A. Appointment; Membership: The commission shall consist of seven members appointed by the village president with the advice and consent of the village board of trustees. The chairman shall be a member and shall be designated by the village president with the advice and consent of the village board of trustees. Each member shall serve a four year term, provided, however, three members of the initial commission shall serve two year terms with their successive terms being four years. Individuals appointed to the commission shall be residents of the village. The chairman shall have experience or training in building or landscape architecture, construction, land use planning, real estate law, studying/documenting village history or be a licensed real estate broker. Other commission members need not have these qualifications, however, individuals with such qualifications shall be given preference.
B. Powers And Duties: The commission shall:
1. Develop its own rules of procedure and criteria for review. In the absence of procedural rules, the commission shall conduct its business, as nearly as practicable, in accordance with "Robert's Rules Of Order";
2. Periodically and with prior village board approval cause a survey to be conducted of structures, buildings, sites, and areas in the village in order to list those properties which are found to be significant. If the commission finds that a property should be added to the original significant properties list, dated June 15, 2013, written notice of the intent to add the property to the significant property list shall be sent to the owner of record at least fourteen days prior to the date on which the property is added to the significant properties list. The owner receiving such notice shall be asked to provide written acknowledgment of receipt of the intent to add the property to the significant properties list, however, the failure of the owner to receive, or acknowledge receipt of, the notice described herein, shall not result in the removal of the property from the significant properties list. The updated list shall be forwarded to the village board for final receipt and approval;
3. Keep a register of all buildings that have been identified as significant or local landmarks, including all information pertinent to such designation;
4. Provide information regarding: a) physical and financial aspects of preservation, renovation, rehabilitation, and reuse, including information about incentives (including tax freeze) that may be available and possible designation under this chapter; and b) procedures for inclusion on the state or national register of historic places;
5. Inform and educate the residents of the village, village boards/commissions and village staff concerning preservation issues and the village's historic and architectural heritage;
6. Hold public hearings, review applications, conduct prehearing conferences, and make findings and recommendations regarding all matters subject to this chapter;
7. Request technical advice and assistance from village staff members and to retain specialists or consultants when authorized by the village board or village administrator;
8. Advise and make recommendations to other village boards and commissions on matters before those bodies regarding historic preservation;
9. When requested by the village board, review the zoning code and this chapter and recommend any amendments appropriate for the protection and continued use of structures, buildings, or sites within the village;
10. Issue certificates of appropriateness or demolition delay;
11. Recommend to the village board such changes in the boundaries of the historic district or establishment of additional historic districts as may be deemed appropriate;
12. Perform such advisory reviews of proposed construction as may be required by section 13-1-7 of this chapter;
13. Perform such other functions within the scope of this chapter as directed by the village board;
14. Establish specific criteria for identifying significant properties, which criteria shall be subject to approval by the village board;
15. Work with the Oak Park Area Association Of Realtors (and/or the real estate listing broker, if any), Landmarks Illinois, the National Trust For Historic Preservation and other interested historic or preservation organizations to publicize the availability of properties listed on the village's survey of architecturally or historically significant properties, as well as local landmarks, which are available for purchase; and
16. Take such actions as are necessary to seek and maintain certified local government status (established by the national historic preservation act amendments of 1980, 16 USC section 470 et seq., as amended) including, without limitation, requiring: a) annual attendance by a commission representative at at least one informational or educational meeting per year as approved by the director; b) an annual report of the commission's activities to be presented to the director; and c) monitoring and notifying the director of any proposed major alteration or actual/proposed demolition of any structure listed on the Illinois register of historic places or the national register of historic places. (Ord. 3589, 3-14-2016)
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