It is the intent of this article to promote
the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the Town
through the preservation and protection of buildings, places and districts
of historic interest within the Town; and to preserve and protect
the many architectural phases of a Connecticut River Community on
continual growth from the year 1964.
All powers of the Town Zoning Commission and
the Town Zoning Board of Appeals having to do with the use of land
within the historic district shall not be impaired by this article.
There is created a historic district within
the Town.
The boundaries of the historic district shall
be as follows: Commencing at a point which is the intersection of
the easterly line of the right-of-way of the New York, New Haven and
Hartford Railroad and the southerly line of the Wilbur Cross Highway;
thence southerly along said easterly line of the right-of-way of the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company to the intersection
of said line with a line parallel to and 150 feet west of the westerly
line of Middletown Avenue; thence southerly along said parallel line
to its intersection with the Wethersfield-Rocky Hill Town line; thence
easterly along the Wethersfield-Rocky Hill Town line to the intersection
of said line with a line parallel to and 200 feet east of the easterly
line of Middletown Avenue; thence northerly along said parallel line
to its intersection with the northerly line of the extension of Maple
Street constituting the approach to the Putnam Memorial Bridge; thence
easterly along said northerly line of the extension of Maple Street
constituting the approach to the Putnam Memorial Bridge to the intersection
of said line with the westerly line of Interstate 91; thence northerly
along the westerly line of Interstate 91 to the Wethersfield-Hartford
city line; thence westerly along the Wethersfield-Hartford city line
to the intersection of said line with the easterly line of the Wilbur
Cross Highway; thence southerly and westerly along the Wilbur Cross
Highway to the point of beginning.
The Commission shall prepare a plan of appropriateness
and protection for the historic district as a standard by which to
determine the appropriateness of historic architectural features of
any new building or of any modification of existing buildings within
the district. The plan shall comprehend construction materials and
architectural arrangements considered appropriate for the district,
to be illustrative but not necessarily comprehensive or extensive
and to serve as a general guide for the information of persons contemplating
work involving historic architectural features within the district.
There is created a Historic District Commission
of five members and three alternates who shall be electors of the
Town holding no public office and who shall be empowered to perform
all functions appointed to them by Sections 7-147a through 7-147h
of the General Statutes. Members and alternate members of the Historic
District Commission shall be appointed by the Council.
The initial appointments of members of the Commission
and alternate members shall be made in such manner that the term of
at least one member shall expire each year. Within the month of July
each year, the Commission shall elect from its own number a Chairman,
Vice Chairman and Clerk.
The Historic District Commission shall administer
the provisions of Sections 7-147a through 7-147h of the General Statutes
as implemented by this article within the limits of the appropriation
made by the Council and the budgetary allocation made by the Manager.
The clerical, technical and consulting services necessary to the work
of the Commission shall be provided by the Department of Public Works.
The Commission may adopt rules of procedure, regulations and orders which it deems necessary to carry out the intent of Sections 7-147a through 7-147h of the General Statutes and the intent expressed in §
10-41 above.
[Amended 6-18-1990]
All work on any type of structure which would
change the appearance of any property within the Historic District
when viewed from the street line shall not be begun until the property
owner has filed an application with the Building Inspector and has
received a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic District
Commission. For the purposes of this article, the Building Inspector
shall require the applicant to provide such information on those forms
devised by the Historic District Commission as may be adopted or modified
from time to time by the Commission. Prior to considering each application
for a certificate of appropriateness, the Commission shall set a date
for a public hearing to be held within 45 days of receipt of the application.
Notice of the time and place of said hearing shall be given by publication
in the form of a legal advertisement appearing in a newspaper having
substantial circulation in the municipality at least seven days before
such hearing. Within 65 days of the filing of an application, the
Commission shall pass upon such application and shall give written
notice of its decision to the applicant. Failure to act within the
65 days shall constitute approval of the application. All hearings
and all meetings of the Commission at which decisions are made shall
be open to the public.