(A) Issuance of permits. The Zoning Permit Officer shall be responsible for the issuance of permits for any work that would affect the general design, arrangement, texture, material, or color of any structure or building in any Historic District when the result of such work is capable of being viewed from a public street or way. Permits shall be required for such work, even if a permit is not required according to the presently enacted zoning ordinance of the borough; this includes, but it not limited to, the following: painting; sandblasting; chemical cleaning; stucco or other applied textures; replacement or major repair of windows, cornices, trim, or other nonstructural elements; signs; and other work affecting the visual appearance of the structure as defined in this section. No such permit shall be issued by the Zoning Permit Officer until Borough Council has issued a certificate of appropriateness.
(B) Conduct of office. Upon receipt of an application for a permit for work to be done in any Historic District, the Zoning Permit Officer shall act in accordance with the procedures presently being followed in that office except as those procedures are modified by the following requirements.
(1) He or she shall forward within three working days to the Board of Historical Architectural Review a copy of the application for a permit, together with a copy of the plot plan and the building plans and specifications filed by the applicant.
(2) He or she shall maintain in that office a record of all such applications. The record shall include details of the handling and disposition of the same and shall be in addition to, and appropriately cross-referenced to, other zoning permit records.
(3) He or she shall require applicants to submit a sufficient number of additional copies of material required to be attached to an application for a permit to allow compliance with the foregoing.
(4) Upon receipt of the written disapproval of the application by Borough Council, the Zoning Permit Officer shall disapprove the permit application and shall so notify the applicant.
(5) The Zoning Permit Officer shall have the power to institute any proceedings at law or in equity necessary for the enforcement of this subchapter in the same manner as in enforcement of the zoning ordinance of the borough.
(C) Hazardous structures. In the event that the subject building or structure presents a clear and present danger to the public or if said building has been rendered unfit for habitation because of fire, explosion, or other similar cause, the terms of this subchapter may be waived to the extent that the applicant can proceed to render the subject property safe and/or habitable under the terms of the zoning ordinance of the borough. However, any changes made to the subject property must be approved, finally, under the terms of this subchapter.
(Ord. 2010-03, passed 3-1-2010)