A. 
Before the construction, alteration, reconstruction, moving or demolition of any structure within a designated historic district and before any changes take place which would affect either the exterior appearance of a structure or its related environment within the voluntary designated historic district, a part of which is visible or intended to be visible from a public way, the person proposing to make changes shall file with the HDC an application for an historic area work permit to build, alter, reconstruct, move or demolish.
B. 
Every such application shall be referred to and considered by the Historic District Commission and accepted or rejected by the Commission. Each application shall include all necessary data required by the rules of the HDC. No historic area work permit for any such change may be granted until the HDC has acted thereon as hereinafter provided.
A. 
In reviewing the plans for any such construction or change the HDC shall give consideration to:
(1) 
The effect of the proposed changes on the general character of the designated historic district, weighing their impacts on the integrity of both structures and the related environment; and
(2) 
The historic and aesthetic appropriateness of new design proposals for historically significant structures.
B. 
In judging the compatibility of proposed changes to the buildings and environments of historic districts the HDC shall rely on the objective standards set forth in the Secretary of the Interior's guidelines and, in addition, may consider any pertinent factors relevant to the case but not specifically addressed in the Secretary's guidelines.
C. 
The HDC shall consider only exterior features of a structure and shall not consider any interior arrangements.
D. 
The HDC shall be strict in its judgment of plans for those structures deemed to be valuable according to studies performed for districts of historic or architectural value.
E. 
The HDC shall be lenient in its judgment of plans for structures of little value or for plans involving new construction, unless such plans would seriously impair the historic architectural value of the structures or environment of the designated historic district.
F. 
It is recognized that there are a number of structures within historic districts that are neither architecturally nor historically significant or valuable and that most changes to such structures, including in many cases demolition thereof, would not be detrimental to an historic district but indeed would represent improvement thereof, which itself is a principal purpose of these regulations. To this end the Princess Anne Commission directs that all applications relating to such structures shall be processed expeditiously and without any needless delays.
A. 
Application shall be made to the HDC for permission to undertake any proposed reconstruction or alterations affecting the exterior appearance of a structure, or for the moving or demolition of a structure, within a designated historic district, the preservation of which the HDC deems of unusual importance to the Town of Princess Anne, the state or the nation.
B. 
Unless the HDC is satisfied that the proposed work or changes will not materially impair the historic or architectural value of the structure, the HDC shall reject the application, filing a copy of its rejection with the Planning and Zoning Commission.
C. 
Prior to any such rejection, the HDC shall attempt, with the owner of the structure, to formulate an economically feasible plan for its preservation.
D. 
Should the HDC conclude that no economically feasible plan can be formulated, it shall have 90 days from the time it concludes to negotiate further with the owner and other parties in an effort to find a means of preserving the building or structure.
A. 
In the case of a structure within an historic district deemed to be valuable for the period architecture it represents and important to the neighborhood within which it exists, the HDC may approve the proposed reconstruction, demolition or alteration despite the fact that changes come within the provisions of § 88-9C only if every possible alternative has been explored to prevent a destructive measure and if:
(1) 
The structure is a deterrent to a major improvement program which will be of substantial benefit to the Town;
(2) 
Retention of the structure would cause undue financial hardship to the owner; or
(3) 
The retention of the structure would not be in the best interest of a majority of persons in the community.
B. 
In cases where all other measures have failed, the HDC shall have the authority and opportunity to initiate or facilitate last resort means to save an historic structure, such as acquiring and/or moving it to an appropriate new site, and when state or federal agencies are involved in proposals which will result in destructive measures, the HDC shall have the authority to call on the Maryland Historical Trust to initiate state and federal review of such proposals, provided that the HDC shall have no more than 90 days from the time it concludes all other measures fail to conclude its efforts of last resort, unless the applicant shall agree to any further extension of time.
A. 
The HDC shall file with the Code Enforcement Officer a certificate of its approval, modification or rejection of all applications and plans submitted to it for review. The HDC shall set forth, in writing, its reason for approval or rejection of an application.
B. 
Work shall not be commenced on any such project until such certificate of approval has been filed.
C. 
In the case of rejection, such certificate shall be binding on the Code Enforcement Officer, and no building permit for such change or construction shall be issued.
D. 
The failure of the HDC to act upon a pending application within 45 days from the date application was filed shall be deemed to constitute automatic approval of the proposed change, unless an extension of this forty-five-day period is agreed upon mutually by the applicant and the HDC.