(A) Application requirements.
(1) Applications for the construction, alteration, restoration or removal of any sign, including sandwich board signs, affecting any property within a historic district or any landmark or landmark site shall be accompanied by the following materials:
(a) Elevation or photograph of the facade or site in question showing placement of each proposed sign to scale;
(b) Detailed drawings of the proposed sign(s) showing sign dimensions and design, size and type of lettering, proposed means of illumination, materials, textures and colors; and
(c) Manufacturer’s paint samples of the proposed sign colors.
(2) All other applications for certificates of appropriateness shall be accompanied by the following documents, when relevant. City staff and/or the Commission will determine which documents are relevant to the application in question.
(a) An elevation of all sides of the existing or proposed improvement(s) which can be seen from a street or alley, to scale, with all materials, textures and colors to be used identified and shown. All other elements shall be shown, including light standards and fixtures, screens for mechanical equipment or trash, meters and meter boxes and such other details as may exist on an improvement.
(b) Samples of all materials, including paint chips of proposed exterior colors.
(c) Photographs showing existing topography, vegetation, improvements, and adjacent development and a site plan to scale indicating proposed changes. The site plan shall indicate any construction that will obstruct the view or vista from a public street or sidewalk, including but not limited to satellite dishes and antennae.
(d) Drawings or photographs of non-stationary structures, amenities, furniture or equipment to be placed upon parcels of public or private land within a district or on a landmark site including but not limited to fences, lighting standards, planters, benches, or vending machines.
(e) Copies of old photographs or historical records if available, which pertain to the existing resource(s).
(B) General provisions and procedures.
(1) No permit for building, sign, demolition or house moving shall be issued by the city for any resource located within a historic district or designated as a landmark or landmark site until the application for such permit has been reviewed by the Commission and a certificate of appropriateness approved by the Commission. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical or any other permit shall require a certificate of appropriateness only if the proposed work will alter the exterior of a property within a historic district, landmark or landmark site.
(2) When applying for such a permit, the applicant shall furnish one copy of the application and required accompanying documents as defined in division (A) to city staff no later than eight days prior to the proposed hearing date. Any applicant may request a meeting with city staff for consultation before submitting an application. City staff shall forward such application with staff report and recommendations to the Commission no later than five days before the Commission’s regularly scheduled meeting.
(3) Five days before the date of the public hearing, the city staff shall publish the agenda for the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation. At the hearing, the Commission shall receive testimony from all persons interested in the application.
(4) Upon review of the application, the Commission shall determine whether the proposed work is of a nature that will adversely affect any historical or architectural resource and whether such work is appropriate and consistent with the spirit and intent of this article. The Commission shall be guided by the following criteria in determining approval or denial of certificates of appropriateness:
(a) The purpose and intent of this article.
(b) The degree to which the proposed work may destroy or alter all or part of a resource.
(c) The degree to which the proposed work would serve to isolate the resource from its historical or architectural surroundings, or would introduce visual, audible, vibratory, or polluting elements that are out of character with the resource and its setting, or that adversely affect the physical integrity of the resource.
(d) The compatibility of the building materials with the aesthetic and structural appearance of the resource, including but not limited to the consideration of texture, style, color, or the components and their combinations of elements such as brick, stone, concrete, shingle, wood, or stucco.
(e) The compatibility of the proposed design to the significant characteristics of the resource, including but not limited to a consideration of a harmony of materials, details, height, mass, proportion, rhythm, scale, setback, shape, street accessories and workmanship.
(f) The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
(g) Sign guidelines and design guidelines recommended by the Commission and adopted by the Council.
(5) The Commission may approve certificates of appropriateness subject to certain conditions.
(6) No change shall be made to the approved work after issuance of a certificate of appropriateness without resubmittal and approval thereof in the same manner as provided above.
(7) If the Commission denies such a certificate of appropriateness, no permit shall be issued. Within ten working days of the hearing, the Commission shall mail to the applicant the reasons for such denial by citing the section of the ordinance violated and may include suggestions regarding actions the applicant might take to secure the approval of the Commission as to the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness.
(8) Work performed pursuant to the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness shall conform to the requirements of such certificate. In the event that such work is not in compliance upon inspection, the city shall issue a stop work order.
(9) The city may make an emergency inspection of any unauthorized work in progress. In the event that such work required but did not receive Commission approval, the city shall issue a stop work order to be in effect until a certificate of appropriateness has been properly applied for and issued.
(10) The work sanctioned by the granting of the certificate of appropriateness shall commence within six months of its issuance and shall be completed within one year of its issuance. An extension of no more than 12 months may be granted upon proper contact from the applicant.
(11) The city shall inspect the work for completion at the end of the time limit set forth by the Commission and issue a certificate of completion if the work is in compliance with the certificate of appropriateness.
(12) It shall be a violation of this article to commence unauthorized work or to disregard a stop work order.
(13) It is not the intent of this section to limit new construction to any one period or architectural style, but to preserve the integrity of historic and architectural resources. It is the intent of this section to ensure compatibility of new construction by approving only new or infill construction that is compatible to adjacent properties and approving only additions to existing resources that are compatible with the property in question.
(14) The Commission shall develop such guidelines as it may find necessary to supplement the provisions of this section and to inform owners, residents, and general public of those standards which are considered proper for undertaking work relating to historic and architectural resources.
(Ord. 3075, passed 3-20-01)