Historic overlay district
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A historic overlay district is a layer of local planning regulation in the United States which incorporates the restrictions of the underlying zoning for a given geographic area, with the main goal of preserving the historic character of the neighborhood.
Historic overlay districts have been increasingly used as a more flexible tool for municipal historic regulation since their inception in the mid-twentieth century. Courts in all 50 states have generally upheld the powers of municipal governments to regulate property by use of overlay districts, and courts in many states, as well as the United States Supreme Court have upheld the use of historic overlay districts specifically.[1]
The stated goal of most historic overlay districts is to preserve the overall historic atmosphere and appearance of a neighborhood as a whole, rather than merely spot-lighting specific buildings throughout a generally historic area.[2]