A. Applicability: Personal visits to abutting neighbors are required by any property owner who seeks a permit pursuant to section 9-1-1 of this chapter authorizing demolition of an existing house or garage or authorizing any construction that will add six hundred (600) square feet or more of gross floor area to an existing house or garage (the "applicant").
B. Required Visits: A personal visit must be made by the applicant to the owner or adult resident of each property that immediately abuts any property line of the subject property or that is separated from the subject property only by an alley (the "abutting owner").
C. Required Number Of Visits And Attempted Visits: The applicant must undertake to make one personal visit to each abutting owner. The applicant must make at least two (2) attempts to complete each required personal visit. Each attempt must be made at a time when it is reasonable that the abutting owner will be present. All personal visits must be made only after the applicant's application for a building permit has been submitted to the village for review.
If there is no answer by the abutting owner on the first attempt to make a personal visit, then the applicant must leave a letter, in a standard form provided by the village, stating that a project is proposed, that the applicant is trying to make personal contact, that the applicant will stop back again, and that the abutting owner may call the applicant to set a time for the visit.
If there is no answer on the second attempt, then the applicant must leave a second standard letter and a standard village information packet stating that the second attempt was made, that the abutting owner may call the applicant or the village for information about the proposed work, and that plans related to the work are available for review at the village hall.
D. Scope Of Visit: During a personal visit, the applicant must show the abutting owner a copy of the proposed site plan and the tree preservation plan for the project. The applicant must explain to the abutting owner, in general terms, the scope of the work, the timetable for the work, any special measures such as those being made to protect property, and other matters that may be relevant to the abutting owner. The applicant also must provide the abutting owner with a village prepared packet of information including, among any other things, a summary of construction regulations and procedures.
The purpose of a personal visit is not to secure any form of approval from the abutting owner, but instead to assure that the abutting owner has had an opportunity to learn, in general terms, about the proposed project.
E. Record Of Visit: The applicant must file with the village, prior to issuance of any permit for work on the subject property, a standard "personal visit completion form" that states that the applicant successfully completed the required abutting owner personal visits. If one or more of the personal visits could not be completed, then the applicant must state on the personal visit completion form that he or she properly attempted to make the visits, when the attempts were made, why the attempts were unsuccessful, and that he or she properly left the required letters.
F. Condition Precedent To Building Permit: The filing of the personal visit completion form is a condition precedent to issuance by the village of a permit for work on the subject property.
G. Demolition Notice Requirements Still Applicable: The personal visit provisions of this section shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, the demolition notice provisions of section 9-1-7-1 of this chapter. (Ord. O2008-46, 8-12-2008)