For the purpose of this article, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ADAPTIVE USE. The restrained alteration of a historical or architectural resource to accommodate uses for which the resource was not originally constructed, but in such a way so as to maintain the general historical and architectural character.
ADVERSELY AFFECT. Negatively changing the quality of the historical, architectural, or cultural significance of a resource, or the characteristics that qualify the resource as historically important.
ALTERATION. Any construction or change of the exterior of a building, object, site, or structure. For buildings, objects, sites or structures, alteration shall include, but is not limited to, the changing of roofing or siding materials; changing, eliminating, or adding doors, door frames, windows, window
frames, shutters, fences, railings, porches, balconies, signs, or other ornamentation; the changing of paint color; regrading; fill; imploding or other use of dynamite.
ALTERATION shall not include ordinary repair and maintenance.
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES. Districts, structures, buildings, monuments, sites, and landscaping that possess local interest or artistic merit, or which are particularly representative of their class or period, or represent achievements in architecture, engineering technology, design, or scientific research and development.
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE. A type of architecture distinguished by special characteristics of structure and ornament and often related in time; also, a general quality of distinctive character.
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS. The official document issued by the Historic Preservation Commission approving any application for alteration, construction, reconstruction, relocation, or demolition of any structure or site designated under the authority of this article.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION. The official document issued by the Historic Preservation Commission stating that the applicant has implemented a project in accordance with the issued certificate of appropriateness and any conditions thereof.
CERTIFICATE OF ECONOMIC HARDSHIP. The official document issued by the Historic Preservation Commission establishing unreasonable economic hardship for the applicant.
CLUSTER. A group of cultural resources with compatible buildings, objects or structures geographically or thematically relating to and reinforcing one another through design, setting, materials, workmanship, congruency and association.
COMPATIBILITY. Capable of existing together in harmony.
CONSTRUCTION. The act of adding an addition to an existing building or structure or the erection of a new principal or accessory building or structure on a lot or property.
CONTRIBUTING RESOURCE. A resource in an historic district or cluster that contributes to the district’s or cluster’s historical significance through location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and association, and which shall be afforded the same considerations as landmarks.
DEMOLITION. Any act or process that destroys or razes in whole or in part a building, object, site, or structure, or permanently impairs its structural integrity.
DESIGN GUIDELINES. Standards adopted by the Historic Preservation Commission intended for use by the Commission, property owners and tenants to ensure that rehabilitation and new construction respect the character of designated properties or districts.
ECONOMIC RETURN. A profit or capital appreciation from use or ownership of a building, object, site or structure that accrues from investment or labor.
ELEVATION. A “head-on” drawing of a building facade or object, without any allowance for perspective. An ELEVATION drawing will be in a fixed proportion to the measurement on the actual building.
EMERGENCY INSPECTION. An on-site examination of work in progress conducted by city staff, the purpose of which is to ensure that work in progress is authorized and/or conforms to the conditions of an issued certificate of appropriateness.
EXTERIOR. All outside surfaces of any building.
FACADE. The face or exterior surface of a building.
GENERAL RESOURCE. A building, object, site or structure which does not add to a district’s or cluster’s sense of time and place and historical development but may contribute in other aspects, such as contributing to the street wall.
GOOD REPAIR. A condition which not only meets minimum standards of health and safety, but which also guarantees continued attractiveness, continued structural soundness, and continued usefulness.
HISTORIC DISTRICT. A geographically definable area as designated by ordinance which may contain one or more significant landmarks and which may have within its boundaries other properties or structures, while not of such historic and/or architectural significance to be designated as landmarks, nevertheless contribute to the overall visual characteristics of the district and which merits designation for its historical and architectural significance and value.
HISTORIC RESOURCES. Sites, districts, structures, buildings, or monuments that represent facets of history in the locality, state or nation; places where significant historical or unusual events occurred; places associated with a personality or group important to the past.
INFILL CONSTRUCTION. Construction designed to occupy a vacant parcel of land within a developed area.
IMPROVEMENT. Any building, structure, place, parking facility, fence, wall, sign, work of art or other object, the addition or deletion of which constitutes a physical betterment of real property, or any part of such betterment of real property.
LANDMARK. A prominent building or feature officially designated as having special status and protection.
LANDMARK SITE. A parcel or part thereof on which is or was situated a landmark.
MAJOR FACADE CHANGES. Any act that has the potential to significantly alter the appearance of a resource.
MASS. The physical volume or bulk of a property or properties.
MATERIALS. The physical characteristics which create the aesthetic and structural appearance of the resource, including but not limited to a consideration of the texture and style of the components and their combinations, such as brick, stone, shingle, wood, concrete or stucco.
MINIMUM MAINTENANCE NOTICE. Official letter or memorandum sent by mail or delivered to property owners for the purpose of informing them that their property requires maintenance in order to comply with the minimum maintenance provisions of this article.
MINIMUM MAINTENANCE PLAN. A description of the activities to be implemented in order to maintain a resource to the point where it is sound and weatherproof.
OBJECT. A material thing of functional, aesthetic, cultural, historical, or scientific value that may be, by nature or design, movable yet related to a specific setting or environment.
ORDINARY MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR. Any work for which a building permit or any other city permit or certificate is not required and where the purpose of such work is stabilization, and further, where such work will not noticeably change the exterior appearance of the resource. Any work not satisfying all of the above requirements shall not be considered ordinary maintenance and repair.
PERMANENT SIGN. A sign intended to be used for a period greater than 30 days. Signs will be considered permanent when changes in materials or message maintain overall appearance.
PRESERVATION. The act or process of applying measures to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of a building or structure, and the existing form and vegetative cover of a site. It may include initial stabilization work, where necessary, as well as ongoing maintenance of the historic building materials.
PROPERTY. A parcel of land and any improvements thereon.
PROPERTY OWNER. Any individual, firm, partnership, limited liability company or corporation holding title to real estate that is either a landmark, a landmark site or within an historic district, or being considered for such status.
PROPORTION. The relative physical sizes within and between buildings and building components.
RECONSTRUCTION. The act or process of reassembling, reproducing, or replacing by new construction, the form, detail, and appearance of a property and its setting as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of later work, or by the replacement of missing earlier work, or by reuse of original materials.
REHABILITATION. The act or process of returning a property to a state of utility through repair, remodeling, or alteration that makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those
portions or, features of the property that are significant to its historical, architectural, and cultural values.
RELOCATION. Any change of the location of a building, object or structure from its present setting or to another setting.
RENOVATION. The act or process of returning a property to a state of utility through repair or alteration that makes possible a contemporary use.
RESOURCE. A building, object, site or structure.
RESTORATION. The act or process of accurately recovering the form and details of a property and its setting as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of later work or by the replacement of missing earlier work.
RHYTHM. A regular pattern of shapes including, but not limited to, windows, doors, projects, and heights, within a building, structure, or monument, or a group of same.
SANDWICH BOARD SIGN. Any sign not affixed to a structure or to the ground.
SCALE. The harmonious proportion of parts of a building, structure, or monument to one another and to the human figure.
SETBACK. The distance from a given property line, established by the city’s zoning ordinance, where a property owner is authorized to construct an improvement.
SETTING. The surrounding environment of a resource, including other buildings, structures, site features, landscaping and streets, which contributes to the aesthetic quality of the historic or architectural resource.
SIGN. A structure which consists of a device, light, letter, word, model, banner, pennant, trade flag, logo, insignia, or representation which advertises, directs, or announces a use conducted, goods, products, services, or facilities available, excluding window displays or merchandise.
SIGN GUIDELINES. Standards adopted by the Historic Preservation Commission intended for use by the Commission, property owners and tenants to ensure design and placement of permanent signs that respect the character of designated properties.
SIGNAGE, PROMOTIONAL. Signage which indicates a sale or promotion.
SIGNAGE, TEMPORARY AND BANNER. Signage that is put up for a maximum of 30 days, at which time permanent signage is approved and installed.
SIGNIFICANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESOURCE. Those characteristics which are important to or expressive of the historical, architectural, or cultural quality and integrity of the resource and its setting, and which include, but are not limited to, building material, detail, height, mass, proportion, rhythm, scale, setback, setting, shape, street accessories, and workmanship.
SITE. The location of a significant event, a prehistoric or historic occupation or activity, or a building, structure, or cluster, whether standing, ruined, or vanished, where the location itself maintains historical value regardless of the value of any existing structure.
SPECIAL MERIT. A new building, object, site or structure having significant benefits to the city by virtue of exemplary architecture, specific features of land planning, or social, cultural or other benefits having a high priority for community services.
STABILIZATION. The act or process of applying measures designed to reestablish a weather- resistant enclosure and the structural stability of an unsafe or deteriorated property while maintaining the essential form as it exists at present.
STOP WORK ORDER. A written notice from the city that work on any building, structure or site is being implemented contrary to the provisions of this article, contrary to the conditions of an approved certificate of appropriateness, or in an unsafe and dangerous manner.
STREET ACCESSORIES. Those sidewalk or street fixtures which provide cleanliness, comfort, direction, or safety, and are compatible in design to their surroundings, and include, but are not limited to, trash receptacles, benches, signs, lights, hydrants, and landscaping, including but not limited to trees, shrubbery and planters.
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. The state of being unimpaired; sound.
STRUCTURE. Anything constructed or erected.
UNREASONABLE ECONOMIC HARDSHIP. An economic burden imposed upon the owner which is unduly excessive and prevents a realization of a reasonable rate of return upon the value of his property.
UNUSUAL AND COMPELLING CIRCUMSTANCES. Those uncommon and extremely rare instances, factually detailed, which would warrant a Commission recommendation for relief due to the evidence presented.
VISUAL FACADE CHANGES. Any modification to the appearance of a facade caused by alteration, construction or demolition.
WORKMANSHIP. Skill as a workman, craftsmanship or artistry or evidence of this skill in something produced.
(Ord. 3075, passed 3-20-01; Am. Ord. 3173, passed 3-21-06)