A. Procedures: The City Council, upon the request of a property owner of a parcel of land that contains a structure or feature that is designated as a historic site or landmark, may by resolution, remove the subject property from the City’s register of historic sites and landmarks, or from a historic district. Prior to such action, the request shall be reviewed by the ACHP. The Committee shall make a recommendation on the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness to the City Council. Prior to approving the resolution regarding the removal request, the City Council shall hold a public hearing, notice of which shall have been published in a newspaper of general circulation at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the hearing; notice of the hearing shall also be mailed to all property owners within five hundred feet (500') of the boundary of the area to be designated. Every removal request shall be forwarded to the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment within sixty (60) days of the Committee’s request.
B. Review Criteria: In considering the request to remove area, site, place, district, building, or structure from the local historic register, the ACHP and the City Council shall consider and balance the following factors and competing interests with respect to the request for removal:
1. Have any conditions related to the property’s character, interest, or value as part of the history or cultural heritage of the City, the State or the United States, changed?
2. Does the inclusion of the property on the local historic register have a demonstrable hardship or cause negative impacts in the current property owner’s ability to manage or market the property?
3. Will the property’s association with persons or events that have made a significant contribution to the cultural heritage of the City be significantly negatively impacted by the removal from the local historic register?
4. Can the property’s potential to yield information important in history or prehistory still be obtained, documented, and distributed before and after the removal of the property from the local historic register?
5. Are there other examples on the local historic register or within the community that have similar distinguishing characteristics of architectural type or style, or elements of design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship?