.
- Lighting from buildings located higher on hillsides are more visible at night and may affect the night character of the community.
- Large areas of glass in exterior walls that may allow "spill-over" of interior light sources, resulting in nighttime glare, should be used with caution.
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