The following Design Standards pertain to buildings located within the Historic District of all materials, construction types, sizes, and occupancy and encompass the exterior, related landscape features and the building's site and environment as well as attached, adjacent, or related new construction. The Design Standards are to be applied to all construction projects in a reasonable manner, taking into consideration economic and technical feasibility.
(a) A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
(b) The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved as much as possible. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property should be avoided.
(c) Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. New design within the parameters and language of historical styles is not prohibited, copy-and-paste or reduce-and-enlarge strategies should be avoided.
(d) Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right should be retained and preserved as much as reasonably possible.
(e) Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property should be preserved as much as reasonably possible.
(f) Deteriorated historic features should be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials, as close as possible. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
(g) Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials should not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, should be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
(h) Significant archeological resources affected by a project should be protected and preserved as much as possible. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures should be undertaken.
(i) New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction should not destroy the historic materials that characterize the property. The new work must be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible (bear striking similarity) with the architectural features, architectural style, massing, size, and scale to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
(j) New additions and adjacent or related new construction should be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
(Ord. 2014-01. Passed 3-11-14.)