Restoration
Discover how to balance modern needs with the charm and architectural integrity of your home.
Maintenance is Preservation
If you are planning a home construction project, the following pages of information will be helpful and essential. From residential zoning to permits and inspections to variances, the City of Colorado Springs’ Regional Building Department has requirements that provide safeguards and a consistent approach to City codes and standards. When does a project require a building permit? When not? Property owners can find the appropriate forms and contact information on the Regional Building Department’s website.
Building Permits
After reading an overview on the “Homeowner Process” page and what does and does not require a building permit, click on “Start a Project” to continue. At the bottom of that page, in the dark blue box, clicking on “Forms, Handouts & Downloads” will take you to a page with various permit forms, including, if needed, a variance request application.
Variances
When is a variance required? If, according to Regional Building, “existing, nonconforming conditions impede compliance with a City code provision,” you will need a variance. You may download the Variance Application Form. Contact the Regional Building at 719-327-2880 with specific questions regarding your project and if you need to apply for a variance.
Zoning Code
The Zoning Code page on the Colorado Springs website provides important zoning information, including a map and chart that show setbacks and maximum lot coverage as defined by the various residential zones. Since every property is within a zone district, click on SpringsView to find how your property is zoned.
Overlay Zoning
- For homes in ONEN’s Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, exterior improvements from the public right of way that require a Regional Building permit also require prior review and approval from the City’s Historic Preservation Board.
- Is my property in the Overlay Zone? The Old North End National Register Historic District, Sub-areas 1, 2, and 3, in red on this map, are under the protection of the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance and under Historic Preservation Overlay Zoning. (HPOZ)
- The Old North End Neighborhood organization is not an approving authority for requests for renovation or restoration of properties within the ONEN boundaries.
- The Application for Report of Acceptability is used, along with supporting documents, when requesting approval from the City’s Historic Preservation Board.
- If your property is located within the neighborhood’s two historic districts reflected in the map above, you may qualify for State Tax Credits.
Resources
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Design Standards are used to help determine approval for a “Report of Acceptability” from the City’s Historic Preservation Board. (Please note: the City’s Historic Preservation Board evaluates design only.) These standards are informed by the North End Historic District Design Guidelines and are in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior Standards.
- For information regarding the re-roofing of an existing structure within the Overlay Zone, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Development Review Enterprise office at 719-385-5982. The Re Roof Permit application may be downloaded here.
- Storage sheds (also known as accessory structures) that do not require a permit are exempt from review by the Historic Preservation Board.
- Unless the opening of a window is enlarged or reduced in size or a window is added where none existed before, window replacement does not require a permit.
For further information about Overlay Zoning, approval for a “Report of Acceptability,” and administrative approvals:
City Contact for Historic Preservation is William Gray, Senior Planner, Land Use Review Division, Planning and Community Development.
Phone:(719) 385-5090;
Email: william.gray@coloradosprings.gov
Tax Credits: Property within either the Old North End or North Weber/Wahsatch National Register Historic districts may qualify for state tax credits for rehabilitation work performed. The information needed to apply for these credits is outlined at History Colorado: www.historycolorado.org/preservation-tax-credits
Contact Joseph Saldibar at History Colorado’s Office of Preservation and Archaeology,
(303) 866-3741; joseph.saldibar@state.co.us for additional information.
Guidance and Best Practices
Maintenance Is Preservation
The following rationale for maintaining the beauty and historic integrity of the Old North End Neighborhood is taken from the introduction to the Old North End Neighborhood Interpretive Guide.
“The Old North End Neighborhood is a remarkably intact collection of architecturally and historically significant buildings located within a distinctive setting of mature trees and landscaped medians. These historic buildings serve as a tangible link to our shared heritage, making the Old North End a unique place to live and visit. Because their replacement is impossible, it is important to preserve and protect the buildings and setting that comprise the neighborhood for future generations.”
Since property owners play a key role in such efforts, the information that follows is intended to be educational and promote good stewardship.
- The Old North End Neighborhood Interpretive Guide is a pictorial guide to best practices for maintaining, rehabilitating, adding to, and constructing the exterior of your home. Some examples of what to avoid in photos are also addressed. The two guides below provide support.
- North End Historic District Design Guidelines- As stated in its preface, the primary goal of this guide is education and design review, two crucial components of preservation. For a suggested donation of $10, you may obtain a hard copy from Pat Doyle at patdoyle@mac.com.
- Design Guidelines for the North Weber/Wahsatch Historic District –This document was published in 1990 as part of the City’s preservation program. These guidelines contain text, illustrations, and photographs that inform both property owners and “public entities” alike. The intent is to identify historic characteristics, appropriate methods of preservation, and to promote architectural cohesiveness.
- Preservation Briefs from the National Park Service – Fifty technical briefs provide information on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic structures. Under “The Standards” on that page, the three terms in red above are defined, but information under “Rehabilitation and Guidelines” applies specifically to applications for Colorado tax credits.
- Chicago Bungalow Association – This website offers homeowners how-to seminars. Constructive steps to choosing the right landscape design and plants for your bungalow garden.
- Additional Historic Preservation Resources in Other Places – This section provides how-to resources for various rehabilitation projects and links to other key information.