(a) Establishment of Board. The Design Review Board is hereby established, which shall be responsible for design review in any designated Design Review Overlay District.
(b) Powers and Duties. The Design Review Board shall:
(1) Establish and maintain an inventory of all sites in the Design Review District, by conducting, at least every ten (10) years, surveys of all exterior facades visible from the street. For each property within the District, this inventory shall consist of a completed Ohio Historic Inventory Form, a Facade Condition Survey Form and a recent photograph of each structure. A copy of this inventory shall be maintained by the City Clerk and be available for review by the public.
(2) Conduct and maintain a continuing survey of resources of local significance in the community, including buildings, structures, site, objects and areas of architectural, historic, cultural, archeological, or aesthetic interest.
(3) Report recommendations to Council concerning the designation of new design review districts or the elimination/modification of existing design review districts.
(4) Prepare recommendations to Council concerning the development of new design review guidelines and/or modifications to existing design review guidelines for each specific design review area.
(5) Conduct an administrative hearing to hear, review, and evaluate the design and planning proposed in all applications for Certificates of Appropriateness for any new building or any existing building in the process of renovation in the Design Review Overlay District as to the compatibility of the design or renovation with the architectural and/or historic character of the areas. Review ancillary design elements of the building such as walls, fences, landscaping, walkways, parking areas and signs for design compatibility with new and existing buildings structures. For proposed demolition of structures and features with architectural and/or historic value, the Board shall seek alternative methods to preserve the structure or feature.
(6) Make alternative suggestions to building owners and/or developers as to building design, building materials, signs and other building structure and site elements to make projects more compatible and harmonious with adjacent land and the area as a whole.
(7) Offer technical and professional assistance to building owners and/or developers in implementing recommendations.
(8) Make streetscape recommendations to City Council regarding public amenities within any designated Design Review District, including paving of streets and sidewalks, placement and design of streetlights, street furniture, and signage in the public right-of-way.
(9) Evaluate and comment upon decisions by other municipal agencies which affect the physical development and land use patterns with regard to historic or architecturally significant structures and the aesthetic compatibility of buildings within the Design Review District.
(10) Develop information and contact lists for grants and other financing available for the preservation of architectural and historic resources in the City. Make recommendations to Council concerning the utilization of available grants from Federal and State Agencies, private groups, individuals and the utilization of budgetary appropriations to promote the preservation of Locally Significant Resources within the District.
(11) Work for the continuing education of the residents of the City with respect to the architectural and historic heritage of the City.
(12) Encourage and assist building owners with procedures for seeking Federal National Register designation. (Ord. 09-20. Passed 6-22-09.)
(c) Members.
(1) Appointment. The Design Review Board shall consist of five (5) to seven (7) members, as deemed appropriate by motion and majority vote of Council. Individual members shall be appointed by the Mayor-Council Member and confirmed by a majority of the members of Council. The members shall be residents of the incorporated area of the City. Members shall serve without compensation. All members shall have sufficient expertise and/or interest in order to make critical evaluations of proposed plans and to make constructive recommendations for modification of proposed plans. No officer or employee of the City shall be a member. (Ord. 11-29. Passed 10-10-11; Ord. 13-04. Passed 1-7-13.)
(2) Terms. Design Review Board members shall serve for three year staggered terms, but members may continue to serve until their successors have been appointed. In connection with the first appointment of such members, one shall be appointed for a one (1) year term, two shall be appointed for two (2) year terms, and two shall be appointed for three (3) year terms. Members may be appointed to successive terms without limitation.
(3) Vacancy. All subsequent appointments shall be for the unexpired terms, if such be the case, or for a three-year term.
(4) Removal. Members may be removed by City Council at any time for failure to attend three (3) consecutive meetings or for failure to attend thirty (30) percent or more of the meetings within any twelve (12) month period or for any other good cause related to performance of duties. Upon request of the member proposed for removal, City Council shall hold a hearing on the removal before it becomes effective.
(d) Officers. At its first meeting of each year, the Board shall elect a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman from its membership. Vacancies in these offices may be filled for the unexpired terms in similar fashion. Officers shall serve for terms of one (1) year. Officers may take part in all deliberations and vote on all issues. The City Manager shall designate administrative staff to serve as secretary for the Commission.
(Ord. 09-20. Passed 6-22-09.)
(e) Meetings (quorum, voting, records). The Design Review Board shall adopt rules necessary to the conduct of its affairs. The Board shall meet at the call of its chairman and at such other times as it may determine. All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public. The presence of a majority of the voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum. A concurring vote of the members present shall be necessary to affect an order, take action, make decisions or act on any authorization. The Board shall keep minutes of its proceedings showing the vote of each member upon each question, or if absent or failing to vote, showing such fact, and shall keep records of its examinations and other official actions all of which shall be immediately filed in the office of the City Clerk and shall be a public record.
(Ord. 09-20. Passed 6-22-09; Ord. 13-04. Passed 1-7-13.)