The 600 block of State Street may see exterior renovations to three of its local stores, according to a proposal presented Wednesday to the city's Urban Design Commission.

Michael Schmidt of Arnold and O'Sheridan Inc. proposes to redesign the outer awnings of local retail shop Insignia, poster establishment Fine Posters and Print and the newly opened restaurant Fuddruckers.

"A lot of the façades are made out of wood and they're starting to rot," Schmidt noted, "so we're looking at ripping them out."

In replacement, the awnings — which display each store's name — will be possibly constructed with a "more permanent" material.

Schmidt said another possible solution is to match the store fronts with the existing brick.

Redoing the exteriors, Schmidt said, will help improve the area at the Hawthorne Court and State Street intersection.

Additionally, Fuddruckers is looking into replacing its current storefront with a yellow awning, a staple of the national franchise, according to Schmidt.

After hearing the presentation, committee member Michael Rothbart expressed his approval for the initial presentation.

"[Hawthorne Court] is neglected and it shouldn't be," he said. "It deserves what you're proposing."

Rothbart noted the area is highly populated with pedestrian traffic, as many people use the street to park their bikes or to access University Avenue or the nearby parking ramp.

Some committee members raised questions about making exterior changes to the stores and hoped any changes made will be compatible with guidelines the city places on State Street stores to follow a similar exterior design.

But despite their concerns, the proposal was met with overall approval.

As the proposal was only an initial presentation, the developers will return to future committee meetings in order to gain approval.

Also at Wednesday's meeting, the committee gave unanimous final approval for three residential buildings on the 400 block of West Mifflin Street.

The quick approval did not meet much discussion, as the project's architect, Jim Glueck, noted the construction plan did not have many changes.

According to Glueck, the only major change is to expand the front porch, as a suggestion made previously by Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.

"We wanted to match the traditional Mifflin area," Glueck added. "We've been very traditional with this project. That's what everyone wanted."