(a) Composition, Chairman, Quorum. Effective January 1, 2020, the Architectural Board of Review shall be composed of the Mayor or the Mayor’s designee, a member of Council appointed annually by Council at its organizational meeting in January, and four (4) other members, at least three of whom shall hold no other municipal office or appointment, and who shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to the confirmation by am ajority of the members of Council, for a term of four (4) years, except that in the year 2020, one member shall be appointed for a one-year term, one member shall be appointed for a two-year term, and one member shall be appointed for a three-year term, and one member shall be appointed to a four-year term. In addition to the six (6) voting members of the Board, there shall be at least two (2) Architect Advisors who are licensed and registered architects in the State of Ohio and who need not be residents of the Village of Hunting Valley. Architect Advisors to the Board shall not be members of the Board and shall have no vote on matters before the Board. Architect Advisors shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of Council, and shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor.
The Mayor shall appoint the Chair of the Architectural Board of Review in January of each year. In the event the Chair is not at a meeting, the remaining members of the Board shall select an acting chair for the meeting. The person who chairs the meeting of the Board shall not vote except in cases of a tie or if only two other members of the Board are present at a meeting. A quorum of the Board shall consist of three members and one of the architect advisors. It shall take the affirmative vote of at least three (3) members for the Board to take any action.
(Amended November 2, 2010; November 5, 2019)
(b) Vacancies. A vacancy occurring during the term of any member shall be filled for the unexpired term in the manner authorized for the original appointment.
(c) Employment of Officers and Consultants. The Architectural Board of Review shall have the authority to employ such officers, employees and consultants as it deems necessary. Each person so employed shall receive a fee or compensation to be determined by Council.
(d) Purposes of the Board. The purposes of the Architectural Board of Review are the following:
(1) To promote and protect the public health, convenience, comfort, prosperity and general welfare by regulating the exterior design and location of buildings and structures to assure orderly and reasonable harmonious developments in the municipality and in each neighborhood thereof;
(2) To insure that the proposed developments protect and preserve the value, appearance, and use of neighboring property on which buildings are constructed or altered, maintain safety, convenience and welfare and protect real estate within the municipality from impairment or destruction of value;
(3) To regulate, according to accepted and recognized architectural principles, the design, use of materials, finished grade lines, dimensions, orientation and location of all main and accessory buildings to be created, moved, altered, remodeled or repaired, subject to the provisions of Zoning Codes and other applicable ordinances of the municipality. In considering building proposals the Architectural Board of Review shall consider and take cognizance of the development of adjacent, contiguous and neighboring buildings and properties for the purpose of achieving safe, harmonious, and integrated development of related properties;
(4) To prevent the harmful effects of excessively similar, dissimilar, or inappropriate exterior design and/or location of buildings or structures in relation to the exterior design of buildings prevailing in the municipality. Harmful or adverse effects, immediate or in the future, to be prevented are:
A. Impairing the benefits of occupancy or causing deterioration of existing residential property; or
B. Discouraging the most appropriate use of undeveloped land throughout the municipality; or
C. Lessening the desirability of neighboring areas of the municipality for residential purposes; or
D. Reducing the stability and values of both improved or unimproved real property in the municipality, including the effects of capricious, faddish architecture of transitory public appeal; or
E. Impairing a proper relationship between the taxable value of real property and the costs of municipal services.
(e) Duties. The Architectural Board of Review shall review detailed plans and specifications including representations of exterior appearance at the time of filing of applications for building and zoning permits. No plans shall be approved without the affirmative vote of three members of the Architectural Board of Review.
(f) Finality of Decisions. Decisions of the Architectural Board of Review may be appealed to Council within twenty days after they are announced, and the decision of the Council shall be final within the municipality, and any appeal therefrom shall be in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio.
(Enacted November 2, 1999)