In making a determination whether to approve or deny an application for a COA, the Pittsfield Historic Preservation Advisory Committee shall be guided by the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Rehabilitation” whenever feasible, as follows:
(A) A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site environment;
(B) The historic character of the property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and space that characterize a property shall be avoided;
(C) Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken;
(D) Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved;
(E) Distinctive stylistic features or examples of skilled craftsmanship that characterize a building, structure, or site shall be treated with sensitivity;
(F) Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities, and where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence;
(G) The surface cleaning of the structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible;
(H) Significant archaeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken;
(I) New additions, exterior alteration, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment;
(J) New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
(Am. Ord. 1532, passed 2-3-15)