[Adopted 5-19-1975 by Ord. No. 124]
This article is enacted pursuant to §§ 7-147a to 7-147k, inclusive, of the General Statutes, herein sometimes referred to as the "Act."
The purpose of this article is to preserve and protect buildings and places of historic interest, their architecture and settings in Canton Center, recognizing them as landmarks in the history of the Town.
For this purpose there is hereby established the Canton Center Historic District, whose boundaries are fixed and defined as follows:
The southern boundary of the district on the westerly side of Route 179 is defined by the southerly boundary of the Lyle Crowley property, and on the east side of Route 179 by a linear extension of that line. The district extends northerly from this boundary along both sides of Route 179 to Meadow Road, then westerly along both sides of Meadow Road to West Road, then southerly along both sides of West Road and Barbourtown Road to Route 179. The northern boundary of the district on the east side of Route 179 is a line extending perpendicular to Route 179 on the north side of the Samuel Richardson house. On the west side of West Road the northerly boundary is defined by the northerly boundary of the Rodney Pratt property. The district includes all property within 1,000 feet of the center line of the specified sections of the above roads, except as noted below.
Annex No. 1 to the Canton Center Historic District is the Captain John Brown house and grounds now owned by Faith Lindsay on West Road. Annex No. 2 is the Nathaniel Sherman house and property now owned by Robinson Wright on East Mountain Road. The following properties which would otherwise protrude into the district from the rear boundary lines are excluded:
Mildred B. Richardson
Merle and Lawton Miner
Donald and Alta M. Prentice
Ralph and Carolyn Mattson
Laurette Soucy
Darl and Hilda Hood
[Amended 12-14-2011]
An Historic District Commission is hereby established which shall have such powers and limitations and perform such functions as shall be prescribed under the General Statutes and as provided in this article. Said Commission shall consist of five regular members and at least three alternate members, all of whom shall be electors of the Town holding no salaried Town office. The members shall be appointed within 90 days of this date by the Board of Selectmen. At least two regular members and one alternate member shall be residents within the Canton Center Historic District.
[Amended 12-14-2011]
The terms of the original members of the Commission shall be such that the term of at least one regular member and one alternate member shall expire each year. Their successors shall be appointed for terms of four years for regular members and four years for alternate members, except that an appointment to fill a vacancy shall be for the duration of the unexpired term. There shall be interim appointments to run from appointment by the Board of Selectmen until January 1, 1976. The members so appointed shall be eligible to serve on a regular appointment immediately upon termination of the interim appointment.
Within 30 days after appointment of the original members of the Commission, and annually commencing January 1, 1976, the regular members shall meet and elect officers as specified in the Act. Alternate members shall not participate in the vote for election of officers of the Commission.
Said Commission and other Town commissions and offices whose areas of concern may overlap or affect each other shall maintain liaison for information and coordination in matters with which the Commission may be dealing. The Commission shall make reports at least annually.
The Commission shall make known the guidelines which it proposes to follow in passing upon appropriateness. Such guidelines shall not be such as to bind the historic district to any uniform or necessarily traditional style throughout the district but shall look both to the protection of the old and the interest and distinctiveness of this community.
For the purpose of encouraging the interest and drawing on the knowledge of residents of the historic district and apart from the provision in the Act for formal appeals and required public hearings, the Commission shall call meetings with residents of the district when any substantial proportion of the property owners in the district desires such meeting to discuss matters of policy.