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There’s a form at the end to submit your question. We’ll get it answered and share with you and others here!
FAQ TOPICS
After the Community Meetings completed on November 9, Aaron Fortner is working with the Committee, analyzing the data we’ve collected to inform a first draft of regulations and to define the potential district. We will get input from the City on proposed regulations and begin discussions and revisions of proposed regulations at public meetings around late winter/spring of 2024.
The end goal of this part of the process (Phase 2) is to have a defined Candler Park-specific Historic District which the neighborhood can then vote on whether or not to submit the nomination to the City. The earliest we would vote to submit a historic district nomination is May 2024.
The end goal of this part of the process (Phase 2) is to have a defined Candler Park-specific Historic District which the neighborhood can then vote on whether or not to submit the nomination to the City. The earliest we would vote to submit a historic district nomination is May 2024.
Q. Does a historic district help or hurt efforts to achieve housing affordability within a community?
A. Historic districts can have an indirect impact on preserving and increasing housing affordability when they are written to allow for a diversity of housing types. For example, a historic district can allow for a single house or structure that has the appearance of a single-family home but that allows a greater number of dwelling units inside the home or at the rear of the property, resulting in an increase in more affordable housing opportunities for the community.
Q: I have been told there are ways to actually add density with historic designation. What are these ways and is the committee open to adding density?
A: According to City Staff when we asked this recently: Typically a Historic District will not restrict the use of a property, only the design of a property. The Historic District [overlay] functions as a design overlay on top of the underlying zoning which governs the use of the property. In that way, the Historic District regulations do not affect density other than restricting the vertical size of the building. It is quite possible for an existing historic single-family building to be converted to a duplex or multi-family structure (3 or more units) provided that the underlying zoning allows for such. However, If the district repeals the underlying zoning and governs the use of the properties [not an overlay but creates a new zoning category], as is the case in our Landmark Districts and the Poncey Highland Historic District, then the regulations could very easily be used to allow more density than would otherwise be permitted.
If we want to address density directly it sounds like we will have to replace the underlying zoning with new, historic district regs. The other option is to keep the historic district regulations as an overlay like we have discussed and not address use (including density) at all. This would leave changes in use and density up to the current, or any future, zoning.
Q. I want to challenge the idea that a historic district could help increase density. Won’t we run into situations where a 1,200 square foot house couldn’t be demolished?
A. Yes, but a 1,200 square foot house can be added to, ADUs can be added to the lot, etc. The intent is to address size and scale a bit more.
Q. What are your thoughts about affordable density? My issue with the giant duplexes is they knocked down a $450,000 house and put up two million-dollar houses. As we move forward is not only density, but affordability in your thoughts?
A. It is hard to buy a property, tear it down, and provide something new that is as affordable as the house that was torn down. Adding an ADU or adding onto an existing house for a greater number of units is usually a much more cost-effective way to add density. The larger apartment complexes provide naturally occurring affordability within the neighborhood. If those large properties could be redeveloped they would not be nearly as affordable.
A. Historic districts can have an indirect impact on preserving and increasing housing affordability when they are written to allow for a diversity of housing types. For example, a historic district can allow for a single house or structure that has the appearance of a single-family home but that allows a greater number of dwelling units inside the home or at the rear of the property, resulting in an increase in more affordable housing opportunities for the community.
Q: I have been told there are ways to actually add density with historic designation. What are these ways and is the committee open to adding density?
A: According to City Staff when we asked this recently: Typically a Historic District will not restrict the use of a property, only the design of a property. The Historic District [overlay] functions as a design overlay on top of the underlying zoning which governs the use of the property. In that way, the Historic District regulations do not affect density other than restricting the vertical size of the building. It is quite possible for an existing historic single-family building to be converted to a duplex or multi-family structure (3 or more units) provided that the underlying zoning allows for such. However, If the district repeals the underlying zoning and governs the use of the properties [not an overlay but creates a new zoning category], as is the case in our Landmark Districts and the Poncey Highland Historic District, then the regulations could very easily be used to allow more density than would otherwise be permitted.
If we want to address density directly it sounds like we will have to replace the underlying zoning with new, historic district regs. The other option is to keep the historic district regulations as an overlay like we have discussed and not address use (including density) at all. This would leave changes in use and density up to the current, or any future, zoning.
Q. I want to challenge the idea that a historic district could help increase density. Won’t we run into situations where a 1,200 square foot house couldn’t be demolished?
A. Yes, but a 1,200 square foot house can be added to, ADUs can be added to the lot, etc. The intent is to address size and scale a bit more.
Q. What are your thoughts about affordable density? My issue with the giant duplexes is they knocked down a $450,000 house and put up two million-dollar houses. As we move forward is not only density, but affordability in your thoughts?
A. It is hard to buy a property, tear it down, and provide something new that is as affordable as the house that was torn down. Adding an ADU or adding onto an existing house for a greater number of units is usually a much more cost-effective way to add density. The larger apartment complexes provide naturally occurring affordability within the neighborhood. If those large properties could be redeveloped they would not be nearly as affordable.
Q. Will design regulations be imposed by the City?
No! Each neighborhood writes its own regulations. During the process, the City's historic preservation office staff, and, typically, a professional planner, partner with the neighborhood to develop and refine regulations that meet that neighborhood's specific criteria.
Q. Will design review in a Historic District prevent me from making renovations and expanding my home as needed?
Renovations in keeping with the character of a historic property are encouraged and assistance from the historic preservation staff is available. There are many ways to expand a house without dramatically altering its historic integrity. Specifics would be figured out in the process of neighborhood input and workshopping to draft potential regulations.
Q. If historic district regulations supersede the current/underlying zoning, how does that work? For an extreme example, what if we adopted “no setbacks”?
A. Assuming that were possible and desirable, then the underlying zoning regulation for R-4 of “35 foot front yard setbacks” would be essentially overwritten and all new construction would have to have a “zero-foot setback.” This example would apply only to new construction. Existing buildings that do not conform to a regulation, whether Contributing or Non-Contributing, do not have to be altered to suit the regulations. The neighborhood will need to work with City Historic Preservation and Office of Design staff on what is possible and allowed according to building and fire codes.
Q. What about homes that already have a feature that may be not allowed by the new regulations?
A. Any time new zoning is approved, including historic district regulations, whatever is already existing is grandfathered in.
Q. Are you able to get a variance in a historic district? I have heard both no you don’t need them and yes you are able to get one.
A. Yes, you can get variances, and the process will be different and almost always faster! Instead of the 3 month process of meeting with the neighborhood, NPU, and ZRB, variance requests will be heard by the Urban Design Commission (UDC) and take about 54 days start to finish. However, our Candler-Park-specific regulations will make the common variances we have to get now (like side and front yard setbacks) unnecessary because the existing setbacks on your house will be perfectly "legal."
Q. I thought this prevented Demolition??
A. In a local historic district, demolition of a Contributing structure is not easy, but there is an avenue to request demolition if needed. Special attention will be paid to houses that are significantly lost due to a catastrophic event like a fire or tree fall.
Q. Will interior work be regulated by the Historic District?
A. Interior projects are not subject to review.
Q. Will the Historic District regulate paint color?
A. Paint color is not regulated in any Atlanta Historic District.
Q. How would regulations affect “green” upgrades?
A. There has been concern about this because past historic districts in the city have limited the placement of solar panels, however, Candler Park’s historic district does not have to restrict the placement of solar panels! Other efficiency alterations like adding storm windows or installing replacement windows with modern materials are becoming increasingly common in other historic districts as well. In the Bonaventure-Somerset Historic District, for example, property owners decided they wanted to be able to replace windows with windows that match the architecture of the house, and that the replacement windows can be of any material. Specifics are being addressed through neighborhood input and workshopping to draft potential regulations.
Q. What can we do to ensure that homes are changing with the times? For example, the modern need for more electric outlets.
A. One of the newer approaches to becoming a historic district will limit the size of the area that even needs to be regulated. Historic districts can directly address water reclamation, solar power, etc. As a reminder, interior alterations are not subject to regulations or review.
Q, What about handicapped or other accessible alterations?
A. Accessibility is important and this is a topic that will need to be addressed during the process of neighborhood input and workshopping to draft potential regulations.
Q. If the building is technically old, but looks modern from the street would it be Contributing or Non-Contributing?
A. A house that has been significantly altered, so that it does not appear as it would have historically, would be considered Non-Contributing.
Q. If 1/4 to 1/2 of a Contributing structure burns down, do you have to keep it?
A. If it is repairable damage due to a tree fall, fire, etc. such as rebuilding of a front porch, or another element, it would require a building permit regardless of the cause of the issue. In these situations, the HP Office will often perform an expedited Staff Review and issue conditional approval the same day, the condition being that the element in question be rebuilt to the same specifications using the same materials or other materials that are permitted by the District regulations.
If substantial damage has been incurred and demolition is necessary, a Type IV COA is still needed for a demo permit which means it involves UDC review under HD regulations. This would be a demolition "due to a threat of public health and safety" see application here.
Q. Does the prohibition on demolition apply to other structures, like detached garages?
A. We will need to ask the city staff to be certain. However, limits on demolitions typically only apply to the principal structure on the lot and accessory structures are not typically counted as contributing. Additionally, this may be addressed by the fact that accessory buildings are typically at the rear of a property and would fall outside of the “compatibility zone.”
Q. Do we have the ability to set regulations for fences, chimneys, etc. for contributing structures?
A. We can address whatever is important to the neighborhood. There are already regulations in the zoning code about height of fences, for example, but if we want to address these items to maintain a character we can write them into the proposed regulations. We can also be light-handed and choose not to address.
Q. Are garages that face the street allowed under current zoning?
A. Front-facing garages are allowed as long as they are set back 10 feet from the front facade.
Q. If you had a contributing structure and you wanted to make alterations to it, is there some consideration like the appeals process?
A. If you get a decision on your application that you don't like, you can appeal that decision to the Urban Design Commission (UDC).
Q. The Poncey Highland regulations include a compatibility zone within 60 horizontal feet of the front line. Is the assumption we will be using the same criteria?
A. The proposed Candler Park Historic District is different and ONLY has design regulations for the front facades of Contributing (historic) Buildings. The Poncey Highland Historic District Compatibility Zone is within the first 60 feet from the front of the lot, OR 50% of the lot depth, OR 50% of the building, whichever is less. This way of defining the compatibility zone is clear but also flexible to accommodate for different sized lots. It is a definition we as a neighborhood could certainly consider with any adjustments we feel are needed.
Q. Compatibility is mentioned so much! What is the Compatibility Rule?
A. The Compatibility Rule, or “Block by Block” compatibility) is used in Atlanta historic districts and sometimes Zoning as well. It means that one looks to one's neighboring properties on the same side of the block for reference on certain elements. For measurable elements, it states that “designated elements can be no greater than the greatest and no smaller than the smallest of the measurable elements of contributing structures on a block face.” Our current R-4 and R-5 Zoning uses the compatibility rule, such as in this regulation: “Front porches and/or stoops on the façade of the principal structure shall be required when such treatments are established by a majority of the single-family detached dwellings on the block face.”
Q. What if an act if God destroys a Non-Contributing house that does not conform to the HD regulations (say it is taller than the regs allow) — could it be built back just as it was??”
A. Yes, the current zoning code (Chapter 24), discusses existing nonconformities and the right to build back to the specs that were there before even if it no longer conforms to the property’s regulations as long as it does not create a greater nonconformity (say, even taller). Our HD regs would not change this but we can reference “existing nonconformity” regulation in zoning to provide extra clarity.
Q. Is there any consideration of net benefit to the property itself and to the community? For example, if someone wanted to build something “for the greater good” on a lot that was contributing but could not do it without tearing the building down?
A. There is nothing wrong with converting an existing building for another use. For example if a house would be an excellent spot for a commercial venture, as long as the property was zoned appropriately (or rezoned), it could be used commercially or for another purpose. Regulations for a contributing structure, no matter the zoning or use, would remain, including the restriction on complete demolition.
No! Each neighborhood writes its own regulations. During the process, the City's historic preservation office staff, and, typically, a professional planner, partner with the neighborhood to develop and refine regulations that meet that neighborhood's specific criteria.
Q. Will design review in a Historic District prevent me from making renovations and expanding my home as needed?
Renovations in keeping with the character of a historic property are encouraged and assistance from the historic preservation staff is available. There are many ways to expand a house without dramatically altering its historic integrity. Specifics would be figured out in the process of neighborhood input and workshopping to draft potential regulations.
Q. If historic district regulations supersede the current/underlying zoning, how does that work? For an extreme example, what if we adopted “no setbacks”?
A. Assuming that were possible and desirable, then the underlying zoning regulation for R-4 of “35 foot front yard setbacks” would be essentially overwritten and all new construction would have to have a “zero-foot setback.” This example would apply only to new construction. Existing buildings that do not conform to a regulation, whether Contributing or Non-Contributing, do not have to be altered to suit the regulations. The neighborhood will need to work with City Historic Preservation and Office of Design staff on what is possible and allowed according to building and fire codes.
Q. What about homes that already have a feature that may be not allowed by the new regulations?
A. Any time new zoning is approved, including historic district regulations, whatever is already existing is grandfathered in.
Q. Are you able to get a variance in a historic district? I have heard both no you don’t need them and yes you are able to get one.
A. Yes, you can get variances, and the process will be different and almost always faster! Instead of the 3 month process of meeting with the neighborhood, NPU, and ZRB, variance requests will be heard by the Urban Design Commission (UDC) and take about 54 days start to finish. However, our Candler-Park-specific regulations will make the common variances we have to get now (like side and front yard setbacks) unnecessary because the existing setbacks on your house will be perfectly "legal."
Q. I thought this prevented Demolition??
A. In a local historic district, demolition of a Contributing structure is not easy, but there is an avenue to request demolition if needed. Special attention will be paid to houses that are significantly lost due to a catastrophic event like a fire or tree fall.
Q. Will interior work be regulated by the Historic District?
A. Interior projects are not subject to review.
Q. Will the Historic District regulate paint color?
A. Paint color is not regulated in any Atlanta Historic District.
Q. How would regulations affect “green” upgrades?
A. There has been concern about this because past historic districts in the city have limited the placement of solar panels, however, Candler Park’s historic district does not have to restrict the placement of solar panels! Other efficiency alterations like adding storm windows or installing replacement windows with modern materials are becoming increasingly common in other historic districts as well. In the Bonaventure-Somerset Historic District, for example, property owners decided they wanted to be able to replace windows with windows that match the architecture of the house, and that the replacement windows can be of any material. Specifics are being addressed through neighborhood input and workshopping to draft potential regulations.
Q. What can we do to ensure that homes are changing with the times? For example, the modern need for more electric outlets.
A. One of the newer approaches to becoming a historic district will limit the size of the area that even needs to be regulated. Historic districts can directly address water reclamation, solar power, etc. As a reminder, interior alterations are not subject to regulations or review.
Q, What about handicapped or other accessible alterations?
A. Accessibility is important and this is a topic that will need to be addressed during the process of neighborhood input and workshopping to draft potential regulations.
Q. If the building is technically old, but looks modern from the street would it be Contributing or Non-Contributing?
A. A house that has been significantly altered, so that it does not appear as it would have historically, would be considered Non-Contributing.
Q. If 1/4 to 1/2 of a Contributing structure burns down, do you have to keep it?
A. If it is repairable damage due to a tree fall, fire, etc. such as rebuilding of a front porch, or another element, it would require a building permit regardless of the cause of the issue. In these situations, the HP Office will often perform an expedited Staff Review and issue conditional approval the same day, the condition being that the element in question be rebuilt to the same specifications using the same materials or other materials that are permitted by the District regulations.
If substantial damage has been incurred and demolition is necessary, a Type IV COA is still needed for a demo permit which means it involves UDC review under HD regulations. This would be a demolition "due to a threat of public health and safety" see application here.
Q. Does the prohibition on demolition apply to other structures, like detached garages?
A. We will need to ask the city staff to be certain. However, limits on demolitions typically only apply to the principal structure on the lot and accessory structures are not typically counted as contributing. Additionally, this may be addressed by the fact that accessory buildings are typically at the rear of a property and would fall outside of the “compatibility zone.”
Q. Do we have the ability to set regulations for fences, chimneys, etc. for contributing structures?
A. We can address whatever is important to the neighborhood. There are already regulations in the zoning code about height of fences, for example, but if we want to address these items to maintain a character we can write them into the proposed regulations. We can also be light-handed and choose not to address.
Q. Are garages that face the street allowed under current zoning?
A. Front-facing garages are allowed as long as they are set back 10 feet from the front facade.
Q. If you had a contributing structure and you wanted to make alterations to it, is there some consideration like the appeals process?
A. If you get a decision on your application that you don't like, you can appeal that decision to the Urban Design Commission (UDC).
Q. The Poncey Highland regulations include a compatibility zone within 60 horizontal feet of the front line. Is the assumption we will be using the same criteria?
A. The proposed Candler Park Historic District is different and ONLY has design regulations for the front facades of Contributing (historic) Buildings. The Poncey Highland Historic District Compatibility Zone is within the first 60 feet from the front of the lot, OR 50% of the lot depth, OR 50% of the building, whichever is less. This way of defining the compatibility zone is clear but also flexible to accommodate for different sized lots. It is a definition we as a neighborhood could certainly consider with any adjustments we feel are needed.
Q. Compatibility is mentioned so much! What is the Compatibility Rule?
A. The Compatibility Rule, or “Block by Block” compatibility) is used in Atlanta historic districts and sometimes Zoning as well. It means that one looks to one's neighboring properties on the same side of the block for reference on certain elements. For measurable elements, it states that “designated elements can be no greater than the greatest and no smaller than the smallest of the measurable elements of contributing structures on a block face.” Our current R-4 and R-5 Zoning uses the compatibility rule, such as in this regulation: “Front porches and/or stoops on the façade of the principal structure shall be required when such treatments are established by a majority of the single-family detached dwellings on the block face.”
Q. What if an act if God destroys a Non-Contributing house that does not conform to the HD regulations (say it is taller than the regs allow) — could it be built back just as it was??”
A. Yes, the current zoning code (Chapter 24), discusses existing nonconformities and the right to build back to the specs that were there before even if it no longer conforms to the property’s regulations as long as it does not create a greater nonconformity (say, even taller). Our HD regs would not change this but we can reference “existing nonconformity” regulation in zoning to provide extra clarity.
Q. Is there any consideration of net benefit to the property itself and to the community? For example, if someone wanted to build something “for the greater good” on a lot that was contributing but could not do it without tearing the building down?
A. There is nothing wrong with converting an existing building for another use. For example if a house would be an excellent spot for a commercial venture, as long as the property was zoned appropriately (or rezoned), it could be used commercially or for another purpose. Regulations for a contributing structure, no matter the zoning or use, would remain, including the restriction on complete demolition.
Q. It seems like what the City decides will have more of an impact if we go with an overlay approach. Who decides what is R-4 and R-5?
A. The current zoning map was established probably in 1982. Rezoning requests for individual lots go through the neighborhood for a vote. The city also has a Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and that plan has a land use map that works in tandem with the zoning map. You can’t rezone a piece of property to something that the land use map does not allow.
Q. In the City’s Zoning Rewrite: How much “right-sizing” of zoning is the city planning on doing?
A. There are likely to be options that relieve side yard setback discrepancies . The zoning rewrite is unlikely to address architectural characteristics.
Q. Is fixing these zoning concerns in Candler Park off the table because the City is addressing zoning through the rewrite?
A. It’s hard to know how long the city’s timeline will be. Whatever the city does, it will apply to the whole city, not specifically to Candler Park. Zoning will not address the concern of demolition.
Q. Isn’t it true if we come up with a document, isn’t there part of it that is out of our hands?
A. We are going to work with the City so that their input is integrated into the process and there are no surprises. We plan to discuss our first draft with the City staff to make sure our proposed regulations will be allowed and then share that with the neighborhood so that we are not over-promising anything.
Q. Will neighbors have a voice in proposed changes to properties?
A. Neighborhood involvement in the Urban Design Commission review is an integral part of being a Historic District.
Q. What kind of latitude does the Urban Design Commission have in allowing you to do things that are not in the regulations?
A. The UDC is guided by the regulations and the intent of the regulations. There are some things you can’t vary: number of units is an example of that, it would require rezoning to a higher density.
Q. I know that in many places, planning departments are actually getting rid of single-family zoning. Does the city have the power to get rid of single family and duplex zoning? Does an overlay allow them to make a change? What power does the city have, versus what power the neighborhood has?
A. The city has the authority to change zoning, legally, however only the neighborhood can change historic district regulations. Politically, the city and city council members will usually respond to what a neighborhood wants when it comes to zoning changes. Additionally, a historic district overlay means that items not covered by the overlay would change as zoning changes are made. For example, if the rules we adopt don’t address lot coverage, usage and density, these would default to the zoning regulations.
Q. In R-5 zoning, you can have a duplex. Can you also have one or two ADUs (accessory dwelling units)?
A. With current zoning, you can have one ADU.
Q. I thought R-5C got rid of the parking requirement?
A. The parking requirement for R-5C was reduced to 1 parking space per dwelling (it was previously 1, plus 1 for each additional bedroom over 3, and most developers build 2 garage spaces per dwelling). Parking spaces are only required for primary dwellings (so not ADUs).
A. The current zoning map was established probably in 1982. Rezoning requests for individual lots go through the neighborhood for a vote. The city also has a Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and that plan has a land use map that works in tandem with the zoning map. You can’t rezone a piece of property to something that the land use map does not allow.
Q. In the City’s Zoning Rewrite: How much “right-sizing” of zoning is the city planning on doing?
A. There are likely to be options that relieve side yard setback discrepancies . The zoning rewrite is unlikely to address architectural characteristics.
Q. Is fixing these zoning concerns in Candler Park off the table because the City is addressing zoning through the rewrite?
A. It’s hard to know how long the city’s timeline will be. Whatever the city does, it will apply to the whole city, not specifically to Candler Park. Zoning will not address the concern of demolition.
Q. Isn’t it true if we come up with a document, isn’t there part of it that is out of our hands?
A. We are going to work with the City so that their input is integrated into the process and there are no surprises. We plan to discuss our first draft with the City staff to make sure our proposed regulations will be allowed and then share that with the neighborhood so that we are not over-promising anything.
Q. Will neighbors have a voice in proposed changes to properties?
A. Neighborhood involvement in the Urban Design Commission review is an integral part of being a Historic District.
Q. What kind of latitude does the Urban Design Commission have in allowing you to do things that are not in the regulations?
A. The UDC is guided by the regulations and the intent of the regulations. There are some things you can’t vary: number of units is an example of that, it would require rezoning to a higher density.
Q. I know that in many places, planning departments are actually getting rid of single-family zoning. Does the city have the power to get rid of single family and duplex zoning? Does an overlay allow them to make a change? What power does the city have, versus what power the neighborhood has?
A. The city has the authority to change zoning, legally, however only the neighborhood can change historic district regulations. Politically, the city and city council members will usually respond to what a neighborhood wants when it comes to zoning changes. Additionally, a historic district overlay means that items not covered by the overlay would change as zoning changes are made. For example, if the rules we adopt don’t address lot coverage, usage and density, these would default to the zoning regulations.
Q. In R-5 zoning, you can have a duplex. Can you also have one or two ADUs (accessory dwelling units)?
A. With current zoning, you can have one ADU.
Q. I thought R-5C got rid of the parking requirement?
A. The parking requirement for R-5C was reduced to 1 parking space per dwelling (it was previously 1, plus 1 for each additional bedroom over 3, and most developers build 2 garage spaces per dwelling). Parking spaces are only required for primary dwellings (so not ADUs).
Q. Why might we want to be a Local Historic District?
A. Historic district designation is a planning tool residents can use to ensure that as Atlanta grows, the character of our neighborhood, the things that brought most of us here in the first place, will not be lost. Historic designation is one of the only ways we can have a regulatory say in the quality of design for new buildings in our neighborhood, it can protect existing affordability, and is the only way to prevent demolition of historic homes and buildings.
Q. What is the actual goal of establishing a historic district? Is the whole thing to maintain an aesthetic identity for the neighborhood?
A. Based on the Community Survey put out in the spring of 2022, we saw many neighbors said that the historic character of the neighborhood is a quality that they'd like to see retained. This is both aesthetic and architectural. Another concern that caused the group to be formed initially was that outside developers are able to demolish homes and max out new construction with no consideration of the neighborhood. The group was interested in how we can make new development fit our neighborhood better and also how we could prevent houses from being so easily demolished.
Q. Why are we even talking about this?
A. This conversation has been a long time coming. Candler Park residents have considered historic designation since the 1990s and talk of what residents can do to have some control over the future of Candler Park has fluctuated over the years since then.
In the last few years the construction of townhouse duplexes became a concern. The Zoning Committee succeeded in adding additional regulations to the R-5 (two-family) zoning code specific to Candler Park, creating R-5-C (“with Conditions”). These regulations guide slightly more restrained new construction on R-5-C properties. But the ability of traditional zoning regulations to achieve all the goals that had been discussed is limited. As residents learned through previous inquiries, historic district designation is the only tool available that would restrict demolition of existing buildings and the only type of regulation that could not be overturned by a rezoning without neighborhood approval.
Q. Would Candler Park even qualify to become a historic district?
A. Candler Park is well-positioned to qualify for historic district designation due to its unusually large number of well-preserved homes spanning decades of Atlanta architectural history. The Candler Park neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places (listed in 2005), an indicator that the neighborhood is an ideal candidate for becoming a local historic district. To become a historic district, an area must have an existing inventory of structures that were built more than 50 years ago, that have been maintained and mostly preserved in their original condition. Other similar Atlanta neighborhoods such as Atkins Park in Virginia-Highland, Poncey Highland, and Inman Park are good examples of neighborhoods like Candler Park that have become historic districts.
Q. What is the relationship between a National Register Historic District and a Local Historic District?
A. Candler Park is listed as a National Register Historic District. Listing on the National Register is primarily recognition/documentation of the historic value of a place and offers no protection on its own. Protection for historic properties through regulations comes at the local (city) level through the designation of local Historic Districts. Local Historic Districts are both documentary and regulatory, used as planning tools to preserve the historic identity of a place.
Q. What is the relationship between Contributing structures in a National Register Historic District and a Local Historic District?
A. A National Register District may or may not exactly correspond to contributing structures in a local district. The National Register Period of Significance ends in 1955 (so buildings that retain their historic integrity and were built before 1955 are considered contributing) but if a Local District had an earlier or later Period of Significance, that baseline would be used to define Contributing structures in the local district. The City Historic Preservation Studio staff determine whether each building in a proposed district is Contributing or Non-Contributing using the established Period of Significance. As part of this process, each home is documented at the time of the nomination.
Q. Aren't historic districts overly restrictive?
A. The big thing about living in a Local Historic District is that there are design regulations and review. There’s no way around it. Historic District regulations are written to protect the historic architectural integrity of the neighborhood by providing a plan for necessary growth and changes in a way that is compatible with the district. By protecting the historic integrity of a district, Local Historic District designation protects the aesthetics and amenities that attracted us here in the first place.
Design regulations should not be onerous, or prevent property owners from repairing, upgrading and renovating their homes so that they enjoy living there. Since the neighborhood proposes their own regulations, they are tailored to target design issues that property owners feel are important in their district. By writing meaningful regulations, we can have a say in what our neighborhood will look like in the future. Further down the road, the design review process provides a venue for neighbors to have a meaningful voice in new construction projects.
The City of Atlanta has also created new “Historic District Lite” zoning districts that enable even greater flexibility to enable home additions and renovations with new materials. This type of newer, more flexible, zoning district was adopted by the Poncey Highland neighborhood.
Q. Do historic districts make it harder or easier to get a permit?
A. Historic districts can make obtaining a permit much simpler. Currently the Candler Park neighborhood is predominantly zoned R4 and R5 – zoning districts established in 1982 that apply to most neighborhoods throughout the City of Atlanta. The R4 and R5 zoning regulations were not written to specifically match the characteristics of homes and properties within Candler Park, so current homeowners typically are required to obtain variances to undertake home or property improvements even when such work is consistent with the established conditions of the home, the property, or the neighborhood. Historic districts establish regulations tailored specifically to the neighborhood so that future building permits are not required to go through a more lengthy variance approval process.
Q. Is a historic district the only way to further regulate design for new home construction?
A. Historic district designation is currently the City of Atlanta’s only available zoning tool that restricts the ability to demolish a neighborhood’s historic structures. The City of Atlanta is in the process of preparing a new zoning ordinance anticipated to be completed in 2024-2025. It is possible that this effort could be an opportunity to create a zoning mechanism for the neighborhood to regulate the design of new houses or buildings that is something other than a historic district, but the only viable option today is the creation of a historic district.
Q. Would new historic district regulations apply to all houses in the neighborhood?
A. Historic district regulations do apply to all houses or structures within the district, however, the regulations for “contributing” and “non-contributing” structures are usually different. A contributing structure is one which reinforces the visual or historic integrity of a district. Historic district regulations are typically much more flexible in the regulations applied to houses or structures that are considered “not contributing” at the date of district adoption.
Q. How do historic districts affect property values?
A. A sampling of the cities and neighborhoods with historic districts today can provide a better understanding of whether these districts negatively or positively impact property values. These communities include City of Atlanta (Poncey-Highland, Inman Park, Atkins Park (in Virginia-Highland), Druid Hills, Cabbagetown, Castleberry Hill and Grant Park just to name a few), City of Roswell, City of Decatur, City of Marietta, and City of Alpharetta. These areas appear to have preserved their natural economic growth trajectory and there have been no clear direct correlations – either positive or negative – between the historic district regulations and home values.
Q. Are historic districts legal?
A. Historic districts have been established throughout the nation, the state, and the region as a legally-viable and supported zoning mechanism for areas that contain historic significance.
Q. When is the earliest to expect a vote on a potential district?
A. May 2024 is the earliest.
A. Historic district designation is a planning tool residents can use to ensure that as Atlanta grows, the character of our neighborhood, the things that brought most of us here in the first place, will not be lost. Historic designation is one of the only ways we can have a regulatory say in the quality of design for new buildings in our neighborhood, it can protect existing affordability, and is the only way to prevent demolition of historic homes and buildings.
Q. What is the actual goal of establishing a historic district? Is the whole thing to maintain an aesthetic identity for the neighborhood?
A. Based on the Community Survey put out in the spring of 2022, we saw many neighbors said that the historic character of the neighborhood is a quality that they'd like to see retained. This is both aesthetic and architectural. Another concern that caused the group to be formed initially was that outside developers are able to demolish homes and max out new construction with no consideration of the neighborhood. The group was interested in how we can make new development fit our neighborhood better and also how we could prevent houses from being so easily demolished.
Q. Why are we even talking about this?
A. This conversation has been a long time coming. Candler Park residents have considered historic designation since the 1990s and talk of what residents can do to have some control over the future of Candler Park has fluctuated over the years since then.
In the last few years the construction of townhouse duplexes became a concern. The Zoning Committee succeeded in adding additional regulations to the R-5 (two-family) zoning code specific to Candler Park, creating R-5-C (“with Conditions”). These regulations guide slightly more restrained new construction on R-5-C properties. But the ability of traditional zoning regulations to achieve all the goals that had been discussed is limited. As residents learned through previous inquiries, historic district designation is the only tool available that would restrict demolition of existing buildings and the only type of regulation that could not be overturned by a rezoning without neighborhood approval.
Q. Would Candler Park even qualify to become a historic district?
A. Candler Park is well-positioned to qualify for historic district designation due to its unusually large number of well-preserved homes spanning decades of Atlanta architectural history. The Candler Park neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places (listed in 2005), an indicator that the neighborhood is an ideal candidate for becoming a local historic district. To become a historic district, an area must have an existing inventory of structures that were built more than 50 years ago, that have been maintained and mostly preserved in their original condition. Other similar Atlanta neighborhoods such as Atkins Park in Virginia-Highland, Poncey Highland, and Inman Park are good examples of neighborhoods like Candler Park that have become historic districts.
Q. What is the relationship between a National Register Historic District and a Local Historic District?
A. Candler Park is listed as a National Register Historic District. Listing on the National Register is primarily recognition/documentation of the historic value of a place and offers no protection on its own. Protection for historic properties through regulations comes at the local (city) level through the designation of local Historic Districts. Local Historic Districts are both documentary and regulatory, used as planning tools to preserve the historic identity of a place.
Q. What is the relationship between Contributing structures in a National Register Historic District and a Local Historic District?
A. A National Register District may or may not exactly correspond to contributing structures in a local district. The National Register Period of Significance ends in 1955 (so buildings that retain their historic integrity and were built before 1955 are considered contributing) but if a Local District had an earlier or later Period of Significance, that baseline would be used to define Contributing structures in the local district. The City Historic Preservation Studio staff determine whether each building in a proposed district is Contributing or Non-Contributing using the established Period of Significance. As part of this process, each home is documented at the time of the nomination.
Q. Aren't historic districts overly restrictive?
A. The big thing about living in a Local Historic District is that there are design regulations and review. There’s no way around it. Historic District regulations are written to protect the historic architectural integrity of the neighborhood by providing a plan for necessary growth and changes in a way that is compatible with the district. By protecting the historic integrity of a district, Local Historic District designation protects the aesthetics and amenities that attracted us here in the first place.
Design regulations should not be onerous, or prevent property owners from repairing, upgrading and renovating their homes so that they enjoy living there. Since the neighborhood proposes their own regulations, they are tailored to target design issues that property owners feel are important in their district. By writing meaningful regulations, we can have a say in what our neighborhood will look like in the future. Further down the road, the design review process provides a venue for neighbors to have a meaningful voice in new construction projects.
The City of Atlanta has also created new “Historic District Lite” zoning districts that enable even greater flexibility to enable home additions and renovations with new materials. This type of newer, more flexible, zoning district was adopted by the Poncey Highland neighborhood.
Q. Do historic districts make it harder or easier to get a permit?
A. Historic districts can make obtaining a permit much simpler. Currently the Candler Park neighborhood is predominantly zoned R4 and R5 – zoning districts established in 1982 that apply to most neighborhoods throughout the City of Atlanta. The R4 and R5 zoning regulations were not written to specifically match the characteristics of homes and properties within Candler Park, so current homeowners typically are required to obtain variances to undertake home or property improvements even when such work is consistent with the established conditions of the home, the property, or the neighborhood. Historic districts establish regulations tailored specifically to the neighborhood so that future building permits are not required to go through a more lengthy variance approval process.
Q. Is a historic district the only way to further regulate design for new home construction?
A. Historic district designation is currently the City of Atlanta’s only available zoning tool that restricts the ability to demolish a neighborhood’s historic structures. The City of Atlanta is in the process of preparing a new zoning ordinance anticipated to be completed in 2024-2025. It is possible that this effort could be an opportunity to create a zoning mechanism for the neighborhood to regulate the design of new houses or buildings that is something other than a historic district, but the only viable option today is the creation of a historic district.
Q. Would new historic district regulations apply to all houses in the neighborhood?
A. Historic district regulations do apply to all houses or structures within the district, however, the regulations for “contributing” and “non-contributing” structures are usually different. A contributing structure is one which reinforces the visual or historic integrity of a district. Historic district regulations are typically much more flexible in the regulations applied to houses or structures that are considered “not contributing” at the date of district adoption.
Q. How do historic districts affect property values?
A. A sampling of the cities and neighborhoods with historic districts today can provide a better understanding of whether these districts negatively or positively impact property values. These communities include City of Atlanta (Poncey-Highland, Inman Park, Atkins Park (in Virginia-Highland), Druid Hills, Cabbagetown, Castleberry Hill and Grant Park just to name a few), City of Roswell, City of Decatur, City of Marietta, and City of Alpharetta. These areas appear to have preserved their natural economic growth trajectory and there have been no clear direct correlations – either positive or negative – between the historic district regulations and home values.
Q. Are historic districts legal?
A. Historic districts have been established throughout the nation, the state, and the region as a legally-viable and supported zoning mechanism for areas that contain historic significance.
Q. When is the earliest to expect a vote on a potential district?
A. May 2024 is the earliest.