For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ALTERATION. Any change to the exterior of a building, structure, object or site. ALTERATION shall include, but is not limited to, changing to a different kind, type or size of roofing or siding materials; changing, elimination or adding exterior doors, door frames, windows, window frames, shutters, fences, railings, columns, beams, walls, porches, steps, porte-cocheres, balconies, or ornamentation; or the dismantling, moving or removing of any exterior feature. ALTERATION does not include ordinary maintenance and repair.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL. Relating to the study of past human behavior through use of material remains of historic and prehistoric origin.
BUILDING. A building, such as a house, barn, church, hotel or similar construction that is created to shelter any form of human activity. BUILDING may also be used to refer to a historically and functionally related unit, such as a courthouse and jail or a house and barn.
BUILDING PERMIT. An official document or certificate issued by the City Secretary or Building Official authorizing performance of a specified activity, including the alteration, restoration, rehabilitation, construction, relocation or demolition of a building, structure or object.
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS. A current and valid permit issued by the Commission, as applicable, authorizing the issuance of a building permit for construction, alteration, rehabilitation, restoration, relocation or demolition required by this chapter.
CONSTRUCTION. The act of expanding an existing building, structure or object; or the creation of a new building, structure or object on a lot, site or other property.
DEMOLITION. An act or process that destroys in whole or in part any building, structure, object or site.
DESIGNATED. The formal recognition by the City Council of a building, structure, object, site or district as historically, architecturally, culturally or archaeologically significant to the city, state, nation or region.
EXTERIOR FEATURE. An element of the architectural character and general arrangement of the external portion of a building, structure or object, including building materials, that is visible from a public right-of-way.
HISTORIC DISTRICT. A geographic area of the city, designated as described in this chapter, which possesses a significant concentration, linkage or continuity of sites, buildings, structures or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development.
INTEGRITY. The authenticity of a property's historic identity, evidenced by survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property's historic or prehistoric period.
LANDMARK. Any individual building, structure or object that is significant for historical, architectural or archaeological reasons.
OBJECT. Used to distinguish from buildings and structures those constructions that are primarily artistic in nature, or are relatively small in scale, and simply constructed. Although it may be, by nature or design, movable, an OBJECT is associated with a specific setting or environment, such as statuary in a designated landscape.
ORDINARY MAINTENANCE. Activities relating to a property that would be considered ordinary or common for maintaining the property and does not involve a change in design, materials, color or appearance, such as the replacement of a porch floor with identical or comparable materials. It also may include other activities, such as painting.
PRESERVATION. The act or process of applying measures to sustain the existing form, integrity, and material of a building or structure, and the existing form and vegetative cover of a site. It may include initial stabilization work, where necessary, as well as continued maintenance of the historic building materials.
REHABILITATION. The act or process of returning a property to a state of utility through repair or alteration which makes possible an efficient contemporary use, while preserving those portions or features of the property which are significant to its historical, architectural and cultural values.
RELOCATION. Any change in the location of a building, structure or object.
RESTORATION. The act or process of accurately recovering the form and details of a property and its setting as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of later work or by the replacement of missing earlier work.
SITE. The location of a significant event, a prehistoric or historic occupation or activity, or a building or structure, whether standing, ruined or vanished, where the location itself possesses historical, cultural or archaeological value regardless of the value of any existing structure.
STRUCTURE. Used to distinguish from building those functional constructions made usually for purposes other than creating human shelter.
(Ord. 08-341, passed 1-22-2008)