[Added 10-15-2018 by Ord.
No. 184]
A. Establishment. There is hereby established a commission to be named
the "West Vincent Township Historical Commission."
B. Membership. The West Vincent Township Historical Commission shall
consist of a minimum of five members appointed by the Board of Supervisors
of the Township of West Vincent. At the inception of the West Vincent
Township Historical Commission, the members' terms shall be staggered
as follows: one member shall serve one year; one member shall serve
two years; one member shall serve three years; one member shall serve
four years; and one member shall serve five years. Thereafter, the
terms shall be for five years. The Supervisors shall fill a vacancy
for the duration of an unexpired term.
C. Organization. The West Vincent Township Historical Commission members
shall elect annually a Chairman, who will direct the activities of
the Commission, a Vice Chairman and a Secretary. A majority of the
current members shall constitute a quorum.
D. Meetings and records. Public meetings will be held on a regular basis
to conduct the business of the West Vincent Township Historical Commission.
An agenda of each public meeting shall be available for inspection
prior to the meeting. The West Vincent Township Historical Commission
shall keep records of its meetings and activities and submit copies
of meeting minutes no later than 30 days from the meeting date. The
West Vincent Township Historical Commission will submit an annual
report to the Board of Supervisors in the first quarter of the year.
E. Compensation. The members of the West Vincent Township Historical
Commission shall serve without compensation, although they may be
reimbursed for expenses necessary to carry out the objectives of the
West Vincent Township Historical Commission, when those expenses are
deemed necessary and appropriate and approved by the Board of Supervisors
in advance of such expenditures.
F. Appropriations. The Board of Supervisors may appropriate from the
general Township funds such funds as may be necessary and available
for the work of the West Vincent Township Historical Commission in
the year for which the appropriation is made. Within the limits of
such funds, the West Vincent Township Historical Commission may employ
staff or contract for clerical, consulting or other technical services.
Aside from such appropriations, the West Vincent Township Historical
Commission may request the assistance of Township staff and consultants
when appropriate.
G. Responsibilities. The West Vincent Township Historical Commission
shall serve in an advisory capacity on issues related to historic
preservation and shall have the following duties and responsibilities
in furthering the purposes of this article:
(1)
Maintain a system for the survey, inventory and photographic
documentation of historic resources in the Township that clearly identifies
historic resources and their respective categories for inclusion on
the Historic Site Inventory and Historic Resources Map of this chapter.
(2)
Make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors concerning
revisions to the Historic Site Inventory and Historic Resources Map.
(3)
Conduct research on historic resources, provide information
on historic resources to the Chester County Planning Commission and
Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, and propose the nomination
of historic resources for inclusion on the National Register of Historic
Places and other appropriate lists or programs.
(4)
Photograph and/or otherwise document ongoing changes to the
Township's physical landscape.
(5)
Maintain a close working relationship with other Township boards
and commissions and advise them on issues related to historic resources
and landscapes.
(6)
Review and advise the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors on subdivision and land development applications that affect historic resources and landscapes in accordance with the requirements and procedures of Chapter
315, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Township's Code and this chapter.
(7)
Review and comment on historic resource impact studies prepared in accordance with §
390-195 of this chapter.
(8)
Advise the Zoning Hearing Board and Board of Supervisors on
all requests for special exceptions, conditional uses, or variances
affecting historic resources and landscapes.
(9)
Advise the Zoning Officer and/or Board of Supervisors on the
issuance of permits for special use provisions, relocation, demolition
and actions relative to demolition by neglect with regard to historic
resources.
(10)
Establish a library of technical literature, reports, photographs
and other documents relevant to history and historic preservation
in the Township of West Vincent.
(11)
Undertake and/or support educational and interpretive programming
and publications on the history of the Township of West Vincent and
its historic resources and landscapes on a regular basis.
(12)
Promote the appropriate treatment of historic resources on properties
within the Township of West Vincent and provide information, advice
and/or technical assistance on historic preservation to property owners
to the extent possible.
(13)
Consider, promote and, with the approval of the Board of Supervisors,
apply for technical and financial assistance from appropriate local,
Township, county, state, federal, and other agencies and conservation
and environmental organizations in connection with the preservation
of significant architecture, natural and historic sites within the
Township, and report all related action to the Board of Supervisors.
(14)
Perform any other lawful activities that shall be deemed necessary
to further the purposes of this article.
H. Removal of members. The Board of Supervisors may, after a duly advertised
public hearing, remove any members of the West Vincent Township Historical
Commission from office for reasons such as: inefficiency, neglect
of duty, change of residence, absence, malfeasance in office or conflict
of interest.
Relocation should be considered as the least favored alternative
for preservation of a historic resource but preferable to demolition.
In the case of a building permit application for the proposed relocation
of a historic building or structure, the Historical Commission shall
review the application and forward a recommendation to the Zoning
Officer based on the following considerations:
A. Whether or not the proposed relocation will have a detrimental effect
on the long-term structural integrity of the building or structure;
B. Whether or not the proposed relocation will have a detrimental effect
on the historic, architectural or archaeological aspects of the other
buildings, structures or sites adjacent to the resource. Assessment
of the archaeological impact shall be made in conjunction with the
archaeologist from the Bureau for Historic Preservation of the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission.
C. Whether or not the proposed relocation will provide an environment
that will be a compatible cultural landscape; that is, one harmonious
with the historic and/or architectural aspects of the building or
structure; and
D. Whether or not the proposed relocation will further the achievement of the purposes described in §
390-185 above.
The Township recognizes that among its resources are unique
historic features which require special techniques or incentives to
achieve the preservation of both the historic buildings and the surrounding
cultural and contextual landscape. Many historic properties may also
have sizable outbuildings which cannot be used under the strict interpretation
of the current zoning code. Accordingly, the following techniques
are to encourage the reuse and preservation of these identified resources
by sensitive modification and innovative designs:
A. Conversion of a Class I, II or III single-family dwelling. For a
Class I, II or III historic resource property, which was originally
designed and used as a single-family dwelling, an applicant may present
a plan which retains the existing structure and allows for its reuse
by conversion of the existing structure into a multifamily dwelling.
The plan shall be in accordance with the following standards:
(1)
The minimum lot area required by the base zoning district for each dwelling unit may be reduced if authorized as conditional use by the Board of Supervisors, subject to the standards contained in §
390-219 of this chapter and the following supplemental standards:
Number of Bedrooms
|
Density Factor*
|
---|
1
|
0.33
|
2
|
0.67
|
3 or more
|
1.00
|
*
|
Multiplier to be applied to the minimum gross lot area requirement
for the district in which the property is located.
|
(2)
All other applicable provisions of §
390-147 of this chapter shall apply.
(3)
The applicant must show that the property is no longer feasible
or desirable as a single-family dwelling. Documentation may include:
(a)
Existing and proposed floor plans;
(b)
A current real estate appraisal;
(c)
Proof of any attempt to sell the structure as a single-family
dwelling;
(d)
A structural report on the current condition of the structure
and its ability to be converted into a multifamily structure.
B. Conversion/reuse of a Class I, II or III historic resource as an
accessory dwelling unit. Application may be made for the conversion
of historic structures into an accessory dwelling unit in accordance
with the following standards:
(1)
The minimum lot area required by the base zoning district may be reduced if authorized as a conditional use by the Board of Supervisors, subject to the standards contained in §§
390-144 and
390-219 of this chapter.
(2)
All other provisions of §
390-144 of this chapter shall apply.
C. Bed-and-breakfast uses. Where permitted by the base zoning district,
historic resources may be used as a bed-and-breakfast facility in
accordance with the following standards:
(1)
No more than four guest rooms for a maximum of eight guests
shall be permitted.
(2)
One improved off-street parking space per guest bedroom shall
be provided.
D. Home occupations. Where permitted by the base zoning district, historic resources may be used for a home occupation in accordance with §
390-152 of this chapter, except that the maximum habitable floor area of a dwelling unit occupied by the home occupation in accordance with §
390-152C(1) may be increased to 30%.
E. Historic resources within Village Center Residential District or Route 100 Overlay District. Any historic resource located within the Village Center Residential District or the Route 100 Overlay District may be converted or used for any use permitted within the Ludwigs Village Center Commercial District if authorized as a conditional use by the Board of Supervisors, subject to the standards contained in §
390-219 of this chapter and the additional standards of this section.
F. Density bonus. In addition to the maximum number of lots or dwelling units permitted on any tract by the base zoning district provisions, an applicant may be permitted one additional lot or dwelling unit for each historic resource renovated or adaptively reused if authorized as a conditional use by the Board of Supervisors, subject to the standards contained in §
390-219 of this chapter and the additional standards of this section. This density bonus may be implemented by reducing the amount of any required greenway land by up to 10%, reducing the minimum lot area and bulk requirements by up to 10%, or by a combination of these approaches, at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors.
G. General provisions. In addition to the standards contained within
the specific special uses listed above, all special uses permitted
in this section shall comply with the following general standards:
(1)
Any additions, renovations, rehabilitation or improvements to the building shall be in substantial compliance with the rehabilitation standards contained in §
390-194 of this chapter.
(2)
Any additions to the historic resource shall occur only on the
rear facades of the building or the side facades where they will not
cause a major disruption to the original architectural design or historic
character. Authentic period material and colors shall be used on all
facades and any portion of the historic structure or addition thereof
visible from any existing or proposed public right-of-way. Appropriate
substitute colors, design or material may occur only upon the approval
of the Board of Supervisors after written recommendation of the Historical
Commission.
(3)
All plans for conversions shall be reviewed by the Historical
Commission, which shall submit a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
The goal of this section is to protect the integrity of the
historic setting and context of historic resources in the Township
and significant vegetation or visual resources associated with the
site. Accordingly:
A. Whenever a Class I, II or III historic resource is located within a tract proposed for subdivision or land development, conditional use, special exception or variance, a landscape plan for the tract shall be required by the Board of Supervisors or Zoning Hearing Board in accordance with the standards contained in §
390-139C of this chapter. The plan shall be submitted to the Historical Commission for review and comment based on the general purposes and objectives of this article.
B. Applicable historic resources (Class I, II and III) shall be protected
from any new detached building through a minimum setback of 150 feet
from the historic resource. This minimum setback requirement may be
reduced at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors if it can be
demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Board of Supervisors that
the historic resource can be adequately protected through existing
or proposed landscaping, topography, architectural controls, or other
features. Additions to historic resources shall be consistent with
the architectural features of the resource where practical.
C. The applicant shall demonstrate preservation of sufficient landscaped
or buffer area surrounding historic structures to retain the integrity
of the historical landscape setting. The applicant shall also demonstrate
mitigation of any impacts to the historical landscape setting through
plans showing the introduction of vegetation or other screening in
harmony with such landscape setting and through retention of view
lines which visually link historic structures to their landscape setting.
D. The plan shall be prepared by a registered landscape architect and
shall strive to minimize the impact of the proposed development on
the resource through screening, buffering, building locations and
orientations, and plant material selection. It shall show all pertinent
information, including the location, sizes and species of all individual
trees and shrubs to be removed, planted or preserved.
E. Visually significant landscapes and visual accents, as defined and
delineated on the Visual Resources Map of the Township Greenway Land
and Recreation Plan, shall be preserved.
F. Provisions of this section shall not be construed to conflict with or override any of the provisions of Chapter
315, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Township's Code. When there is a conflict, the more restrictive of the provisions shall be adhered to.