A. Purpose: The historic district overlay (OHD) zone is used to designate local historic landmarks and historic districts. The purpose of this overlay zone is to:
1. Promote the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the public by protecting, enhancing and perpetuating historic landmarks and districts of historic, architectural and cultural significance;
2. Safeguard the city's architectural, historic and cultural heritage by preserving historic buildings and neighborhoods;
3. Provide for design review of new construction or alteration of existing resources to assure compatibility with the existing character of historic neighborhoods and preserve the historic integrity of the resource;
4. Stabilize and improve property values by encouraging reinvestment in historic neighborhoods;
5. Foster civic pride in the legacy and beauty of past achievements; and
6. Protect and enhance the city's attractiveness to tourists and visitors, thereby supporting and stimulating business.
B. Authority:
1. The city council may designate by ordinance areas of the city as historic districts or local historic landmarks. The process of designation is considered an overlay rezoning. A historic district overlay rezoning is required to designate historic districts and local historic landmarks. The procedures for historic district overlay rezonings are set forth in chapter 8, article E, "Historic Preservation Commission Approval Procedures", of this title.
2. There are typically many properties within a designated historic district or that have been designated as local historic landmarks that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or are eligible for listing on the National Register. However, properties listed on the National Register are not subject to the regulations of this article unless they are located within a designated historic district or have been designated as a local historic landmark by the city council.
C. Descriptions:
1. Historic districts are geographically cohesive areas with significant concentrations of buildings and other resources that possess a high degree of historic integrity and convey a distinct sense of time and place and that have been designated as a historic district by the city council pursuant to the applicable procedures outlined in this title. To qualify for designation as a historic district, the subject area must contain abutting pieces of property under diverse ownership that meet approval criteria of subsections C1a and C1b of this section and at least one of approval criteria of subsection C1c, C1d, C1e or C1f of this section.
a. Are significant to American and/or Iowa City history, architecture, archaeology and culture; and
b. Possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship; and
c. Are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or
d. Are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or
e. Embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, method of construction; or represent the work of a master; or possess high artistic values; or represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or
f. Have yielded or may likely yield information important in prehistory or history.
2. A historic landmark is any building, structure, object, area of land or element of landscape architecture with significance, importance or value consistent with the approval criteria listed in subsection C1 of this section for historic districts and that has been designated as a local historic landmark by the city council pursuant to the applicable procedures outlined in this title. (Ord. 05-4186, 12-15-2005; amd. Ord. 10-4404, 9-7-2010; Ord. 12-4478, 5-1-2012; Ord. 12-4498, 10-23-2012; Ord. 13-4513, 1-8-2013; Ord. 13-4523, 4-23-2013; Ord. 14-4585, 6-3-2014; Ord. 14-4592, 8-19-2014; Ord. 14-4599, 10-21-2014; Ord. 16-4662, 4-19-2016; Ord. 22-4884, 8-2-2022)