Historic preservation commission approves service window at 965 Manitou Avenue

The Manitou Springs Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously July 1 to approve MCAC 2610, allowing replacement of a first-floor window at 965 Manitou Avenue to create a service window.

Aaron Rings, planner and landscape architect for the city, said the property is a contributing resource in the commercial-core historic subdistrict and that the existing display/transom features are not listed as contributing elements. "The proposal is the replacement of one first-floor window for the purposes of meeting the requirements for a service window," Rings said.

The applicant was not present. During public comment, John French said he was concerned that a white vinyl sliding window would be out of character and urged the commission to prefer a configuration that matches the historic look. "Vinyl almost always comes in white," French said, adding he preferred the double-hung option rather than a sliding sash.

Vice Chair Matthew Murphy and other commissioners questioned materials and consistency with adjacent street-facing windows. Staff noted the packet included two vendor options: a Pella sliding vinyl block-frame and a clad pine double-opening unit; the double-opening unit was shown as clad pine in the specifications. Commissioners favored the double-hung, wood-clad style as more historically consistent and moved to approve the case "as proposed" while specifying the double-hung specification shown in the packet.

The commission closed the public hearing and recorded a 4–0 vote in favor of MCAC 2610. The decision includes the selection of the double-hung option per the staff packet; no additional staff conditions were specified in the motion.

Next steps: the decision is final unless appealed through the city clerk’s office within 10 days.