Franklin Historic District Design Guidelines

DRAFT FRANKLIN HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGN GUIDELINES 10 introduction  Purpose of the Guidelines Franklin is nationally recognized for its diverse historic and architectural resources, spanning its award-winning Main Street, late-19th and early-to- mid-20th-century neighborhoods, historic cemeteries, rural farmsteads and corridors, archaeological sites, and Civil War resources. The preservation of these resources is of paramount importance to protecting Franklin’s unique heritage and cultural identity. Preservation planning nurtures a sense of community, protects and fosters sense of place, and is environmentally responsible. The preservation of these buildings and resources offers quantifiable benefits such as the continued development of the economy for heritage tourism, greater neighborhood governance over development, the creation of jobs, and the stabilization and appreciation of property values. Franklin’s Historic Preservation Program promotes the identification, evaluation, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and restoration of the City’s historic, architectural, and archaeological heritage. The City uses Historic Preservation Overlay District (HPO) zoning as a planning tool to manage growth and change for local landmarks and historic districts. Within the HPO, the Franklin Historic District Design Guidelines (the Guidelines) provide guidance that supports the preservation of historic resources and ensurescompatibledesignwhenconsideringexterioralterations. TheGuidelines inform the design review process by outlining contextual considerations and parameters for alterations to the built environment that will be sensitive to the community’s heritage and not result in material impairment to a historic resource or district. The Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (the Standards) also provide guidance on the appropriate treatment of historic properties. The Standards are organized into four treatment approaches: preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. Of these, the rehabilitation treatment provides the broadest and most flexible approach and serves as the basis for the Guidelines. The complete list of each treatment’s set of standards can be accessed through the National Park Service website.