(a) Appointment of Historic Review Commission: Prior to the establishment of a Historic District, the City Council shall appoint a Historic Review Commission. The Commission shall consist of nine (9) members who shall be residents of Berkeley County. They shall be chosen, as far as possible, from the membership of the Berkeley County Historical Society, Martinsburg Historic Landmarks Commission, and other cultural, educational, business, and civic groups concerned with the preservation of the City’s character. The Historic Preservation Review Commission shall administer the historic preservation district or districts.
(b) Proposed Historic District: The Review Commission shall investigate the area proposed to be included in a Historic District or Districts, gathering such information as can be obtained in a reasonable period. The study shall include consideration of the historical or architectural importance of buildings or sites in the area, the present use and condition of buildings and land, and the relation of the proposed historic district to surrounding areas. The Review Commission shall, after investigation, prepare and submit a report to the City Council on the historical significance of the buildings, structures, sites, monuments, areas, and landmarks to be included in the proposed historic district and shall outline the boundaries of the proposed historic district on a map.
(c) Preliminary City Council Review: The City Council shall review the report of the
Historic Preservation Review Commission, considering any review comments, and shall indicate tentative approval of the report and the proposed historic preservation district, or shall return the report for additional study and revision.
(d) Application for a Zoning Map Amendment: Following tentative approval of the historic district area by the City Council, the Review Commission shall make application for a zoning map amendment for a historic preservation district classification for the proposed historic area, following the procedures outlined in Section 1321.12
of this Ordinance. If more than one historic preservation district is proposed, a separate application shall be prepared for each district.
(e) Hearing Procedure: The Planning Commission shall hold a public hearing on the proposed Historic Preservation District map amendment application, following the procedure outlined in Section 1321.12
. An adequate number of notices of the hearing (at least one per block) shall be posted within the area of the proposed historic district to inform the public, but it shall not be necessary to post a notice on every property. After the hearing, the Planning Commission shall send its report to the City Council for consideration. (Ord. Passed 4-8-82.)