Before establishing an historic district, the City Commission shall appoint an Historic District Study Committee. A majority of the persons appointed to the Study Committee shall have a clearly demonstrated interest in or knowledge of historic preservation. The Study Committee shall contain representation of a least one member appointed from one or more duly organized local historic preservation organizations. The Study Committee shall do all of the following:
(A) Conduct a photographic inventory of resources within each proposed historic district following procedures established by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Michigan Historical Center.
(B) Conduct basic research of each proposed historic district and historic resources located within that district.
(C) Determine the total number of historic and non-historic resources within a proposed historic district and the percentage of historic resources of that total. In evaluating the significance of historic resources, the Committee shall be guided by the selection criteria for evaluation issued by the United States Secretary of the Interior for inclusion of resources in the National Register of Historic Places, as set forth in 36 CFR, part 60, and criteria established or approved by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Michigan Historical Center.
(D) Prepare a preliminary Historic District Study Committee report that addresses at a minimum all of the following:
(1) The charge of the Committee;
(2) The composition of Committee membership;
(3) The historic district(s) studied;
(4) The boundaries of each proposed historic district in writing and on maps;
(5) The history of each proposed historic district;
(6) The significance of each district as a whole, as well as a sufficient number of its individual resources to fully represent the variety of resources found within the district, relative to the evaluation criteria;
(7) Transmit copies of the preliminary report for review and recommendations to the local planning body, the State Historic Preservation Office of the Michigan Historical Center, the Michigan Historical Commission, and the State Historic Preservation Review Board; and
(8) Make copies of the preliminary report available to the public pursuant to § 399.203(4) of Public Act 169 of 1970, being M.C.L.A. §§ 399.203(4), as amended.
(E) Not less than 60 calendar days after the transmittal of the preliminary report, the Historic District Study Committee shall hold a public hearing in compliance with Public Act 267 of 1976, being M.C.L.A. §§ 15.261 through 15.275, as amended. Public notice of the time, date and place of the hearing shall be given in the manner required by Public Act 267. Written notice shall be mailed by first class mail not less than 14 calendar days prior to the hearing to the owners of properties within the proposed historic district, as listed on the most current tax rolls. The report shall be made available to the public in compliance with Public Act 442 of 1976, being M.C.L.A. §§ 15.231 through 15.246, as amended.
(F) After the date of the public hearing, the Committee and the City Commission have not more than one year, unless otherwise authorized by the City Commission, to take the following actions:
(1) The Committee shall prepare and submit a final report with its recommendations and the recommendations, if any, of the local planning body to the City Commission as to the establishment of an Historic District. If the recommendation is to establish an Historic District, the final report shall include a draft of the proposed ordinance.
(2) After receiving a final report that recommends the establishment of an Historic District, the City Commission, at its discretion, may introduce and pass or reject an ordinance. If the City Commission passes an ordinance establishing an historic district, the city shall file a copy of the ordinance, including a legal description of the property or properties located within the historic district with the Register of Deeds. The City Commission shall not pass an ordinance establishing a contiguous historic district less than 60 days after a majority of the property owners within the proposed historic district, as listed on the tax rolls of the local unit, have approved the establishment of the historic district pursuant to a written petition.
(G) A writing prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, or retained by a committee in the performance of an official function of the Historic District Commission should be made available to the public in compliance with Public Act 442 of 1976, being M.C.L.A. §§ 15.231 through 15.246, as amended.
(Ord. 14-4, passed 9-18-2014; Am. Ord. 2024-004, passed 7-11-2024)