I like to take walks in our neighborhood admiring our picturesque streetscape. Today as I walked along a block that I rarely visit, I noticed an interesting characteristic. Most of the houses on this particular block, like many in Alta Vista, had porches. But they also had something unique that I’ve not noticed on other blocks. They had small, decorative wooden gates across the porch entrance, a charming detail that adds character to the houses, the block and the neighborhood. It’s one of those nice physical characteristics that adds meaning to Alta Vista.
Alta Vista is about to update its Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) standards for the first time in the 12 years that the neighborhood has been an NCD. The standards, created to promote and maintain the neighborhood’s unique character, through its physical characteristics, were always intended to be updated at some point. Recent infill developments in Alta Vista, and neighborhoods like Alta Vista, have made it clear that the time is now.
A crew of 25 Alta Vista residents have volunteered for the effort, their job is to work together to craft the language for the updated standards. They won’t do this alone. We need you to help the effort. Three AVNA board members, including myself, are volunteers. The AVNA will keep the neighborhood updated as work progresses and will be asking for your thoughts on what buildings in our neighborhood should look like. The group met for the first time at the end of September at a meeting organized by the City’s Development Services Department. The goal for the meeting was simply to launch the effort, get to know each other and talk about concerns.
It’s probably a good idea to talk about what the NCD standards don’t do. They don’t address affordability, they don’t affect property taxes, they don’t address gentrification and they don’t address zoning/use (we’ll write about zoning and what it means in a future blog). The standards only address the physical features of structures and properties. They can cover types of materials, height of buildings, how far back buildings are from the street (setback), what proportion of window space is allowed, and the overall size and space a structure (massing and volume) can use up on a property. The NCD can address fences, porches, landscape and even driveways.
What we would like to know from you is what physical features of properties you think are important to Alta Vista’s character. We’ll post photographs here and on Facebook to help the conversation. Please post comments, post your own photos, or send us e-mails at avna@ymail.com if you prefer to make your comment in private. We will be organizing a formal survey later this month, but for now please start the discussion with us on our electronic and social media pages.
Sincerely yours,
Claudia Guerra
Alta Vista Neighborhood Association President
