The Commission shall have the following powers and duties:
(A) To make studies of the visual characteristics and problems of the city, including surveys and inventories of an appropriate nature, and to recommend standards and policies of design for the entire area, any portion or neighborhood thereof, or any project to be undertaken;
(B) To initiate, promote and assist in the implementation of programs of general community beautification in the city;
(C) To seek to coordinate the activities of individuals, agencies, and organizations, public and private, whose plans, activities and programs bear upon the appearance of the city;
(D) To provide leadership and guidance in matters of area or community design and appearance to individuals, and to public and private organizations and agencies;
(E) To prepare both general and specific plans for the improved appearance of the city. These plans may include the entire area or any part thereof, and may include private as well as public property. The plans shall set forth desirable standards and goals for the aesthetic enhancement of the city or any part thereof within its area of planning and zoning jurisdiction, including public ways and areas, open spaces, and public and private buildings and projects;
(F) To request from the proper officials of any public agency or body, including agencies of the state and its political subdivisions, its plans for public buildings, facilities, or projects to be located within the city or its area of planning and zoning jurisdiction;
(G) To review these plans and to make recommendations regarding their aesthetic suitability to the appropriate agency, or to the Planning Board or City Council. All plans shall be reviewed by the Commission in a prompt and expeditious manner, and all recommendations of the Commission with regard to any public projects shall be made in writing. Copies of the recommendations shall be transmitted promptly to the Planning Board or City Council and to the appropriate agency;
(H) To formulate and recommend to the City Council the adoption or amendment of ordinances (including the zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, and other local ordinances regulating the use of property) that will, in the opinion of the Commission, serve to enhance the appearance of the city and its surrounding areas;
(I) To direct the attention of city officials to needed enforcement of any ordinance that may in any way affect the appearance of the city;
(J) To seek voluntary adherence to the standards and policies of its plans;
(K) To enter, in the performance of its official duties and at reasonable times, upon private lands with the property owner's permission, and make examinations or surveys;
(L) To promote public interest in and an understanding of its recommendations, studies and plans, and to that end, to prepare, publish and distribute to the public such studies and reports as will, in the opinion of the Commission, advance the cause of improved municipal appearance;
(M) To conduct public meetings and hearings, giving reasonable notice to the public thereof.
(Ord. 18-30, passed 9-4-18; Am. Ord. 21-26, passed 7-12-21)