A. 
Nominations for historic district designation shall be made to the City Council, with the advice and recommendations of the Commission, on a form to be provided by the City Clerk. A filing fee may be required.
B. 
The following criteria shall be utilized by the Commission in making its recommendations to the City Council and by the City Council in making its decision on nominations for designation of historic districts:
(1) 
The historic district contains one or more landmarks along with such other buildings, places or areas within its definable geographic boundaries which, while not of such historic significance to be designated as landmarks, nevertheless contribute to the overall visual characteristics of the landmark or landmarks located in the district.
(2) 
The district contains a significant number of structures meeting any of the standards of § 187-3.2B.
(3) 
The district establishes a sense of time and place unique to the City of Columbia.
(4) 
The district exemplifies or reflects the cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history of the nation, the state, or the City.
C. 
A preliminary determination as to whether a district or an area meets one or more of the foregoing criteria shall be made within 60 days of the filing of a nomination with the Commission.
A. 
Any person, group of persons, or association, including, but not limited to, the CHPC, may present to the City Council a petition requesting that a defined geographic area be designated as an historic district. The City Clerk shall supply, upon request, the application forms. Completed forms shall be submitted to the City Council, which shall forward them to the Commission for its consideration and recommendations.
(1) 
The petition shall contain the names of no less than 51% of the property owners; or, if leaseholders, with a five-year or longer leasehold interest, are signatories to the petition, then the petition shall contain no less than 51% of the property owners and leaseholders.
(2) 
Upon receipt of the application, the Secretary of the Commission shall schedule a public hearing to be held within 30 days after preliminary approval of the application.
(3) 
Notice of date, time, place, and purpose of the public hearing shall be sent by mail to owners of record and to the nominators as well as to the adjoining property owners, not less than 15 days nor more than 30 days prior to the date of the hearing. A public notice also shall be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the City. The notice shall state the location of the property and include a statement summarizing how the proposed district meets the criteria set forth in § 187-4.1 of this chapter.
(4) 
During the public hearing, the Commission shall review and evaluate the application according to the criteria established by this chapter.
(5) 
If the Commission finds at the time that the application merits further consideration, then the Commission may table the request until its next regularly scheduled meeting.
B. 
A decision shall be made within 30 days following the date of the closing of the public hearing.
(1) 
Following the public hearing, the Secretary of the Commission shall prepare the Commission's evaluation, recommendation, and all available information for submission to the City Council within 30 days.
(2) 
If the Commission decides that the proposed historic district should be designated, it shall do so by a resolution passed by a majority of the Commission.
(3) 
The owners of record shall be notified promptly by a letter containing information of the Commission's decision.
(4) 
A simple majority vote of the City Council is necessary for approval of an historic district designation. If the City Council approves the application for designation, a notice will be sent to the property owner, the Commission, the Building Official, and the City Clerk, and recorded with the County Recorder of Deeds, that the area has been designated as such, and that buildings located within the boundaries of the historic district shall be subject to issuance of certificates of appropriateness. If the City Council denies the petition, no petitioner can refile for historic district designation to the City Council for 90 days.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]