By Dave Fidlin
Opinions regarding the potential regulation of commercial building exteriors in Whitewater’s downtown retail district have been mixed since members of the city Plan and Architectural Review Commission discussed the color scheme of a proposed coffee shop earlier this month.
Commissioners on Aug. 11 reviewed and acted on proposed modifications to a building at 137 W. Center St. Applicants Rafael and Ana Rodriguez submitted the plans.
While several exterior improvements were approved by commissioners, a contingent of members expressed concerns with the green and orange color scheme proposed by the Rodriguezes.
“We do need to have a holistic approach,” commissioner Sherry Stanek said. “We don’t want to lose our downtown.”
Stanek and other commissioners asserted the color scheme was not complementary to the designs of other buildings in the downtown area.
“I gasped,” Stanek said, recalling when she drove by the property and noticed preliminary painting had already taken place.
The city currently does not have an ordinance on its books that gives elected or appointed bodies the authority to legislate what color a building can be painted.
Several members of the Plan and Architectural Review Commission expressed a desire to look into drafting legal language during the discussion early this month.
At least one organization, Downtown Whitewater Inc., has a different perspective of the issue, however.
“I want it to be very clear that I thought that the city has no right to dictate color for privately owned buildings,” said Dave Saalsaa, president of the board overseeing Downtown Whitewater, in a follow-up email interview this week. “We do not have a historic district, and we never will.”
Saalsaa, owner of Quiet Hut Sports, said the color scheme proposed by the Rodriguezes would not have been his preferred choice. However, Saalsaa said he believed they had the right to choose whatever colors they desired.
Downtown Whitewater, which formed nearly a decade ago, has undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at revitalizing the commercial corridor in the heart of the city. More than 150 community and business members currently contribute to the organization.
Setting it straight
An article in the Aug. 21 edition of the Whitewater Register on the Plan and Architectural Review Commission’s review of building colors in the downtown shopping district incorrectly attributed Sherry Stanek’s comments to fellow commissioner Kristine Zaballos.
Zaballos, vice president of the board overseeing Downtown Whitewater, was not present at the Aug. 11 meeting, when the building color discussion took place. Stanek, who serves as an alternate member of the commission, was present.
Also, a paraphrased remark attributed to Dave Saalsaa, president of Downtown Whitewater, incorrectly stated he did not like the color scheme discussed. Rather, Saalsaa said the color proposed would not have been his preferred choice.
The newspaper’s staff regrets the errors.
