(A) Prohibition. No person shall alter, relocate or demolish any historic resource, and no permit, entitlement or approval therefor shall be issued, without first submitting a plan for review and obtaining approval as set forth in this section. The required information and contents for the plan shall be established by the Planning Director.
(B) Environmental review. Any plan that may cause a potentially adverse change to an historic resource listed on the Corona Register shall be reviewed in accordance with the city’s Local Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Alterations, repairs, restoration and reconstruction consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation are categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to the state CEQA guidelines.
(C) General guidelines. Any plan involving the alteration of an historic resource shall be reviewed and approved, to the extent practical, in accordance with the city’s design guidelines for historic structures, or in the absence of such guidelines, the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The following principles shall be adhered to in the review and approval of such plans:
(1) The distinguishing original qualities or character of the historic resource shall not be compromised. The removal or alteration of any historic material or distinctive architectural features should be avoided when possible;
(2) The colors, textures, materials, fenestration, decorative features and details, height, scale, massing and methods of construction proposed shall be consistent with the historic period and character-defining elements of the historic resource and compatible with adjacent structures.
(D) Landmarks, historic districts and other historic resources listed on the Corona Register.
(1) Any plan involving a major alteration to an historic resource listed on the Corona Register shall require review and approval by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission may impose such conditions or restrictions as it deems necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this chapter.
(2) Any plan involving a minor alteration to an historic resource listed on the Corona Register shall require review and approval by the Planning Director. The Planning Director may impose such conditions or restrictions as the Planning Director deems necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this chapter.
(3) Any plan involving a major alteration to a commercial, industrial, quasi-public, mixed use or multi-family development within the Downtown Specific Plan (SP-98-01) that is listed on the Corona Register, shall require Precise Plan review and approval by the Planning Commission, in accordance with the provisions of SP-98-01;
(4) Any plan involving the relocation or demolition of a landmark, or an historic resource listed on both the Corona Register and the California Register or National Register, shall require public hearing, review and approval by the City Council in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 17.63.100(H), except that any decision shall be based on the criteria set forth in § 17.63.110;
(5) Any plan involving the relocation or demolition of an historic resource listed on the Corona Register other than those set forth in the preceding subsection shall require public hearing, review and approval by the Planning Commission in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 17.63.100(I), except that any decision shall be based on the criteria set forth in § 17.63.110;
(6) Any plan involving the relocation or demolition of an historic resource listed on the Corona Register shall not be approved unless one of the following findings is made:
(a) The criteria required to delete the historic resource from the Corona Register set forth in § 17.63.110(E) are satisfied;
(b) The historic resource has deteriorated or been modified to the extent that it is no longer representative as an historic resource to be preserved;
(c) Denial of the requested relocation or demolition of the historic resource will deprive the owner of all economically viable use of the site;
(d) Relocation or demolition of the historic resource will not have a significant effect on the achievement of the purposes of this chapter and appropriate mitigation measures will be undertaken to substantially reduce or eliminate the loss or diminishment of the historic resource;
(e) The historic resource is determined to be unsafe or dangerous by the Building Official and reasonable efforts to correct the situation are economically or physically infeasible.
(E) Heritage properties.
(1) Any plan involving a major or minor alteration to a heritage property shall require review and approval by the Planning Director. The Planning Director may impose such conditions or restrictions as the Planning Director deems necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this chapter.
(2) Any plan involving a major alteration to a commercial, industrial, quasi-public, mixed use or multi-family development within the Downtown Specific Plan (SP-98-01) that is listed on the Corona Heritage Inventory shall require Precise Plan review and approval by the Planning Commission, in accordance with the provisions of SP-98-01.
(3) Any plan involving the relocation or demolition of a heritage property shall require review and approval by the Planning Director. Upon receipt of the plan for relocation or demolition, the Planning Director shall notify the Corona Historic Preservation Society of the plan and provide a minimum 30 day waiting period from the date of the notice before taking action to approve or disapprove the plan.
(4) Any plan involving the relocation or demolition of a heritage property shall not be approved unless one of the following findings is made:
(a) The heritage property is not a good example of an historic period or architectural style;
(b) The heritage property has deteriorated or been modified to the extent that it is no longer representative as an historic resource to be preserved;
(c) Denial of the requested relocation or demolition of the heritage property will deprive the owner of all economically viable use of the site;
(d) Relocation or demolition or removal will not have a significant effect on the achievement of the purposes of this chapter;
(e) The heritage property is determined to be unsafe or dangerous by the Building Official and reasonable efforts to correct the situation are infeasible;
(f) The heritage property is inconsistent with the zoning designation for the site and adaptive re-use of the heritage property to achieve consistency is not economically viable.
(`78 Code, § 17.63.120.) (Ord. 2522 § 1, 2001.)