(a) No applicant shall construct, erect, alter, remove, move or demolish any structure or building within the Downtown Historical District without a permit issued as provided in this section.
(b) Applications for any permit required by this chapter shall be submitted to the Director of Public Service. If he or she is satisfied that the application complies with the requirements of this chapter, he or she shall issue the appropriate permit. Notice of the issuance of a permit or denial of an application shall be given to the applicant in writing within thirty days of submission.
(c) Any applicant whose application has been denied by the Director of Public Service may, within twenty days of the date of the notification, appeal the denial to the Architectural and Historic Board of Review. The appeal shall be in writing and shall specify the grounds therefor. The Board shall hear the appeal at a regular or special meeting, provided that the applicant shall be given at least ten days advance notice of the hearing date. The Board shall decide the appeal within thirty days after the hearing, and shall notify the applicant in writing, of its decision. Such decision shall be binding upon the Director of Public Service, and the terms and conditions thereof shall be incorporated in the permit required hereunder.
(d) In determining whether a permit shall be issued, the Director of Public Service and the Architectural and Historic Board of Appeals shall consider whether the proposed change will adversely affect or destroy any significant historic or architectural feature of the structure, whether it is inappropriate or inconsistent with the spirit and purpose of this chapter, and whether it will adversely affect or destroy the general historic and architectural significance of the District. With respect to a proposed demolition, a determination shall be made as to whether preservation or rehabilitation is economically feasible for the applicant and a permit shall be issued if the denial of the same would result in practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship that would deprive the applicant of the reasonable use of the land or building involved.
(Ord. 91-022. Passed 1-13-92.)