GUIDELINES FOR STREETSCAPE AND FOR REMOVING BUILDINGS · repaired, match adjacent materi-als (except for modern concrete) in design, color, texture, and tooling. Avoid extensive variation

SMITHFIELD HISTORIC DISTRICT GUIDELINES 99

GUIDELINES FOR STREETSCAPE AND FOR REMOVING BUILDINGS

XIStreetscape

1. Retain the historic brick pavingon Jericho Road.

2. Make street paving consistentthroughout the district. Avoidthe cosmetic patching of surfaceswhen more substantial repair isneeded.

3. Avoid widening existing streetswithout providing sidewalks,street trees, and other elementsthat maintain the street wall andemphasize the human scale.

4. Avoid paving over areas thatcould be used for landscaping.

5. Continue using brick-lined cross-walks at key intersections orcrossings.

Brick crosswalks highlight pedestrian streetcrossings and continue the vocabulary of thesidewalks on Main Street.

Retain and repair historic street paving such as found on Jericho Road.

A. Street Paving

100 SMITHFIELD HISTORIC DISTRICT GUIDELINES


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1. Retain historic paving, such asthe stretch of brick sidewalk onEast Main Street.

2. When sidewalks must berepaired, match adjacent materi-als (except for modern concrete)in design, color, texture, andtooling. Avoid extensive variationin sidewalk and curb materials.

3. When sidewalks need replace-ment, use a paving unit such asbrick or exposed concrete aggre-gate that relates to the scale ofthe district. Curbs likewiseshould be a material such asstone or exposed concrete aggre-gate. Avoid pouring concrete incontinuous strips.

4. Maintain a distinction betweensidewalks and streets. Avoidpaving sidewalks with asphaltand try to retain the curb strip.

5. Avoid excessive curb cuts forvehicular access across pedestrianways; where curb cuts are neces-sary, mark them with a change inmaterials, color, texture, or grade.

6. Avoid blocking the sidewalk withtoo many street furniture ele-ments and remove obsolete signsand poles.

The patterned brick sidewalk is separated fromthe busy street by a curb planting strip.

The brick-paved Hayden’s Lane connects the downtowncommercial district to a residential subarea.

B. Pedestrian Walks and Curbs



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1. Maintain existing landscaping,especially indigenous species likecrape myrtle. Plantings are espe-cially appropriate in medians andcurb strips.

2. Replace damaged or missingstreet trees with appropriatespecies. Use indigenous andhardy species that require mini-mal maintenance. For example,to retain the tree-shaded atmos-phere of South Church Street,replacement trees should be oflike species that will mature to acomparable size.

3. Continue the installation oflandscaping, including trees, inareas like medians, divider strips,and traffic islands. Site plantingsso that they are protected frompedestrian and vehicular traffic,do not block views of storefronts,and meet traffic-safety standardsof the Virginia Department ofTransportation.

4. Use planters appropriately. Sitethem so that they do not blocknarrow sidewalks and removethem in the winter months whenthey are empty.

5. Do not demolish buildings toprovide open-space areas forplantings.

Street trees and planters provide shade andseasonal color along Main Street.

Some residential areas also have curb stripswith street trees such as these indigenous crapemyrtles.

A bench at the corner of South Church and Cedar streets provides an opportunity forcolorful plantings.

C. Street Trees and Plantings



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1. Expand the use of pedestrian-scaled, historically styled lightfixtures replacing the currentwooden poles and cobra-headlight fixtures.

2. Provide adequate lighting at criti-cal areas of pedestrian/vehicularconflict such as parking lots,alleys, and crosswalks.

3. Encourage selective eveninglighting in the downtown.

• Consider special lighting of keylandmarks and facades, such asthe courthouse.

• Encourage merchants to leavetheir display window lights on inthe evening to provide extra illu-mination and visual interest atthe sidewalk level.

4. Keep to a minimum the numberof styles of light fixtures andlight sources used in the district.

5. Provide outlets on light standardsfor seasonal lighting and bracketsfor hanging banners and decora-tions for special events.

Consistent use of historically styles light fixturesties the streetscape together and provides anatural location for street signs.

The same fixtures also provide a location forseasonal banners.

1. Continue the installation oftraffic signals on poles that areplaced beside the street and arecompatible with the pedestrian-scaled light fixtures.

Traffic signals echo the historically styled light fixtures.

D. Lighting

E. Traffic and PedestrianSignals



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Traditionally styled metal trash containers areplaced in appropriate locations in Smithfield’shistoric business district.

This historically styled bench is located near apublic gathering space.

1. Place benches at key locations inthe district. Use traditionaldesigns constructed of woodand/or cast iron.

2. Attempt to make street furnituresuch as newspaper boxes, tele-phone booths, bicycle racks,drinking fountains, planters, andbollards compatible in design,color, and materials with existingelements.

3. Avoid placing too many elementson narrow sidewalks.

F. Street Furniture



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The placement of utilities underground on Main Street highlights the architecture and results in anuncluttered view of the district.

1. Place utilities underground orlocate behind buildings. Screensurface equipment.

2. Place necessary utilities such astransformers and overhead wiresso that they are as visually unob-trusive as possible.

G. Utilities



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1. Consider using the town logowhen developing new publicsignage in the district. Useappropriate standards of design,color, and lettering styles.

2. Place entry signs directing visi-tors to the historic commercialdistrict on major highways andstreets leading to the downtown.

3. Continue installing plaques orsigns commemorating significantevents, buildings, and individualsin the district.

4. Avoid placing sign posts inlocations where they caninterfere with the opening ofvehicle doors.

5. Continue the use of oval streetsigns throughout the district andin any future district expansion.

This mounted sign provides an audio-visualaccount of a portion of Smithfield’s history.

Street signs mounted on traditionally styledpoles define streets in the historic district.

H. Public Signs

Parking areas in the historic district should be screened from the right-of-way and identified with acohesive signage system.

1. Avoid demolishing buildings forparking lots or garages.

2. Avoid constructing parking lotsthat do not reinforce the existingstreet wall of buildings and thegrid system of rectangular blocks.

3. Screen parking lots from streetsand sidewalks with trees andlandscaping and include interiorplanting islands to provide shadeand visual relief from largeexpanses of asphalt.

4. Provide water in parking lots forplanting maintenance.

5. Provide adequate lighting to pro-vide security in evening hours.

6. Designate special parking areaswithin the lots for motorcyclesand bicycles.

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I. Parking Facilities

Documents

GUIDELINES FOR STREETSCAPE AND FOR REMOVING BUILDINGS · repaired, match adjacent materi-als (except for modern concrete) in design, color, texture, and tooling. Avoid extensive variation