Cape Charles Design Guidelines

Community Engagement
Disaster Preparedness for Historic Resources
Flood Retrofit Negotiation & Design
Historic Building Renovation
Local Design Review Consulting
Preparation of Design Guidelines Documents
Preservation Planning

Cape Charles Historic District Design Guidelines

Location

Cape Charles, VA

Partners

Town of Cape Charles

Virginia Department of Historic Resources

Client Goals

The town of Cape Charles hired CPG to update its existing set of design guidelines for the local historic district. The town saw this update to the guidelines as an opportunity to ease tensions that had arisen in the district due to a lack of consensus among residents and members of the local government. As a result, the client wanted design guidelines that were rooted in a shared vision among those within the district.

Project Design

CPG staff started the project by familiarizing themselves with the town’s existing preservation philosophy and understanding the perspectives of those within the district. Homeowners had a broad range of priorities, resulting in strained relationships among community members. In light of these dynamics, CPG recommended a more comprehensive public engagement approach with a variety of opportunities for residents to participate. The project team used the input from these engagement efforts to clarify the review process and adjust areas of the guidelines that created unnecessary friction. CPG’s experience with community engagement allowed the team to navigate sensitive topics that arose and facilitate consensus-building throughout the projec

Challenges & Accomplishments

When the project began, the Town Council was uncertain if Cape Charles should continue to be a historic district because of the ongoing conflicts among residents. The project team successfully garnered support from the Town Council and created a final product tailored to the needs and values of residents in the historic district. Ultimately, the Cape Charles Design Guidelines received unanimous approval from the Town Council at the project’s conclusion.