South Beaumont Historic Overlay District Regulations in Kissimmee

In the City of Kissimmee, the South Beaumont Historic Overlay District modifies base zoning by requiring a Certificate of Appropriateness for nearly all exterior alterations, construction, or demolition, ensuring work complies with specific historic design standards. These overlay-specific standards are the prevailing authority and supersede any conflicting dimensional or bulk requirements in the base zoning districts or the City of Kissimmee Form-Based Code [Section 14-3-35.G]. Furthermore, properties within the South Beaumont Historic Overlay District are subject to affirmative maintenance requirements and a 180-day waiting period for any approved demolition activities [Section 14-3-37.H].

Supremacy of Overlay Standards

The South Beaumont Historic Overlay District serves as a protective layer over standard residential or commercial zoning. When a conflict arises between the base zoning requirements and the specific design standards adopted for the South Beaumont Historic Overlay District, the overlay standards always take precedence.

Standard Type	Base District Rule (Standard)	South Beaumont Overlay Modification
Dimensional & Bulk	Regulated by Tables 4-3, 4-4, or 4-5	Overlay standards supersede base tables [Table 4-3, Note 10]
Form-Based Code	Regulated by Chapter 14-5	Overlay standards prevail in cases of conflict [Section 14-5-3.C]
Site Improvements	Standard permitting process	Requires a Certificate of Appropriateness [Section 14-3-37.A]
Maintenance	General nuisance codes	Mandatory maintenance of specific architectural features [Section 14-3-35.I]

Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) Requirements

The most significant modification to the base zoning in the South Beaumont Historic Overlay District is the requirement for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). No new structure may be built, and no existing structure may be altered, restored, moved, or demolished without this approval [Section 14-3-37.A].

Minor vs. Major Review

The City of Kissimmee categorizes COA applications into two tiers:

Minor Review: Conducted by the historic preservation planner for items with minimal impact, such as fences, gates, awnings, garage doors, and the replacement of materials with "like-for-like" siding, roofing, or walkways [Section 14-3-37.D.2].
Major Review: Requires a formal recommendation from the City of Kissimmee department and a public hearing before the Historic Preservation Board (HPB). This applies to any work not explicitly listed as a minor review [Section 14-3-37.D.3].

Mandatory Maintenance and Repair

Unlike standard zoning districts where maintenance is often reactive to nuisances, the South Beaumont Historic Overlay District imposes an affirmative duty on owners to prevent the deterioration of historic assets. The City of Kissimmee prohibits owners from allowing structures to fall into a state of disrepair that impacts structural integrity or historic significance [Section 14-3-35.I].

Specific items that must be maintained include:

Exterior walls and vertical supports.
Roofs and horizontal members.
Exterior chimneys.
Exterior finish materials (stucco, shingles, paint, or mortar).
Water-proofing (including windows and doors).
Architectural features contributing to historic significance [Section 14-3-35.I].

Demolition and Relocation Restrictions

The South Beaumont Historic Overlay District significantly restricts the ability to remove structures compared to base zoning districts.

180-Day Waiting Period

If the City of Kissimmee approves a COA for the demolition or relocation of a structure that is at least 50 years old or is a designated landmark, a mandatory 180-day waiting period is triggered. This period allows the Historic Preservation Board to work with the owner to find alternative means of preserving the structure, such as acquisition by gift or purchase [Section 14-3-37.H.3].

Criteria for Demolition Approval

When reviewing a request to modify the base right to demolish a structure, the City of Kissimmee considers:

The historical significance of the structure.
The difficulty or impossibility of reproducing such a structure.
The reasonable measures that can be taken to save the structure from further deterioration.
Whether the denial of the COA will result in an "Economic Hardship" where the property can no longer realize a beneficial use [Section 14-3-37.H.6-8].

Sections Cited

Section 14-3-35: Designation of historic districts
Section 14-3-37: Certificate of appropriateness
Section 14-5-3: Special requirements plan
Table 4-3: Site Standards - Residential Districts