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EXHIBIT <br />CHAPTER <br />43 <br />DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR <br />COLORS IN THE OVERLAY DISTRICTS <br />This chapter presents design policies and guide- <br />lines that apply to paint colors. The City of George- <br />town does not have a specific color palette. Paint <br />color changes to single-family and two-family resi- <br />dential properties in the Old Town Overlay District <br />do not require design review. <br />Historic Color Schemes <br />When renovating an historic building, first con- <br />sider returning to the original color scheme, which <br />can be discovered by carefully cutting back paint <br />layers. Accurately determining the original color <br />scheme requires professional help, but one may <br />get a general idea of the colors that were used by <br />scraping back paint layers with a penknife. Since <br />the paint will be faded, moisten it slightly to get a <br />better idea of the original hue. It is not necessary, <br />however, to use the original color schemes of the <br />building. An alternative is to use colors in ways that <br />were typical of the period or architectural style, and <br />with them create a new color scheme. <br />With respect to the treatment of color on individual <br />historic buildings, colors that represent the ap- <br />propriate period of history are preferred, but not <br />necessarily required. Color does not damage the <br />historic materials or alter significant details and <br />can always be changed in the future and thus its <br />application is not as critical as some other design <br />options. <br />Inappropriate applications of color, however, may <br />hinder one's ability to perceive the character of the <br />building's architecture. For example, if a building <br />with jig -saw brackets and moldings is painted solid <br />black, with no contrast between the background <br />and the details, and little opportunity for expression <br />of shadows, the perception of the character of the <br />building may be diminished. <br />......................................: <br />in This Chapter: <br />Color schemes 118 <br />Accent colors 119 <br />When to paint 120 <br />:...................................... <br />This concern for perception of character is more <br />relevant in the context of the Downtown Overlay <br />District, where assemblage of buildings on the <br />street is important to one's perception of the char- <br />acter of the streetscape. In this sense, one building <br />that stands out from the rest with an inappropriate <br />color scheme will impede one's perception of the <br />continuity in the district. For this reason, the city <br />reviews the use of color as part of its consideration <br />of design issues. In general, HARC will consider <br />color on a case-by-case basis, and in context with <br />the building's location. <br />Exhibit D -pg 11 of 18 <br />