Downtown Historic District design guidelines were presented at a final open house on Thursday at Newton City Hall. Representatives from Bergland and Cram Architecture Firm went through various aspects of the guidelines from standards for rehabilitation and funding to do’s and don’ts and local resources that are available.
“This has been a group effort. We appreciate all of the input that has come in thus far with the various meetings we’ve had,” Bergland and Cram Principal Scott Borcherding said.
The main goals of the guidelines are to revitalize the downtown district and architecture within the community and to help accomplish objectives of the 2012 Comprehensive Plan. They encourage property owners to come together as a community while retaining the historical aspect of their individual buildings as well as work to enhance the values and curb appeal of the properties.
The guidelines can help educate owners prior to engaging in a building project by outlining best practices as well as financial incentives and qualification for rehabilitation projects.
“We want to honor the history of our downtown. There are multiple contexts of history and multiple eras,” said Erin Chambers, Newton’s director of Planning and Zoning.
Recommendations for almost every aspect of the property are discussed in the guidelines, presented in a booklet form. Starting with the storefronts, entries, awnings and signage to windows, mortar, color and architectural elements, each are detailed in the final guidelines document.
The booklet provides descriptions several topics, for example windows, with both the history of the topic provided and what current practices are. Then a detailed “do’s” and “don’ts” list provides property owners with suggestion for their style of building and what is not recommended to keep within historic regulations.
“We acknowledge that properties change over time and some of those changes do have value,” Borcherding said.
Multiple pictures are provided for each topic with a thumbs up or thumbs down on them depending on if they follow the guidelines given. Some of the photos are from local properties and some examples from other communities.
“Each building is going to have its own unique historic context and we want any work to be true to that building versus an artificial facade. We want to be true to the historic nature of a particular building,” Chambers said.
To conclude the meeting, fellow principal at Bergland and Cram, Doug Foreshoe, gave a presentation of work the firm had done in Mason City. Three separate projects, all different in size and scope, brought once blighted buildings up to acceptable standards and beyond.
Foreshoe spoke about how the projects were funded, through various grant including the Community Development Block Grant and Main Street Iowa Challenge Grant along with state and federal tax credits, funding through the city and private contributions. Similar funding methods would be available for Newton to use as well.
“It really is a concept plan and this is the plan that gives us the guidance to determine projects. This will really serve as the planning document as we enter into budget seasons and council can determine where their priorities are and where they want to move forward,” Chambers said. “Our in-house engineering staff can take these plans and come up with an engineered drawing for the work and from there we can work toward implementation.”
No firm timeline has been set for work to begin in the area and no specific funds have been set aside at this time for the downtown design beyond the $50,000 allocated for the design work but the project is expected to be a part of the budget talks in December.
However, grants are available through the Historical Preservation Commission for private property owners who want to rehabilitate their facade in accordance to the guidelines.
The complete guidelines booklet will be available on the city of Newton's website, www.newtongov.com and hard copies are available at city hall.
Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com