(A) Whenever an application for a permit for the demolition of a landmark, other resource on a landmark site or contributing resource within a historic district shall be submitted to the Commission, the Commission shall not hold a public hearing on the application for 60 days from the date the application is received by the city. This time period is intended to permit city staff to discuss the proposed demolition informally with the property owner, other city officials, and preservation organizations to see if an alternative to demolition can be found before a formal consideration of the application by the Commission. City staff shall prepare a report to the Commission analyzing alternatives to demolition, and request from other city departments or agencies information necessary for the preparation of this report.
(B) If within this 60-day period either of the following two events shall occur or be known to have occurred previous to application, the Commission may defer hearing the application for six months and it shall be considered to have been withdrawn by the applicant during such six-month period: the owner enters into a binding contract for the sale of the property; approved arrangements are made for the resource to be relocated to an approved new location. If within the 60-day period neither of the two events summarized above shall have occurred, the Commission will schedule a hearing on the demolition application at its next regularly scheduled meeting following the expiration of the 60-day period, shall request all knowledgeable parties to comment at the hearing on the proposed demolition, and shall make its written recommendation within 30 days after hearing the request for demolition. The Commission may also secure an engineer’s report on the state of repair and structural stability of the resource for which an application to demolish has been filed. Such report shall become part of the administrative record on the application.
(Ord. 3075, passed 3-20-01)