Resident input drives proposed overhaul of Historic District Old Town design rules

Shaped by resident feedback during a recent community focus meeting, a series of changes to Fernandina Beach’s Old Town Preservation and Development Guidelines will be reviewed Thursday by the city’s Historic District Council, as the board considers how to clarify design standards, improve consistency in reviews, and better define its own role in the historic district approval process.

The Historic District Council (HDC) will meet at 5 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall to consider the recommendations. The discussion is part of an ongoing effort by city planning staff to update and consolidate the Old Town guidelines, which govern exterior alterations, new construction, site features, and other changes within Fernandina Beach’s historic district

HDC documents for the discussion includes a staff report summarizing feedback gathered during a Jan. 5 outreach meeting with Old Town residents at Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park. According to planning staff, roughly 25 to 30 residents, city staff, and HDC members attended the session, which was designed to solicit direct input on the guideline revision process

Among the most significant concerns raised by residents was a perceived disconnect between how the guidelines are written and how they are interpreted during Historic District Council reviews. Residents said HDC comments and decisions do not always align with the text of the guidelines and expressed confusion about how the guidelines interact with the city’s Land Development Code and building code.

City staff reported participants also voiced concern about inconsistent interpretations of existing standards and questioned whether simply revising the document would resolve those issues. Infrastructure needs in Old Town —including road conditions, stormwater, and street lighting — were also raised, along with broader questions about the neighborhood’s continued designation on the National Register of Historic Places

Based on that feedback, planning staff recommended incorporating several new or expanded elements into the updated guidelines, including clearer rules for pool lighting, materials such as siding and windows, visibility corridors, and peonia and media peonia delineations. Staff also proposed adding a dedicated section explaining the role of the Historic District Council and another section emphasizing the importance of the historic district and the purpose of design guidelines

The outreach recommendations are being considered as part of a larger “Winter 2026 Planning and Conservation” update, which aims to combine the city’s 2013 Old Town Preservation and Development Guidelines with revisions adopted in 2021 into a single, reorganized document

City Planning staff have outlined a comprehensive restructuring of the guidelines, including a clearer explanation of the design review and Certificate of Appropriateness process, expanded historical context, and reorganized sections addressing building rehabilitation, new construction, architectural styles, density and massing, visibility corridors, roofs, windows, porches, parking, landscaping, and commercial buildings.

Several portions of the draft framework explicitly call for further guidance from the Historic District Council and Old Town residents, particularly on issues such as density, scale, grid preservation tolerance, and visibility corridor standards.

The Historic District Council serves as an advisory body responsible for reviewing and approving proposed exterior changes within the city’s designated historic districts. Property owners seeking to alter buildings, construct new structures, or make certain site changes must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness, which is evaluated against the adopted design guidelines.

Old Town is the oldest platted area of Fernandina Beach and is defined by a compact, walkable boundary laid out under Spanish colonial planning principles.

While the HDC does not enact ordinances, its interpretation of the guidelines has a significant impact on development outcomes in Old Town. Planning staff noted that resident feedback highlighted the need for clearer expectations — both for applicants and for the council itself — prompting the recommendation to more explicitly define the HDC’s role within the updated document.