(a) Creation and appointment.
(1) There is hereby created the historic and cultural landmarks commission to be composed of 11 regular members and four alternate members, all of whom are residents of the City of Fort Worth. The alternates shall serve in the absence of one or more regular members.
(2) The city council must appoint as regular members and alternate members, persons who have demonstrated their civic interest, general knowledge of the community, independent judgment and availability to prepare for and attend meetings. Whenever feasible, six appointees should be practicing professionals from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, history, architectural history, urban planning, archaeology, real estate, law or other disciplines related to historic preservation. Appointment of alternate members should rotate from the aforementioned criteria.
(3) All historic and cultural landmarks commission members, regardless of background, must have a known and demonstrated interest, competence, and knowledge in historic preservation and planning within the City of Fort Worth.
(4) As nearly as is reasonably possible, the historic and cultural landmarks commission members as a whole shall fairly represent the ethnic makeup of the City of Fort Worth.
(b) Terms of office. Historic and cultural landmarks commission members serve for a term of two years. Newly appointed members will be installed at the first regular meeting after their appointment. Regular members will serve in places numbered one through 11. Regular members appointed in odd-numbered places will serve terms that expire October 1 of odd-numbered years. Regular members appointed to even-numbered places will serve terms that expire on October 1 of even-numbered years. The terms of the alternate members expire on October 1 of odd-numbered years. Vacancies will be filled for unexpired terms. Commission members may be appointed to succeed themselves and serve at the discretion of the city council until a new member is appointed in their place.
(c) Organization. The chairperson and vice chairperson of the historic and cultural landmarks commission will be elected by and from the members of the historic and cultural landmarks commission. The historic and cultural landmarks commission must meet at least monthly if business requires. Special meetings may be called at any time by the chairperson, the historic preservation officer, or on the written request of any two historic and cultural landmarks commission members.
(d) Meetings and quorum. Six members of the historic and cultural landmarks commission shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business. Six affirmative votes shall be required to approve any matterbefore the historic and cultural landmarks commission. Failure to secure six affirmative votes shall result in a denial. The members of the historic and cultural landmarks commission must regularly attend the meetings and public hearings of the historic and cultural landmarks commission and serve without compensation.
(e) Powers and duties. The historic and cultural landmarks commission is empowered to perform the following duties:
(1) Prepare rules and procedures as necessary to carry out the business of the historic and cultural landmarks commission;
(2) Create committees from among its membership to advise the historic and cultural landmarks commission in carrying out the purposes of this zoning ordinance;
(3) Maintain written minutes which record all actions taken by the historic and cultural landmarks commission and the reasons for such actions;
(4) Increase public awareness of the value of historic, cultural, architectural, and archeological preservation by developing and participating in public education programs;
(5) Initiate and consider nominations, hold hearings, and recommend to the city council whether certain buildings, structures and properties should be designated as landmarks through a "highly significant endangered overlay," "historic and cultural landmark overlay" or "demolition delay overlay," or that an area containing two or more eligible structures should be designated through a "historic and cultural landmark district overlay," or that such structures or properties be included in a historic district or that such designations be amended or removed, in accordance with § 4.401, Historic Preservation Ordinance - Historic Overlays;
(6) Enforce and recommend to adopt or amend design standards and guidelines for structures designated "highly significant endangered" or "historic and cultural landmark" or located in a historic and cultural landmark district;
(7) Review and after public hearing make a determination on requests for Certificates of Appropriateness for buildings and structures designated with an individual historic overlay or located in a historic and cultural landmark zoning district overlay.
(8) Review requests regarding participation in historic preservation economic incentive programs and forward recommendations concerning such requests to the city council;
(9) Recommend recognition of the owners of structures or property designated in accordance with the Historic Preservation Ordinance by means of certificates, plaques, or markers;
(10) Recommend to the city council that the city acquire a structure or property where its preservation is essential to the purposes of the Historic Preservation Ordinance and private preservation is not feasible;
(11) Recommend to the city council that the city accept the donation of preservation easements and development rights as well as gifts for the purpose of historic preservation; and
(12) Exercise such other and further powers as may be conferred on the historic and cultural landmarks commission by city codes or ordinances.
(f) Preservation plan.
(1) The historic and cultural landmarks commission must adopt, in cooperation with the plan commission, a preservation plan to be incorporated into the City of Fort Worth comprehensive plan. The preservation plan must include the following:
a. The historic resources survey, as amended and revised;
b. Criteria to be used in identifying and prioritizing sites;
c. General description of forms and styles found in Fort Worth; and
d. Use historic contexts to develop goals and priorities for the identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment of historic properties.
(2) The plan must also include criteria for selecting, preserving, and rehabilitating structures and property. The plan must also set forth priorities not only among various historic sites but also between conflicting land use goals and include specific recommendations on how to resolve conflicts between competing uses. The plan must recommend the coordination required with other departments and other public and private groups to implement historic preservation.
(3) The historic and cultural landmarks commission must review the preservation plan every five years. Revisions may be made to the plan at any time in accordance with the rules and policies of the city.
(g) Propose amendments to § 4.401, Historic Preservation Ordinance-Historic Overlays to the zoning commission and city council from time to time.
(Ord. 13896, passed 10-12-1999; Ord. 17648, §§ 1, 2, passed 7-10-2007; Ord. 18903-11-2009, § 1, passed 11-3-2009; Ord. 23166-04-2018, § 1, passed 4-3-2018; Ord. 23306-08-2018, § 2, passed 8-7-2018; Ord. 25251-12-2021, § 2, passed 12-14-2021; Ord. 26359-08-2023, § 1, passed 8-8- 2023)