(a) Any person, individual, firm or corporation proposing to construct, alter, move, demolish, or repair any landmark, or any building, structure or site within the Historic District and such changes are visible or intended to be visible from an adjacent publicway, shall file an application for the same with the Zoning Officer along with all maps, plats, plans and all other data concerning such construction. The City shall promptly notify the chair or secretary of the commission when an application is received. Each application shall include the following:
(1) Scaled elevation and/or suitable photographs of the buildings facades which are visible from a public way. The applicant shall also submit suitable photographs of the streetscape showing adjacent buildings including buildings across the street.
(2) Specification of materials, colors, and construction techniques.
(3) Other data as required by the rules of the Commission.
(b) A Certificate of Appropriateness from the Commission is mandatory before the following may be undertaken on a landmark or within the Historic District: construction, moving, demolition, repair or alteration of any landmark, building, structure or site in any manner affecting the exterior appearance of such landmark, building, structure or site, if such changes are visible from an adjacent public way. It shall be the responsibility of property owners or tenants to submit an application to the Commission when one part of their plans involves the exterior of the building. This requirement applies to a situation in which the owner or tenant originally received a permit for work that did not require review by the Commission.
(c) A Certificate of Appropriateness from the Commission shall automatically expire, unless extended by the Commission, if:
(1) In the case of an application for repairs or alterations to a structure and an application for the demolition or moving of a structure, the work has not commenced within six months or has not been completed within 18 months from the date of issuance of the Certificate of Appropriateness.
(2) In the case of an application for the construction of a new structure, the work has not commenced within six months from the date of the Certificate of Appropriateness or is not completed within three years.
The Commission may ask the City staff for assistance in mailings to applicants reminding them of the deadline for completion of their approved work.
(d) (1) Failure of the Commission to act within forty-five days from the date the application is filed shall constitute approval unless an extension is agreed upon mutually by the applicant and the Commission. If an extension is not agreed to and the Commission needs more time to deal with the issues presented by the application, the Commission may reject the application at the end of the forty-five day period and at the same time schedule a further discussion of the application at its next meeting in order to find a satisfactory solution. This additional time will enable the Commission to carry out its responsibility to protect Lewisburg's historic buildings.
(2) Where appropriate, the members of the Commission may be polled by telephone in order to act on an application that is pending before the Commission.
(e) There shall be no monetary charge imposed on the applicant by virtue of this article.