Historic districts and individual landmarks are regulated through the City of Columbia’s zoning ordinance—the Unified Development Ordinance—utilizing zoning overlay districts. This means that each landmark/property in a historic district has a base zoning which regulates items such as lot coverage, setbacks, use, etc. with an additional layer which is designed to preserve historic structures. Historic districts and landmarks each have their own review standards or guidelines with which work must comply. You can find these guidelines on the Historic Districts and Historic Landmarks pages, and contact the appropriate historic preservation staff person here.

OV-HP is the abbreviation for the Historic Preservation and Individual Landmark District overlay in the Unified Development Ordinance.

• Learn more about historic districts here.
• Learn more about landmarks here.

The City Information Viewer Interactive Online Map provides citizens with all sorts of information, which includes if a property is located in a zoning overlay district. Upon accessing the viewer, users can either scroll to the property of interest, or search by address or TMS number to zoom to the property.  To search for zoning overlays, you will need to expand the “Zoning” item in the table of contents on the left-hand side of the map, and check the boxes by “Historic Preservation Overlays” and “Design Overlays.”  Some properties may be located in both types of overlays, so it is important to click on the property within the map, and use the pop-up window to determine whether the property is located in an overlay (located under “Land Use Information” in the pop-up. Please note that there may be multiple windows within the pop-up; if so, you can use the triangular icon in the upper right-hand corner of the pop-up window to toggle between the windows. You can also watch this instructional YouTube video for directions on using the online map.

In historic districts, what activities are reviewed is determined by district guidelines.  Guidelines are developed in consultation with neighborhoods as part of establishing historic districts. Each set of district guidelines/review standards includes information about what is reviewed in the district.

For individual landmarks, activities that are reviewed are set forth as part of the UDO, in Section 17-2.5(g)(6).

It is always strongly encouraged to reach out to staff regarding projects as early as possible. Find the contact information for the staff person for your district here.

The D/DRC is the City’s quasi-judicial architectural review board that reviews projects in historic and urban design overlay districts. The D/DRC meets on the third Thursday of each month to review projects and application deadlines are typically about one month prior to the meeting.

We strongly recommend reaching out to staff prior to submitting an application for review (please note that a pre-application meeting may be required for certain projects).

You can find the application packet, and calendar of deadlines included in the application packet, on the D/DRC Application page.

D/DRC meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Meetings are typically held in Council Chambers on the third floor of City Hall (1737 Main Street) and begin at 4PM. The meeting is broken up into two portions: the consent agenda and regular agenda. D/DRC agendas are posted online prior to each meeting here.

The consent agenda is utilized for the D/DRC to review routine or compliant matters with one motion and vote. Projects on the consent agenda are presented as a group and do not require presentation by the applicant. Members of the public or the Commission may request that an item be removed from the consent agenda – when this happens, it is generally to provide public comment, or for Commission members to ask questions regarding a case.

• The second portion of the meeting is the regular agenda, further divided by urban design and historic preservation projects.
  Urban design projects are typically presented first, followed by historic districts.
• During presentations for projects on the regular agenda, staff will begin by introducing the history of the project, applicable guidelines, and staff recommendation. Following this, the applicant will have 10 minutes to present, including any representatives for the project such as architects, engineers, contractors, etc. Following the applicant’s presentation and questions from commissioners, the floor is opened to members of the public who have two minutes to comment. Applicants may respond and are limited to a five-minute presentation. When they are ready, the chair will close the floor and allow for discussion by the commissioners. The D/DRC then makes a motion regarding the case and a vote taken. If projects are approved or approved with conditions, the applicant may proceed to the permitting process, provided they meet the necessary conditions for approval. Projects that are deferred will be rescheduled for a future, regularly scheduled D/DRC meeting.

The Community Character Overlay District (OV-CC) is a separate zoning district which is applied to individual Community Character Areas throughout the City where the community has asked for them. Community Character areas are not historic districts, but basic review is provided: the D/DRC reviews proposals for demolition and the Zoning Division reviews new construction on newly subdivided lots for general compatibility with the neighborhood. The OV-CC standards do not regulate or provide guidance for new construction on existing lots, does not ensure renovations are in keeping with the neighborhood’s character, and does not prevent the demolition of properties less than 50 years old.

You can also view the OV-CC overlays using the City Information Viewer Online Map (directions in “how do I know if my property is in the OV-HP Overlay District” above).

We always recommend that you reach out to staff if you are interested in pursuing historic designation of any kind. However, you can find details about historic district designation here and individual landmark designation here.