A.
The Board of Trustees of the Village of Northport
finds that:
(1)
Certain buildings, structures and signs in the Village
possess undesirable qualities that include, but are not limited to,
excessive uniformity and excessive dissimilarity; inappropriate scale;
discordant design, materials and/or colors; substandard design and
construction; visual clutter; incompatibility with surrounding uses;
and standardized or formula architecture. These and other aspects
of design may have adverse impacts on the general health, safety,
comfort, character and welfare of the community and on its property
values.
(2)
There exists in the Village places, districts, sites,
buildings, structures, works of art, and other objects that are or
may be deemed landmarks by reason of antiquity or uniqueness of architectural
design or as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics
of the Village, town, county, state or nation. The conservation, protection
and preservation of such landmarks is in harmony with and will promote
the public health, safety and general welfare and will preserve property
values.
B.
In response to the findings in § 13-1A, above, the Board of Trustees hereby declares that the purpose of this chapter is to accomplish:
(1)
The protection and enhancement of the physical and
visual environment of the Village of Northport pursuant to the New
York State Municipal Home Rule Law § 1-(1)(ii)(a)(11);
(2)
The protection, enhancement, perpetuation and use
of places, districts, sites, buildings, structures, works of art,
and other objects having a special character or special historical
or aesthetic interest or value, as authorized by and in accordance
with Article 5, § 96-a of the General Municipal Law of the
State of New York. Regulations, special conditions and restrictions
enacted for this purpose may include appropriate and reasonable control
of the use or appearance of neighboring private property within public
view, or both. It is intended that these regulations shall be reasonable
and appropriate to all of the stated purposes and objectives.
This chapter sets forth procedures to:
A.
Encourage quality exterior building design and design
that preserves, supports and enhances the character and aesthetic
values of the area in which it is located.
B.
Prevent sign clutter and ensure sign legibility.
C.
Limit and mitigate the visual impacts of commercial,
industrial, and institutional development on surrounding residential
uses.
D.
Maintain a diverse mixture of architectural styles,
and permit originality and resourcefulness in building design, that
are regionally and contextually appropriate.
E.
Regulate the use of formulaic and standardized architectural
elements that erode local character and community identity.
F.
Identify, preserve and enhance landmark places, districts,
sites, buildings, structures, works of art, and other objects that
represent distinctive elements of Northport's historic, maritime,
architectural and cultural heritage.
G.
Prevent such design and appearances as are incompatible
with the historic or architectural characteristics of a landmark building,
structure or site, or historic district.
H.
Preserve the integrity of areas and structures which
have been determined to merit special protection by prior designation
of the Village.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Includes the refacing or resurfacing of the exterior facade
of a structure or building in any manner which would substantially
and significantly affect its character and appearance, as well as
an act or process which substantially and significantly changes one
or more of the exterior architectural features of a building or structure.
The term "alteration" shall include the attachment of gates, fences,
bars or other such devices to the windows or exterior facade of a
structure or building.
A structure wholly or partially enclosed within exterior
walls or within exterior or party walls and a roof, affording shelter
to persons, animals or property.
A whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected
or related structures.
The architectural style, design, general arrangement and
components of all of the outer surfaces of any building or structure,
including but not limited to the kind texture, and color of the building
material and the type and style of all windows, doors, lights, ornamentation,
signs and other fixtures appurtenant to said building or structure.
Buildings whose design is based on a corporate prototype
or other standardized architectural design that is used consistently
with little or no variation at many different sites.
Any structure, building, place, or object that meets at least
one of the following criteria:
It is of historic value or aesthetic interest
by reason of its antiquity or uniqueness of architectural design or
as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of
the Village, town, county, state or nation.
It is listed on either the National or the New
York State Register of Historic Places or the equivalent registers,
if any, maintained by the County of Suffolk or the Town of Huntington.
A map to be prepared and maintained by the Department of
Building, Housing and Codes, identifying the location of all landmarks,
landmark sites and historic districts.
A style recognized by one of the following organizations
or by any other organization generally recognized as expert in historical
preservation of buildings, sites and landmarks:
The National Register of Historic Places.
Historic American Buildings Survey.
Historic American Engineering Record, United
States Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
Division for Historic Preservation, New York
State Office of Parks and Recreation.
National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Society of Architectural Historians.
Society for Preservation of Long Island Antiquities.
The application of tax abatement as provided for in the General
Municipal Law, Article 5, § 96-a, as an incentive to assure
the preservation of landmarks or landmark sites, as approved by the
Tax Assessor of the Village of Northport upon direction of the Board
of Trustees.
