Appendix A. HAZARDVILLE STUDY DESIGN REVIEW GUIDE

Data in the 1999 Plan of Conservation and Development show that the average daily traffic count along Hazard Avenue in the center of Hazardville was just under 19,000 vehicles. Balancing the "livability" of the Village with the magnitude of traffic is an on-going challenge.

Change and development in Hazardville should be undertaken in a manner that compliments the Village's heritage and charm.

Introduction

The Village of Hazardville consists of a dense cluster of buildings erected in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. To a large degree, the impetus for the original village was the nearby development of Colonel Hazard's gunpowder factory. Since that time, this architecture has been preserved for the most part, and has resulted in a distinct visual "sense of place". However, the vibrancy of Hazardville as a "downtown" is a product of the human scale, the mix and density of uses, and the inherent "walkability" of the Village. It is these characteristics that make Hazardville a real working, living village.

The main vehicular corridor through Hazardville is Hazard Avenue, or CT Route 190. This State road carries thousands of cars per day and the traffic is especially heavy in the peak hours. Commuters traveling to and from the Hartford area make up the majority of the traffic. This heavy volume places a strain on the existing residents and small businesses that front on Hazard Ave. Safe ingress and egress, safe pedestrian crossings, and safe bicycle lanes are essential to the life of the Village. However, businesses may take advantage of this commuter traffic. This conflicting use of the road as a thoroughfare and as a commercial area presents a challenge.

The Design Review Guide is intended to support the vibrancy of Hazardville with its current businesses and residents, and to encourage complementary uses that may wish to locate in the Village, while maintaining the historic architectural consistency of the period The Design Review Guide was created to help identify, retain, and preserve the form and detailing of those architectural materials and features that are important in defining the historical character of the neighborhood. Its purpose is to help applicants in preparing projects in advance of a submission to the Enfield Planning and Zoning Commission.

The Design Review Guide is divided into the following sections:

• Site and Landscape Considerations

• Architecture

• Signage

• Streetscape Amenities

Each of the above elements, when considered in the historical context of Hazardville Village, can be used to guide change and development within the Village in a manner that complements the Village's heritage and charm.

Site and Landscape Considerations

Since Hazardville was founded in the days before the automobile, there was no need for paved parking lots at each business. Buildings were sited close to the travelway, often with a short setback of lawn as is shown in the photo below. This arrangement emphasizes the relationship of the building to the street and to the pedestrian. There is a consistent streetwall, an unbroken corridor of buildings, which creates a space that is in proportion to the surroundings and is in scale with the pedestrian.

However, since the advent of the automobile, modern suburban development has favored convenience for the motorist. Buildings were setback from the street with parking areas in front, interrupting the streetscape.

Site Development Guidelines

Although there are some distracting gaps in Hazardville's streetscape, the majority of the historic village fabric remains. In order to preserve and repair this fabric, the following design guidelines are suggested:

• New development or redevelopment of sites should bring building façades close to the street. The Zoning Regulations should be modified to allow this.

• Provide wide sidewalks and generous entrances to buildings.

• Allow minimal parking between the building and the street. Parking should be located to the side or rear of buildings.

• For safety's sake as well as aesthetics, encourage minimizing the number of driveways and allow for the connection of parking lots behind buildings.

• Accommodate public gatherings by providing locations that are convenient, safe, and when possible, visually engaging.

• Integrate mature vegetation into the site design when possible.

• Include benches and/or low walls as gathering/resting places for pedestrians.

• Where possible, incorporate historic cultural landmarks into new development. Examples of such landmarks would include houses, commercial structures, stone walls, fences, and tree stands.

• Identify exits, entrances, and internal barriers with appropriate lighting.

Architecture

The current vibrancy of Hazardville is due in part to the variety of uses that exist in this compact area, from single family residential to retail, light industry, and institutional. Mixing uses within an area, and even within the same building, can be considered desirable, not a potential for nuisance. The current sidewalk system in Hazardville allows complete circulation along the Hazard Avenue corridor, thus making pedestrian travel a possibility. However, the design of a building can also add to the pedestrian experience.

Building Design Guidelines

• Include an increased attention to façade details that can be appreciated at the slow pace of a walker, especially bay windows for shop displays.

• Create some "transitional spaces" that join the buildings to the streetscape. Examples of this technique include overhangs, porticos, and awnings.

• Allow use of the sidewalk for outdoor café's and sidewalk sales.

• For new construction, encourage a minimum two-story building allowing a mix of uses such as office or residential on the second floor.

• Preserve and reinforce historic scale, massing, and proportion where applicable.

• Establish building rhythms with adjacent building forms for visual continuity.

• Consider rooflines of adjacent structures to avoid unpleasant contrasts in style and materials.

• Reference adjacent building roof details such as dormers, fascias, and roof pitches when applicable.

• Observe historic precedents wherever possible.

Signage

The purpose of these guidelines is to promote consistency as well as creativity in sign design and placement. Signs within Hazardville Village should have a color scheme and design in keeping with the historic character of the Village, and should be placed in consistent and logical locations so as to create an orderly appearance throughout the Village.

•  General Design

1.

The design of the sign should reflect the historic and architectural character of the building.

2.

Signs should be of the type that would have been used within the original building period.

3.

Creative and unique design is essential.

4.

Signs should contribute to the visual character of the Village and increase the efficiency of communication. Simplicity of signage adds to its legibility and effectiveness. Redundant messages and unnecessary slogans should be omitted.

•  Color

1.

The use of color should be restrained. Colors should be limited to one or two, with a neutral background.

2.

Colors should relate to the building facade and/or to the site use.

•  Materials

1.

Sign materials should be of the historic period of the building.

2.

Stained or painted wood signs must be maintained regularly.

•  Hardware

1.

Hardware for mounting signs, especially perpendicular signs, should be well constructed, decorative, and harmonious with the sign design.

•  Pedestrian Orientation

1.

Pedestrian circulation is essential to the life of the Village. Signs should be compatible in scale with the pedestrian as well as with motorists.

2.

Projecting or perpendicular signs are appropriate and encouraged as part of a signage scheme for a building or use. Projecting signs shall be double faced.

•  Lighting

1.

Signs shall be indirectly lighted. The traditional "gooseneck" fixture is considered most appropriate for Hazardville.

•  Placement

1.

Building mounted signs can be placed to coordinate with the building's façade almost as a decorative element. Signs can be centered over a shop window on the lintel or over doorway, for instance.

Streetscape Amenities

The first phase of the Hazardville Village Plan, a streetscape design, was completed in October, 2000. The Hazardville Subcommittee of the Enfield Revitalization Strategy Committee was active in providing input to and review of the design.

The final schematic design consisted of the following elements:

• Existing sidewalks were replaced with traditional brick-look concrete pavers.

• Street lighting of two heights was proposed. An 18' pole with banner arms for seasonal decorations was recommended to be placed at the Village entrances and at the commercial core of the Village. In other locations along Hazard Avenue, 14 foot poles are to be used.

• A suite of furnishings was recommended which included a bench with arms, trash receptacle, and planter all in black metal with Victorian styling. These were placed at the Village entrances and at some commercial and municipal buildings. Care was taken not to place these features in front of residences where they may become a maintenance burden for home-owners.

• Shade trees were added where appropriate. A disease-resistant American Elm was recommended.

• Flowering trees were recommended in areas where there were overhanging utility wires. These were 'Aristocrat' Flowering Pears with a mature height of approximately 20'.

An excerpt of the Streetscape Plan is presented below.

  (Ord. No. PH 2639, § 2, 5-22-2008)