Chalfont Design Guidelines

Client:  Chalfont Borough

Location:  Chalfont Borough, Bucks County, PA

Team:  Carter van Dyke Associates, Inc., Kathryn Ann Auerbach, Historic Preservation Consultant

Date:  2007

 

Carter van Dyke Associates developed a handbook of design guidelines for the Chalfont Borough Historic District.  CVDA worked closely with the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) and the Bureau for Historic Preservation, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, to create a document that describes the duties and functions of the HARB, the application procedure, and the history and architectural development of the Borough.

 

Guidelines for repairs, renovations, and new construction, as well as signage, are illustrated by photographs and drawings of recommended and discouraged practices.  The final report was designed so that individual chapters such as the borough history and suggested maintenance schedule could also be printed independently for use in other contexts.  Special emphasis was placed on customizing both text and graphics to specific issues in Chalfont, especially on the importance of maintaining a pedestrian-friendly streetscape, and the preservation of the Victorian-era and Oscar Martin-designed buildings that form the core of the historic district.

 

An architectural glossary illustrated by photos of local buildings and a resource list of publications available from the Bucks County Library system were included.  As part of the contract, CVDA reviewed zoning and SALDO regulations within the historic district and revised the HARB application forms to increase clarity and ease of use for the applicant.