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City of Providence
City of Providence Zoning Ordinance
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§ 605

DESIGN STANDARDS FOR ALTERATIONS TO EXISTING BUILDINGS

605 DESIGN STANDARDS FOR ALTERATIONS TO EXISTING BUILDINGS All exterior work on existing buildings in the D-1 District is subject to approval by the permitting authority and shall be regulated by these standards. The purpose of these standards is to preserve the urban fabric, and, in particular, the historic character of Downtown Providence. These standards are intended to preserve and restore the architectural integrity and historic character of buildings in the D-1 District.

  • A. The existing scale and proportions of buildings and streetscapes shall be preserved. The permitting authority shall review the following:

  • 1. The preservation, repair or replacement of building features using the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, promulgated by the National Parks Service (Secretary’s Standards) as guidelines, which are hereby incorporated by reference.

  • 2. Existing structures that have been designed for retail use on the first floor shall retain this design. Where such design no longer exists but would be compatible with the character of the building, applicants are encouraged to recreate the storefront design on the first floor.

  • 3. The restoration or reconstruction of a building that has been altered through the years, using the Secretary’s Standards as guidelines. The Downtown Design Review Committee or permitting authority should consider pictorial, documentary, or physical evidence of the original configuration when reviewing applications.

  • 4. New additions of less than 5,000 square feet of gross floor area, exterior alterations, or related new construction, using the Secretary’s Standards as guidelines. Additions of 5,000 square feet of gross floor area or more shall be treated as new construction subject to Section 606.

  • 5. The transparency of building facades. Transparency shall be at least 70% of the wall area, between the height of one and 12 feet above grade, of each building façade. Renovations of the first floor of existing buildings shall not decrease the area of transparency, and, if the transparency area is less than 70% of the wall area, shall increase the amount of transparency in accordance with requirements for new construction. All buildings shall meet this requirement unless the original historic character of the ground-floor building facade has less than 70% transparency. Upper story transparency shall not be reduced from its original design.

  • 6. The design of all awnings to ensure that the design is in character with the building.

  • 7. The installation of security devices to ensure that they are designed so as not to impact the historic quality of the building.