No person shall demolish any building, structure, site or object or part thereof in a District or Listed Property until the person has received a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Commission. The application should be accompanied by a written statement containing the reasons the applicant is seeking to demolish the building, structure, site or object, along with a statement that such building, structure, site, or object or part thereof is not historically or architecturally significant or otherwise worthy of preservation. If the applicant is seeking to demolish an entire building, structure or major portion thereof, the applicant shall also submit definite plans for reuse of the site, evidence of commitment of funding for the proposal, a project timetable for both initiation and completion, as well as an evaluation of how the character and integrity of the District or Listed Property will be affected by such demolition.
In cases where an applicant applies for a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish a building, structure, site or object or part thereof within a District or Listed Property, the Commission may issue a Certificate of Appropriateness when the applicant has submitted adequate documentation that at least one of the following conditions exist:
(a) The building, structure, site or object or part thereof is noncontributing and/or contains no features of architectural and historic significance to the character of the District or Listed Property
(b) There exists no reasonable economic use for the building, structure, site or object or part thereof as it exists or as it might be restored, and that there exists no feasible and prudent alternative to demolition.
(c) Deterioration has progressed to the point where it is not economically feasible to restore the building, structure, site or object or part thereof.
The Commission shall be guided in its decision by balancing the historic, architectural, and cultural value of the building, structure, site or object or part thereof against the applicant's proof of any substantial economic hardship or unusual or compelling circumstances in retaining the building, structure, site or object or part thereof along with a full review and consideration of the proposed replacement project. (Ord. 19-17. Passed 5-8-17.)