A. 
No building or structure shall be erected, altered, restored, moved, or demolished within a historic district until an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness as to exterior architectural features has been submitted to the Commission and approved by said Commission. The style, material, size, and location of outdoor advertising signs and bill posters, fences and walls, within a historic district shall also be under the control of the Commission.
B. 
As used in the above:
ALTERED
Changed, modified, rebuilt, reconstructed, or enlarged.
BUILDING
A combination of materials forming a shelter for persons, animals, or property.
ERECTED
Constructed, built, or installed.
STRUCTURE
Any materials other than a building, which is affixed to the land, and shall include, but not be limited to, signs, fences, walls, and walkways.
C. 
In addition, no area within a historic district shall be used or expanded for industrial, commercial, business, home, industry, or occupational parking whether or not such area is zoned for such use, until after an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness as to parking has been submitted and approved by the Commission. The provision of this section shall apply to the enlargement or alteration of any such parking area in existence on July 8, 1996.
D. 
Ordinary maintenance or repair of any exterior feature which does not involve a change in design or material may be performed without a Certificate of Appropriateness. In addition, no Certificate is required for work certified by the Building Inspector as immediately necessary for the public safety.
E. 
If a building or structure is to be demolished, no demolition shall occur for 90 days from issuance of a demolition permit if, during such time, the Commission or the Connecticut Historical Commission is attempting to find a purchaser who will retain or remove such building or who will present some other reasonable alternative to demolition. During such ninety-day period, the Borough may abate all real property taxes. At the conclusion of such ninety-day period, the demolition permit shall become effective and the demolition may occur. Nothing in this paragraph shall be constructed to mandate that the owner of such property sell such property, building, or structure.
F. 
No application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for an exterior architectural feature, such as solar energy system, designed for the utilization of renewable resources shall be denied unless the Commission finds that the feature cannot be installed without substantially impairing the historic character and appearance of the district. A Certificate of Appropriateness for such a feature may include stipulations requiring design modifications and limitations of the location of the feature which do not significantly impair its effectiveness.
G. 
No earthworks or site of recognized historic or archeological importance within the boundaries of a historic property shall be altered until after an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness has been submitted to the Commission and approved by the Commission.
H. 
No building permit for erection of a building or structure or for alteration of an exterior architectural feature within the boundaries of a historic property and no demolition permit for the demolition or removal of a building or structure within the boundaries of a historic property shall be issued by any municipal department, agency or official until a Certificate of Appropriateness has been issued whether or not a building permit is required.
I. 
The Commission may request such plans, elevations, specifications, material and other information, including in the case of demolition or removal, a statement of the proposed condition and appearance of property after such demolition or removal, as may be reasonably deemed necessary by the Commission to enable it to make a determination on the application. The style, material, size and location of outdoor advertising signs and bill posters within the boundaries of a historic property shall also be under the control of the Commission. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to extend to the color of paint used on the exterior of any building or structure.
Nothing in these regulations shall be construed to prevent ordinary maintenance or repair which does not involve a change of existing design, exterior materials, scale for general exterior appearance of any structure within the Historic District (see Appendix A[1]), nor shall anything in these regulations be construed to prevent the construction, alteration, repair, moving or demolition of any structure under a permit issued by the Inspector of Buildings prior to the passage of these regulations.
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix A is included at the end of this chapter.
Any changes in the scope of work subsequent to the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness shall require issuance of a new Certificate of Appropriateness for said changes. Failure to complete the work within six months of the date of issue of a Certificate of Appropriateness shall require a renewal of said Certificate unless written authorization from the Commission prior to expiration of a six-month period is issued to the applicant.
A. 
The Commission may afford to an applicant, upon request, informal guidance to assist the applicant in preparing his of her application.
B. 
Such informal guidance shall not constitute a predetermination of the application issues. The applicant, upon request of informal guidance stipulates that said assistance is not a predetermination of the application.