The City of Georgetown has drafted initial revisions to the City’s Downtown and Old Town Overlay Design Guidelines based on City Council direction and public, stakeholder, consultant and staff recommendations, and is ready to present the proposed updates to the public for another round of public review and discussion.
“We are grateful for the community’s participation in the update and the continued investment in our historic past and the opportunities of the future,” Planning Director Sofia Nelson said. “We look forward to hearing the community’s feedback and ensuring these Design Guidelines continue to support our small-town charm and the values we hold for our Downtown, Old Town, and historic properties.”
The City’s project team will host a live, virtual open house from 3 to 4 p.m. April 28 via Zoom and the City‘s Facebook page. This virtual open house will focus on initial recommendations, including revisions to the content, the addition of graphics, and changes to the format of the guidelines to improve usability. The virtual meeting will be recorded and posted online for those not able to join live. Visit historic.georgetown.org for a link to the Zoom meeting, as well as a call-in number if you would like to join by phone.
Additionally, the City will use an online survey to collect feedback from the public on the proposed changes. The survey will open be open from April 28 to May 14, 2021, and will be available at historic.georgetown.org.
In April 2019, City Council adopted changes to the design review requirements for properties identified on the City’s Historic Resource Survey as well as for projects in the City’s historic overlay districts. The effort to update the Downtown and Old Town Overlay Design Guidelines, the special requirements for those properties and the historic overlay districts, began in October 2020.
Updating the guidelines will be done in three phases. Phase one was completed in February and included an analysis of the current Guidelines, stakeholder feedback, and public engagement. A summary of the engagement completed in Phase 1 can be found at historic.georgetown.org/downtown-design-guidelines/downtown-and-old-town-overlay-design-guidelines-update. The public review of the proposed updates that launches April 28 is the second phase of the project.
Phase 3 includes the review and recommendation from the Historic and Architectural Review Commission. City Council is expected to consider adoption in July.
For more information, contact the downtown and historic planner at 512-930-3581 or historic@georgetown.org, or by calling the Planning Department at 512-930-3575.
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