Uptown Facade Board

The Columbus City Council established the Uptown Facade Board (UFB) on October 13, 1987. The UFB's purpose is to adopt and apply standards governing the development, redevelopment, rehabilitation, preservation and maintenance that affects façades of the properties within their jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of the UFB includes the Central Riverfront District (CRD) and the Uptown District (UPT). Columbus Consolidated Government, Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Section 9.2.5.

The Uptown Facade Board has the authority to approve and/or deny a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of any structure within the Uptown Facade District.

Each structure being proposed for demolition should be evaluated for its architectural and historic importance to the site and the district based on the following criteria:

• The importance of the building, structure, site, or object to the abiance of the district.
• The historic, scenic or architectural significance of the building, structure, site, or object.
• Whether there are definite plans for reuse of the property if the proposed demolition is carried out, and what the effect of those plans on the character of the surrounding area would be.
• The difficulty or the impossibility of reproducing such a building, structure, site, or object because of its design, texture, material, detail, or unique location.
• Whether the building, structure, site, or object is one of the last remaining examples of its kind in the District, City, State or the Country.
• Whether reasonable measures can be taken to save the building, structure, site, or object from collapse.

Important Note: Effective July 1, 2016, an application fee will be charged $1,000 for demolitions and/or $150 for board review in the UPT and CRD zoning districts.

Jurisdiction

View the Uptown Facade Board jurisdiction map.

Publications

Document	Download
Uptown Facade Board Application for Certificate of Facade Appropriatness and Check List
Unified Development Ordinance UDO - Unified Development Ordinance for Columbus, GA
Uptown Façade Design Guidelines Uptown Facade Design Guidelines for Columbus, GA
Amendment to Design Guidelines Oct.1, 2012 Chapter 6 - Signage
Amendment to Design Guidelines April 1, 2010 Chapter 3, sec.3.5 - Demolition

"Facade " is defined as the visual portion of a property that faces a public right-of-way. It includes all architectural and construction features (including and without limitation to): structural materials, facing materials, windows, doors, trim, sills, steps, railing, cornices, molding, fences, landscaping and other decorative features.

The voting members of the board are appointed by council for three-year terms. They may serve two consecutive full terms in addition to any unexpired term they may fill. Non-voting members include a Columbus Consolidated Government Planning Department employee who acts as secretary to the board and serves as liaison between citizens and the board members. A Historic Columbus Foundation employee serves as an ex officio board member who provides professional opinions on applications that come before the UFB regarding their alignment with UFB Design Guidelines and Standards.

The UFB holds regular monthly public meetings* on the third (3rd) Monday of each month at 3 PM in the Conference Room at the CCG Annex located at 420 10th Street, Columbus, GA 31901. The board may hold called meetings when necessary. Called meetings are also open to the public.

The deadline for submitting completed applications is at 5 PM on the first (1st) Monday of each month. Applications should be returned to the Planning Department offices on the second floor of the CCG Annex at 420 10th Street, Columbus, GA 31901. For more information, call 706-225-3934.

Application and Meeting Dates

Application Deadlines are the 1st Monday of the month. Meetings are the 3rd Monday of the month.

All regular meetings are held in the ground floor Conference Room of the Columbus Consolidated Government Annex located at 420 10th Street, at 3:00pm.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted to the Planning Department of the Columbus Consolidated Government before 5:00 PM on the deadline date, along with all applicable requirements by the first Monday of the month.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted after the application deadline. If you have questions concerning the completeness of your application, please contact Will Johnson, Planning Division Manager (706) 225-3930. Will can assist in any application review for completeness prior to the Application Deadline.

The applicant or their appointed representative must be present at the Uptown Facade Board meeting. The case will not be heard without a representative present. Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month at 3:00 PM unless otherwise noted or rescheduled due to holidays.

Uptown Facade Board Meetings

1 January's application deadline will be on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 due to the New Year's holiday.
2 January's meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, due to Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
3 September’s application deadline will be on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, due to the Labor Day holiday.