WHAT

• The South Cumberland Design Guide for Community Character Stewardship is an online (and eventually, printed) book that provides numerous local examples of building and infrastructure design that help support, preserve and enhance the authentic look and feel of our local communities.

• The Design Guide is not a regulation; it is a voluntary book of ideas and guidelines to help any individual, builder, contractor or other constructor create a project that will complement the visual appearance, or “community style” of our rural area.

WHY

• Town Planning is a process by which each community can decide how to it wishes to manage growth, through thoughtful conversations among its citizens and leaders. In rural areas where formal zoning regulations are considered excessively restrictive, the result of a Town Planning process can simply be a description — in a document such as the Design Guide — of how the community wishes to evolve; specifically, what it would like to see in terms of building materials, styles and designs, in order to respect and enhance the authentic look and feel of that community.

• The draft version of the Design Guide is being circulated to our community leaders, civic groups and anyone interested in this process. Suggestions, ideas and comments are welcomed, as we work toward creating a document that reflects the community’s consensus about how they would like their town to look in the future.

• Below is a link where you can download a copy of the draft version of the Design Guide. Also below, you will also find a suggestion/idea/comment form, which will remain open for comments through [date].

HOW

• Community leaders can utilize the Design Guide as a means of expressing the community’s desires for the appearance of major renovations or new construction.

• The Design Guide is not an architectural rulebook, nor does it replace existing building codes. It is a collection of ideas and examples relating to the historic visual character of each community, expressed not only in the kinds of materials utilized, but also in the size and form of building and infrastructure construction.

• Individuals, builders, contractors and other constructors can draw creative inspiration and project design ideas from the Design Guide, knowing that their project will stand out and yet fit in with the overall character of the community.

• Following the community’s input period, the Design Guide will be updated to reflect a consensus of the ideas and suggestions offered. It will then be republished online, and available for reference by community leadership as well as any individual, builder, contractor or other constructor.

• Periodically, the Design Guide will go through additional updates and community input cycles, to help insure it continues to be reflective of the community’s wishes, as well as incorporating updates to building technologies and design trends.