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Historic Preservation
Design Guideline Update

The Phoenix Historic Preservation Office continues to work with Heritage Architecture & Planning, to update the city's General Design Guidelines for Historic Properties (phoenix.gov/historic/permits.html) and its Historic Homes of Phoenix book (available in hard copy only). The consultants work began in May 2007 and the goal is to have the updated design guidelines completed by March 2008.

The purpose of the project is to consolidate the two existing historic preservation documents into a single set of illustrated design guidelines. This new user-friendly document will guide decision making for historically designated properties in Phoenix in the future, providing property owners with straight forward guidance on how to best maintain the historic character of historic properties and to sensitively modify and expand properties to meet modern needs.

The final report will provide both general design guidelines for historic properties as well as more specific design guidelines for each of the city's 35 residential historic districts. Issues such as energy conservation, post World War II construction, historic landscapes and signage for commercial buildings also will be addressed in more depth than in the existing documents.

The Phoenix Historic Preservation Office and Commission are seeking public input at various stages throughout the project. In late August, the consultant team hosted two stakeholder workshops to solicit input of from historic property owners in Phoenix, to discuss design issues that come up in historic neighborhoods and to identify areas of concern for the various historic districts. The workshops were a great success. Many property owners attended and voiced their opinions regarding the issues that are most pressing within their districts. Please take a few minutes to review the Stakeholder's Workshop Results, which are the results of the breakout sessions at the workshops. That information will be incorporated into the updated design guidelines.

We anticipate posting a draft of the updated design guidelines on the city web site for public review and comment in November. As we did with the Stakeholder's Workshops, we will send postcards to historic property owners announcing its arrival. Historic Preservation Office staff also will be available to make presentations on the draft design guidelines to neighborhood associations in late 2007 and early 2008. The Historic Preservation Commission is scheduled to hold a formal public hearing on the proposed design guidelines on Jan. 28, prior to their adoption.

For additional information or questions, contact Erika Finbraaten, project manager, at 602-262-4076.

On March 5, 2008, the Phoenix City Council approved a contract with a private consulting firm, Preservation Central Inc., to prepare a nomination to list 10 Phoenix neighborhoods on the National Register of Historic Places. The 10 neighborhoods to be listed on the National Register are as follows:

1. Campus Vista (generally bounded by Osborn and Thomas roads, Seventh and 15th avenues);
2. East Evergreen (generally bounded by McDowell Road, Interstate 10, Third and Seventh streets);
3. Encanto Manor (generally bounded by Thomas Road, Windsor Avenue, Seventh and 15th avenues);
4. Encanto Vista (generally bounded by Windsor Avenue, Encanto Boulevard, Seventh and Eighth avenues);
5. Garfield (generally bounded by Roosevelt, Van Buren, Seventh and 16th streets);
6. Los Olivos (located along Monte Vista Road between Third and Seventh streets);
7. North Garfield (generally bounded by Interstate 10, Roosevelt Street and Seventh and 16th streets);
8. Villa Verde (generally bounded by Monte Vista and Granada roads, 19th and 20th avenues);
9. Woodlea (generally bounded by Glenrosa Avenue, Mackenzie Drive, Seventh and 15th avenues);
10. Yaple Park (generally bounded by the Grand Canal, Turney Avenue, Third and Seventh avenues);

All 10 of these neighborhoods currently are listed on the Phoenix Historic Property Register (find maps) but have not yet been listed on the National Register.

Preservation Central Inc. began work on the National Register nomination on April 1, 2008 and will complete a draft version of the nomination by March 31, 2009. During this time, they will be conducting fieldwork in each of the 10 neighborhoods. This includes taking photos of the eligible homes and completing historic property inventory forms.

Once the draft nomination is completed, it will be reviewed by city of Phoenix staff, the city of Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission, Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, Arizona Historic Sites Review Committee and, ultimately, the National Park Service before it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The review process probably will take between 12 and 24 months to complete.

When the neighborhoods are listed on the National Register, owners will be able to apply for a property tax reduction. To qualify for the tax reduction, a property must be 1) owner-occupied and 2) contributing to the historic district. Information regarding this tax reduction program is available.

The city of Phoenix also is completing National Register nominations for two additional neighborhoods already listed on the Phoenix Historic Property Register.

11. Brentwood (generally bounded by McDowell Road, Interstate 10, 16th and 20th streets);
12. La Hacienda (generally located along Verde Lane and Catalina Drive between Third and Seventh streets.)

Draft versions of these nominations already have been completed and submitted to the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office for review.

If you are a property owner or resident in one of these 12 historic districts, we encourage you to share the above information with others in your neighborhood. If you have any questions, contact Historic Preservation at 602-261-8699 or e-mail at historic@phoenix.gov.

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