1344.01 PURPOSE OF REGULATIONS.
   In agreement with the City of Clarksburg Comprehensive Plan it is recognized that the preservation of historic character and architecture is primary to the preservation or safeguarding of the cultural heritage which defines the City’s historic districts. The purpose of the Historic District Overlay Regulations is to supplement the requirements of the general zoning districts of this Zoning Ordinance wherever historic districts are found in order to prevent the inappropriate development from taking place in the City of Clarksburg and protect persons and property from hazards resulting from the inappropriate development of land containing historic properties. The Historic District Overlay Regulations impose a set of requirements within those areas determined to be National Register Historic Districts. Only land which is identified on the Zoning Map which is in the Historic Districts is regulated by this section.
   The City of Clarksburg is a defined area containing buildings, structures, sites, objects and spaces linked historically through location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and socio-- cultural heritage. The significance of the historic district is the product of the sense of time and place in history that its individual components collectively convey. This sense may relate to developments during one period or through several periods in history. Some buildings in Clarksburg are pivotal to the significance of the historic character, others merely contribute to its historic sense; still others actively detract from the historic district's overall significance.
   It is recognized that the preservation of historic architecture is primary to the preservation or safeguarding of the City of Clarksburg's cultural heritage. For this reason, regulations for the preservation of historically significant structures in the City, utilizing the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historical Buildings , are established. The guidelines shall apply to construction of new structures in the historic district overlay zone and the restoration or rehabilitation of existing structures.
   The City of Clarksburg’s historic districts are architecturally diverse within an overall pattern of harmony and continuity. It is not the intent of historic preservation efforts to discourage or stifle creative modern design, but to provide guides to factors which will encourage construction to be compatible with the City's overall development pattern. Guidelines for new construction, additions and renovations and rehabilitations within Clarksburg focus on general rather than specific design elements in order to encourage architectural innovation and establish continuity within the existing character of development.