Pursuant to authority contained in the Act of June 13, 1961,
P.L. 282, No. 167, as amended (53 P.S. § 8001 et seq.),
there is hereby created an historic district within the Borough of
Tamaqua. This chapter shall be known and made be cited as the "Tamaqua
Borough Historic Preservation Ordinance."
This district is created for the following purposes:
A. Pursuant to Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution,
which states:
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"The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the
preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values
of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the
common property of all the people, including generations yet to come.
As trustees of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and
maintain them for the benefit of all the people."
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B. Now, therefore, it is the purpose and intent of the Borough of Tamaqua
to promote, protect, enhance, perpetuate, and preserve historic districts
for the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the
public through the preservation, protection and regulation of buildings,
structures in areas of historic interest or importance within the
Borough of Tamaqua; to safeguard the heritage of the Borough of Tamaqua
by preserving and regulating historic districts which reflect common
elements of its cultural, social, economic, political and architectural
history; to preserve and enhance the environmental quality of neighborhoods;
to strengthen the Borough's economic base by the stimulation of the
heritage tourism industry; to establish and improve property values;
to foster economic development; to foster civil pride in the beauty
and accomplishments of the Borough of Tamaqua's past; and to preserve
and protect the cultural, historical and architectural assets of the
Borough of Tamaqua for which the Borough of Tamaqua has determined
to be of local, state and national, historical and/or architectural
significance.
For the purpose of this chapter, all words used in the present
tense include the future tense. All words in the plural number include
the singular number and all words in the singular number include the
plural number, unless the natural construction of the word clearly
indicates otherwise. The word "shall" is mandatory. The word "used"
includes "designated, intended, built or arranged to be used."
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
ALTERATION
Any act or process requiring a sign, building, or demolition
permit.
BUILDING
Any enclosed or open structure that is a combination of materials
to form a construction for occupancy and/or use for human or animal
habitation and is permanently affixed to the land, including manufactured
homes.
BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION
The request filed by any person with the Zoning Officer that
seeks authorization to erect signage or erect, alter, reconstruct,
repair, restore, demolish, or raze all or a part of any building or
structure listed in the Tamaqua Borough within an historic district
that requires a certificate of appropriateness.
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
The approval statement signed by the Tamaqua Borough Council
which certifies to the historical appropriateness of a particular
request for the erection of signage or the erection, alteration, reconstruction,
restoration, demolition, or razing of all or a part of any building
or structure within an historic district and authorizes the issuance
of a building permit for said request.
COMPLETED APPLICATION
A completed permit or certificate of appropriateness application
which conforms to the submittal criteria for specific historic preservation
projects, as determined by the Historical Architectural Review Commission
(HARC).
DEMOLITION
The dismantling or tearing down of all or part of any building
and all operations incidental thereto, including neglecting routine
maintenance and repairs which can lead to deterioration and decay.
DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT
The absence of routine maintenance and repair which can lead
to a building's or structure's structural weakness, decay and deterioration
resulting in its demolition.
ERECTION
The result of construction such as a building, structure,
monument, sign or object on the ground or on a structure or building.
RECONSTRUCTION
The act or process of reproducing by new construction the
exact form and detail of a vanished building, structure, or object,
or a part thereof, as it appeared at a specific period of time but
not necessarily of original material.
SIGN/SIGNAGE
Any display, structure, device or object which is affixed
or attached to the building or property which incorporates lettering,
logos, colors, lights or illuminated inert gas tubes visible to the
public from a building or structure, which either conveys a message
to the public, or intends to advertise, direct, invite, announce,
or draw attention to goods, products, services, activities, or facilities,
excluding window displays, merchandise and temporary signs.
[Amended 5-17-2006 by Ord. No. 610]
SIGN, BUILDING OR DEMOLITION PERMIT
An approval statement signed by the Zoning Officer authorizing
signage or the construction, alteration, reconstruction, repair, restoration,
demolition or razing of all or a part of any building listed in the
Tamaqua Borough's Historic Resource Inventory.
STRUCTURE
Anything constructed or erected, having a permanent or semipermanent
location on another structure or in the ground, including, without
limitation, buildings, sheds, manufactured homes, garages, fences,
gazebos, freestanding signs, billboards, antennas, satellite sending
or receiving dishes, vending machines, decks, and swimming pools.
TAMAQUA BOROUGH HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION (HARC)
The agency that advises the Tamaqua Borough Council on any
requests for authorization to erect, alter, reconstruct, repair, restore,
demolish all or part of any building within an historic district.
This agency is the Board of Historical Architectural Review authorized
by the Act of June 13, 1961, P.L. 282, No. 167, § 3 (53
P.S. § 8003).
TEMPORARY SIGNS
A sign that is defined as a temporary sign by the Eastern
Schuylkill Planning (ESP) Region Joint Zoning Ordinance.
[Added 5-17-2006 by Ord.
No. 610; amended at time of adoption of Code (see
Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
ZONING OFFICER
The municipal employee or individual designated by the Borough
of Tamaqua as the individual who issues the permits for the erection
of signage or the erection, alteration, reconstruction, repair, restoration,
demolition or razing of all or a part of any building or structure
within an historic district.
In addition to the above, the HARC shall have the following
powers and duties, but only after specific authorization by the Tamaqua
Borough Council:
A. To conduct a survey of buildings, structures, objects and monuments
for the purpose of determining those of historic and/or architectural
significance and pertinent facts about them; action in coordination
with the Tamaqua Borough Planning Commission, Tamaqua Borough Zoning
Hearing Board, and other appropriate groups and to maintain and periodically
revise the detailed listings (resource inventories) of historic resources
and data about them, appropriately classified with respect to national,
state and local significance in accordance or consistent with the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's "Cultural Resource
Management in Pennsylvania: Guidelines for Historic Resource Surveys."
B. To propose, from time to time as deemed appropriate, the establishment
of additional historic districts and revisions to existing historic
districts.
C. To formulate recommendations concerning the establishment of an appropriate
system of markers for selected historic and/or architectural sites
and buildings, including proposals for the installation and care of
such historic markers.
D. To formulate recommendations concerning the preparation and publication
of maps, brochures and descriptive material about the Tamaqua Borough
historical and/or architectural sites and buildings.
E. To cooperate with and advise the Tamaqua Borough Council in matters
involving historically and/or architecturally significant sites and
buildings (such as appropriate land usage, parking facilities and
signs, as well as adherence to lot dimensional regulations and minimum
structural standards).
F. To cooperate with and enlist assistance from the National Park Service,
the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Pennsylvania,
the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and other agencies,
public and private, from time to time, concerned with the preservation
of historic sites and buildings.
G. To advise owners of historic buildings regarding rehabilitation,
repairs, maintenance method and technologies, adaptive use, economic
and tax incentives and other historic preservation strategies.
H. To promote public interest in the purpose of this chapter by carrying
on educational and public relations programs.
In determining the recommendations to be made to the Tamaqua
Borough Council concerning the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness,
the HARC shall consider only those matters that are pertinent to the
preservation of the historical and/or architectural aspect and nature
of the building, site, area, or district certified to have historical
significance, including the following:
A. Broad historical values representing the cultural, political, economic,
or social history of the Tamaqua Borough.
B. The relationship of the building or structure to historic personages
or events.
C. Significant architectural types representative of certain historical
periods and a style or method of construction.
D. The effect of the proposed change upon the general historical and
architectural nature of the district.
E. The appropriateness of the exterior architectural features which
can be seen from a public street or way.
F. The general design, arrangement, texture, and material of a building
or structure and the relation of such factors to similar features
of buildings or structures in the district. Consideration shall be
given, but not limited, to the following:
(1) Proportion of buildings from facades. Preserving the relationship
between the width of the front of the building and the height of the
front of the building;
(2) Proportion of openings within the building. Preserving the relationship
of width to height of windows and doors;
(3) Rhythms of solids to voids in the front facade. Preserving the relationship
between a recurrent alteration of strong and weak architectural elements
thereby maintaining a rhythm of solids to voids;
(4) Rhythm of spacing of buildings on streets. Preserving the existing
rhythm of recurrent or repeated building masses to spaces between
each building;
(5) Rhythm of entrance and/or porch projections. Preserving the existing
rhythm of entrances or porch projections to maintain a pedestrian
scale;
(6) Relationship of materials. Preserving the predominant materials of
the district, such as brick, stone, stucco, wooding siding, or other
material (other materials may be substituted which do not compromise
the spirit and intent of this chapter);
(7) Relationship of texture. Preserving the predominant textures of the
district which may be smooth, such as stucco or rough such as brick
with tooled joints or horizontal wood siding or other textures;
(8) Relationship of architectural details. Preserving character-defining
features of buildings, such as architectural details, including, but
not limited to, cornices, lintels, arches, quoins, balustrades and
iron work, chimneys, etc.;
(9) Relationship of roof shapes. Preserving compatible roof shapes such
as gable, mansard, hip, flat, gambrel, and/or kinds of roof shapes;
(10)
Walls of continuity. Preserving physical elements which comprise
streetscapes such as brick walls, wrought iron fences, building facades
or combinations of these which form visual continuity and cohesiveness
along the street;
(11)
Directional expression of front elevation. Preserving the orientation
of structural shapes, plan of openings and architectural detail that
reflect a predominantly vertical, or horizontal character to the building's
facade;
(12)
Scale. Preserving the scale of the built environment created
by the size of units of construction and architectural detail that
relate to the size of persons. In addition, preserving building mass
its relation to open space;
(13)
Variations. The HARC may grant variations in a manner that will
be in harmony with the character of other buildings or structures
on the street and/or districts.
G. The height of any new building or structure shall not exceed the
height of the tallest adjacent building or structure by 10%. This
requirement shall also apply to any proposed modifications to existing
buildings or structures.
H. In such rare cases where the HARC recommends and the governing body
approves demolition of an historic building or structure, a good faith
effort shall be made by the Borough of Tamaqua and the owner(s) to
move said building or structure to another site. If moving a building
or structure slated to be demolished is economically or practically
infeasible, efforts shall be made to salvage architectural features
of said building or structure for use within the Tamaqua Borough.
I. Financial feasibility.
(1) The HARC shall consider the financial feasibility of its recommendations
in response to a request for a certificate of appropriateness or building
permit for the erection of signage or the erection, reconstruction,
alteration, and restoration of a building or structure. Financial
feasibility shall be determined by the HARC on the basis of an unreasonable
cost for repair or replacement in-kind of whole or part of a building
or structure.
(2) The applicant shall submit a minimum of three estimates from bona
fide contractors and or vendors substantiating his or her claim that
the financial feasibility of repair in-kind is unreasonable. The Board
shall determine as to the condition of said architectural feature
based on its inspection and photographs or report from the Zoning
Officer. No substitute material shall be approved which is inappropriate,
incompatible, or is destructive or has the potential to be destructive
to the original fabric of the building or structure.
The Zoning Officer shall serve a notice of violation on the
person in violation of this chapter which would result in, but not
be limited to failure to apply for a certificate of appropriateness
or a building permit required for the erection, reconstruction, alteration,
restoration, demolition, demolition by neglect, or razing of any building
or structure which can be seen from a public way; and failure to comply
with the HARC-approved work. Such notice shall direct the abatement
of said violation.
The Zoning Officer or his designated representative shall have
the power to institute any proceedings at law or in equity necessary
for the enforcement of this chapter.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Any person who violates or permits a violation of this chapter
shall, upon being found liable therefor, pay a fine of not more than
$600, plus court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by
the Borough in the enforcement proceedings. If the penalty is not
paid, the Borough shall initiate a civil action for collection in
accordance with the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure. Each day
a violation exists shall constitute a separate offense, and each section
of this chapter that is violated shall also constitute a separate
offense. In addition to or in lieu of enforcement under this section,
the Borough may enforce this chapter in equity in the Court of Common
Pleas of Schuylkill County.
The provisions of this chapter may be amended in the future
by the Tamaqua Borough Council after notice and hearing as provided
by law.
Immediately upon the adoption of this chapter, the Tamaqua Borough
Secretary shall forward a copy thereof to the Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission. This chapter shall not take effect until:
A. The said Commission has certified, by resolution, to the historical
significance of the Tamaqua Borough historical district; and
B. It has been duly advertised once in the newspaper of general circulation
in the Borough of Tamaqua as required by law.