Red shutters put HARC color guidelines in the spotlight; item postponed to Aug. 25

Applicant Seth Veil asked the commission for approval to paint newly installed wood shutters red on a contributing structure at 724 Olivia Street. Staff again noted, and showed a staff report and paint chip, that the HARC exterior color guideline lists shutter colors as white, black, gray or dark green and that other red shutters found in the neighborhood appear to lack permits or historic justification.

"Staff did look into those, and we found that none of those really had any building permits," staff member Matthew said. Commissioners said the board has varied from the written palette in past approvals but that approvals worked best when the color "blended well in the neighborhood" and did not create a jarring juxtaposition with the siding color. Commissioner Green said the combination of bright yellow siding and red shutters posed a particular aesthetic problem.

Given concerns about precedent, scale, and the contrast of the proposed colors, the applicant asked for more time to consult with the client. The commission voted unanimously to postpone the item to the August 25 meeting so staff and the applicant could explore toned alternatives and so commissioners could consider whether guideline language should be adjusted.

What happens next: Item 7 returns to HARC on Aug. 25; staff and commissioners signaled interest in a future discussion about relaxing or clarifying the HARC color palette and considering scale when evaluating bold colors.