The Coatesville Historic Overlay District is
hereby established in accordance with the following legislative acts:
A. Act No. 167 of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania dated June 13, 1961 (P.L. 282), as amended.
B. Act No. 247, the Municipalities Planning Code, Sections
604(1) and 605(2)(vi), as amended.
The Historic Overlay District has been established
to:
A. Recognize structures and uses within the City which
reflect the cultural, economic, social, political and architectural
history of the City of Coatesville, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
and the United States.
B. Protect historic resources listed on the National
Register of Historic Places as well as those identified locally which
are of historic value to the City of Coatesville.
C. Establish a procedure whereby the historic significance of resources listed in Subsection
B above is considered when they are targeted for reconstruction, alteration, restoration, demolition or razing.
D. Mitigate negative effects associated with proposed
changes to historic resources and discourage the unnecessary demolition
of historic resources.
E. Encourage the continued use of historic resources
and facilitate their appropriate reuse.
F. Implement the recommendations of the City of Coatesville
Comprehensive Plan and Open Space, Recreation and Environmental Resources
Plan, as amended.
The Historic Overlay District shall include
the following historic resources, as classified below:
A. Class I. Any structure or use listed individually
as a National Landmarks or on the National Register of Historic Places,
including but not limited to the following:
(2) Huston, Abram House and Carriage House.
(3) Lukens Main Office Building.
(4) National Bank of Coatesville Building.
B. Class II. Any structure or use which is within a district
listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including but
not limited to the City of Coatesville Historic District.
C. Class III. Any structure or use which is not on the
National Register of Historic Places but is determined to be of significance
to the City of Coatesville and appropriately documented to that effect
by the City of Coatesville Historical Commission.
Chapter
27, Historical Commission, of the City of Coatesville Code contains provisions regulating the membership and duties of the Historical Commission. In addition to the duties prescribed by Chapter
27, Historical Commission, the Historical Commission shall perform the following functions attributed to it for the purposes of administering this chapter:
A. The Historical Commission shall keep on file up-to-date
maps of the following:
(1) The location of historic resources, as defined in
this article; and
(2) The Historic Overlay District, as defined in this
article.
B. The Historical Commission shall make an annual report
to the City Council, which should include, but not be limited to,
an accounting of expenditures, justification for the appropriation
of funds for the upcoming year, a record of actions taken by the Historical
Commission in the preceding year and any recommendations for changes
to this chapter.
C. The Historical Commission shall petition the City Council that defects or repairs of historic resources be undertaken for historic resources, in accordance with §
224-43.
D. In addition, upon specific authorization by the City
Council, the Historical Commission may be empowered to:
(1) Conduct a survey of structures and uses for the purpose
of determining those of historic and architectural significance, pertinent
facts about the structures and uses and any action to be undertaken
in coordination with the Planning Commission, Historical Commission
and any other appropriate groups.
(2) Maintain and periodically revise the detailed listings
of historic resources and data pertaining to the resources, appropriately
classified with respect to national, state or local significance and
to period or field of interest.
(3) Propose revisions to the existing Historic Overlay District, as defined in §§
224-34 and
224-37C.
(4) Cooperate with and enlist assistance from the National
Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission, the Chester County Historical Society,
the Chester County Historic Preservation Office and other agencies,
public and private, concerned with historic structures and uses.
(5) Prepare a design guide, describing colors and materials
which are appropriate within the Historic Overlay District, to assist
property owners or their agents who intend to reconstruct, alter or
restore a historic resource and to provide guidance to the HARB when
reviewing an application. The design guide is subject to approval
from the City Council.
When the City Council has delayed issuance of a building permit for demolition or razing of a historic resource, as prescribed in §
224-40C(5) above, the applicant shall take the following steps during the required sixty-day delay period:
A. Give notice of the approved demolition or razing in the same manner prescribed in §
224-86A.
B. Make a bona fide offer to sell the historic resource
at a price reasonably related to its fair market value to any person,
firm, corporation, government or agency, which gives reasonable assurance
that it is willing to preserve and restore the historic resource.
Prior to making such offer to sell, an owner shall first file a statement
with the Historical Commission, identifying the property, the offering
price and the date the offer to sell shall begin. The sixty-day delay
period shall not begin until such statement has been filed.
C. Demonstrate to the City Council that the requirements
of this section have been met.
The applicant may appeal the denial of the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness or building permit in accordance with the appeals provisions of Article
XVI of this chapter and the Municipalities Planning Code.
When a certificate of appropriateness has been
issued, a copy thereof shall be transmitted to the Zoning Officer,
who shall from time to time, inspect the work approved by such certificate.