| Starting in 1994, the City of Manitou Springs began to draft design guidelines for their Historic District, which is nestled into the steep foothills beneath Pike’s Peak. Local residents and property owners were concerned about protecting the existing, cherished character and preserving the community’s unique heritage. The original guidelines were drafted to ensure that renovations, rehabilitations, infill and redevelopment projects in commercial and residential subdistricts respected original architectural styles and development patterns.
In 2007, the City and the Historic Preservation Commission contracted Parks & Gardens to update the residential and commercial design guidelines. The firm was asked to evaluate, amend and combine two documents and create a single, consistent user-friendly document that includes an updated format, new illustrations and photographs of acceptable and unacceptable solutions.
Parks & Gardens worked closely with staff to develop a public outreach plan that actively engaged residents, property owners and business owners throughout the project that resulted in defensible planning process and public support for the revised guidelines.
The Design Guidelines for the Historic District are based upon accepted principles of historic preservation as identified by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties: Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration and Reconstruction. The guidelines provide guidance to the private sector for rehabilitation of existing structures, additions and new construction to ensure that structural and site improvements are compatible with existing historic resources.
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Alignment
Most homes in residential subdistricts are oriented toward the street and have a similar alignment
Massing
Additions and alterations shall be similar or subordinate in height to the original structure
Commercial: Corner Lots
New commercial buildings should employ a 0’-0” setback to generate visual interest along the street edge
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