A.
A certificate of appropriateness issued by the Historic
Preservation Commission is required for any of the following:
(1)
New construction of a principal or accessory building
visible from a public street where such building will be located in
a historic district or upon a historic site;
(2)
Demolition of any landmark, building or portion of
any building, including the removal of architectural features from
a historic landmark or a contributing building in a historic district;
(3)
Moving of an historic landmark or any building located
in a historic district;
(4)
Additions, alterations or reconstruction, including
porches and steps of existing buildings within a historic district
or a historic site;
(5)
New signs placed in a historic district or on a historic
site or landmark;
(6)
New construction of walls, fences and parking lots
in a historic district that are visible from a public way; and
(7)
Sandblasting of brick or stone buildings within a
historic district, site or landmark.
A.
Application forms and fees. An application for a certificate
of appropriateness shall be obtained from the Planning Department.
A fee of 5% of the anticipated project costs, but in no event less
than $50 nor more than $500, shall be paid at the time of submission
of the application.
B.
Application procedure. A completed application for a certificate of appropriateness shall be submitted to the Planning Department who shall verify that the requirements of § 181-130 of this Part 5 have been met, date the application and transmit the application to the Historic Preservation Commission for action. If the application is received at least 21 days prior to its next regular meeting, the Commission shall hold a public hearing on that application at that next regular meeting. To accommodate the applicant, the Commission may hold the public hearing at a special meeting at least 21 days after the receipt of an application. Within 31 days following the public hearing, the Commission shall approve the application, approve the application with modification(s), make recommendations for modifications to the application or deny the application. This thirty-one-day period may be extended by mutual written consent of the Commission and the applicant. If the Commission denies a certificate of appropriateness, a new application affecting the same property may be submitted only if substantial change is made in the plans for the proposed work. When the Commission acts on the application, it shall notify the Code Enforcement Officer.
C.
Alternative procedure for review of installation or
alteration of any exterior sign; minor alteration and temporary alterations.
In order to process certificates of appropriateness more efficiently,
applications for minor alterations shall be reviewed by the Code Enforcement
Officer rather than by the Historic Preservation Commission. The Code
Enforcement Officer will review the application to the standards of
this Part 5 and shall approve the application, approve the application
with modifications or deny the application within 15 working days
of receiving the complete application. No public hearings are required
for applications reviewed under this procedure. The Planning Department
shall send a notice to abutters at least 10 days prior to reaching
a decision on the application. If the Code Enforcement Officer has
not acted within 15 working days, the applicant may seek approval
from the Commission, rather than from the Code Enforcement Officer.
Inaction by the Code Enforcement Officer does not constitute approval
or disapproval of the application.
(1)
If the applicant or an abutter is not satisfied with the determination of the Code Enforcement Officer, the applicant or abutter shall be permitted to have the entire application reviewed by the Commission. The Code Enforcement Officer can, for any reason, forward any minor alteration to the Commission for review. The Code Enforcement Officer shall provide the Commission with written notice of any action. Where the Commission conducts a review of an application where the Code Enforcement Officer has made a determination under this subsection, the Commission shall conduct a de novo review of the application and make its own decision and findings on whether the application meets the requirements of this Part 5. The Commission shall conduct its review under the procedures set forth in § 181-137 of this Part 5.
(2)
For purposes of this section only, "temporary" is
defined as either a one-time occurrence that does not exceed 30 days
or as an annual occurrence that does not exceed one thirty-day period
each year.
(3)
"Minor alterations" are defined as incidental changes
or additions to a building or site features which will neither result
in substantial changes to any significant historic features nor obscure
such features. In no event shall any change be deemed minor when,
in the determination of the Code Enforcement Officer, such change
shall alter the historic character of the building or site.
D.
Application contents. The application shall state the location, use and nature of the matter for which such application is sought and shall contain at least the information or documentation outlined in Subsection D(1) through (5) and (6) and/or (7) and (8) of this section. The Commission may waive any application requirement if it determines that it is not necessary to the application.
(1)
The applicant's name, address and interest in the
subject property;
(2)
The owner's name and address, if different from the
applicant's, and the owner's signature;
(3)
The address, tax map and lot number of the subject
property;
(4)
The present use and zoning classification of the subject
property;
(5)
A brief description of the new construction, reconstruction,
alteration, maintenance, demolition or removal requiring the issuance
of the certificate of appropriateness;
(6)
A scale drawing or drawings of the exterior architectural
features indicating the design, texture, and location of any proposed
alteration, reconstruction, maintenance or new construction for which
the certificate of appropriateness is being applied. As used herein,
"drawings" shall mean plans or exterior elevations drawn to scale,
with sufficient detail to show as far as they relate to exterior appearances,
the architectural design of the building(s), including materials and
textures including samples of exterior materials. Drawings shall be
clear, complete and specific;
(7)
Photographs of the buildings may be used to show the information required in Subsection D(6) above if the Code Enforcement Officer and Commission deem them appropriate. They should include the buildings involved and adjacent buildings; and
(8)
A site plan indicating improvements affecting appearance
such as walls, walks, terraces, planting, accessory buildings, signs,
lights and other relevant elements.
