There is hereby created the office of the COA Administrator charged with the administration and enforcement of this chapter. The COA Administrator shall serve at the discretion of the Council and may hold additional nonelective Newtown Borough positions in accordance with applicable law.
A.
The COA Administrator shall receive all applications for a certificate of appropriateness. Upon receipt of a completed application for a certificate of appropriateness, the COA Administrator shall:
[Amended 1-11-2022 by Ord. No. 786]
(1)
Review the application to determine whether it includes demolition and must therefore be reviewed by the Joint Historic Commission ("JHC") before being scheduled for HARB review;
(2)
Submit the application to the Zoning Officer to determine whether it complies with Chapter 550, Zoning, and Chapter 486, Subdivision and Land Development, and, if not, must therefore be reviewed by the Zoning Hearing Board ("ZHB") for variances and special exceptions, and/or Borough Council for conditional uses and waivers before being scheduled for review by the HARB;
(3)
Inform the applicant of the need for prior review by the JHC, the ZHB, or Borough Council, as well as specific requirements for the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness, including application procedures and materials to be submitted as set forth herein;
(4)
Once any required reviews by the JHC, the ZHB, and/or Borough Council have been completed and all issues resolved in compliance with § 550-58, schedule the application for review by the HARB and inform the applicant of the time and place of the HARB meeting at which the applicant may appear to explain the application;
(5)
Forward the application, together with copies of all documents and materials filed by the applicant, to all HARB members for review;
(6)
Maintain a record of all applications and final dispositions of the same, which shall be in addition to and appropriately cross-referenced to other records; and
(7)
Require applicants to submit a sufficient number of additional copies of material required to be attached to a completed application so that the information needed to make the determinations required under this chapter will be available.
B.
The COA Administrator shall issue a certificate of appropriateness for the construction, alteration, restoration, demolition or razing of a building, structure or sign in the Historic District only after the Council has approved or conditionally approved a certificate of appropriateness. Upon receipt of a written denial by the Council, the COA Administrator shall deny the application for certificate of appropriateness and so advise the applicant in the manner required in this chapter.
C.
The COA Administrator shall have the power to enforce this chapter according to the provisions of Article X of this chapter.
D.
The COA Administrator shall, from time to time, inspect the work approved by a certificate of appropriateness. All work not in accordance with such certificate of appropriateness shall be subject to the enforcement provisions of Article X of this chapter.
E.
If the Building Inspector issues a building permit without a certificate of appropriateness due to an administrative or clerical error, the building permit shall be void. The COA Administrator shall have the power to withdraw any such building permit.