(a) Design Standards Applicable to the Design Review Overlay District. The primary standard which shall apply to applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness for sites within the Design Review Overlay District shall be whether the application under consideration promotes, preserves, and enhances the architectural character of the community. Deliberation may also take into account the following factors:
(1) The historic, cultural, architectural or archeological value and significance of the property;
(2) The relationship of any architectural features of a structure to the rest of the structure and the surrounding area;
(3) The general compatibility of the design, arrangement, texture and material proposed to be used;
(4) Other factors, such as aesthetic value and cost, that the Commission finds relevant.
(b) Locally Significant Resources. In the event the application involves property containing a designated Locally Significant Resource, the Design Review Commission shall use as evaluative criteria the ten federal standards established by the Department of the Interior in “The Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings” by Morton, Hume, Weeks and Jandl (United States, National Park Service, Preservation Assistance Division, 1991, as reprinted in 1997). Such standards are incorporated as a part of this Chapter as if fully rewritten herein. A copy of the complete Standards are available in the City offices or may be purchased from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, D.C. 20402-9328. Wherever possible, the historic character of a Locally Significant Resource should be retained, preserved, renovated, and where appropriate, adaptively reused. Specifically:
(1) 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. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired Locally Significant Resource status in their own right shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
(2) Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use. Changes that create a false sense of historic development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
(3) Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. If major facade components are badly deteriorating or missing (and replicas are not feasible) great care should be taken to replace them with creative designs that reflect the proportions, scale, detail, design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials of the original.
(4) New additional, exterior alterations 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 comparable with the massing, size, scale and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. 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.
(5) Original building facade wall surfaces and detailing should be restored whenever possible.
(6) Special attention should be given to the removal of storefront applied surface materials that have original building details preserved beneath, especially those surface materials that extend onto the piers and walls of the upper facade.
(7) All exposed mechanical equipment, unused electrical apparatus or sign supports should be removed.
(8) Cornice or Fascia. W here removed, a cornice or fascia should be restored to reemphasize the original design intent of the structure and should be designed in proportion to the overall mass of the building.
(9) Brick. Maintain the colors, textures, and bonding patterns of brick found in existing historic structures.
(10) Color. Utilize color schemes relevant to the historic period represented by the building architecture during remodeling or new construction, limiting strong accent colors for special effects only.
(11) Entrances. On traditional storefront buildings, recessed entrances are encouraged. Maintain established materials and design of entrance door hardware.
(12) Windows. Maintain the design, scale, proportion of window modules and sustain the repetitive rhythm of window patterns along established block facades.
A. Display windows of a storefront should never be filled or covered except where there are residential uses abutting the sidewalk on the ground floor.
B. Preserve the original proportions of window openings during interior alterations.
C. Maintain the original arrangement of glass panes whenever possible or duplicate similar configurations found along the square.
D. Retain or duplicate the original materials of window elements such as sashes, frames, sills, jambs, and lintels.
E. Maintain widths of single and double module windows that reflect the architectural lines of the upper part of the facade.
(13) Awnings. Awnings should be attached directly to the building without requiring a support column on the sidewalk and have a minimum clearance of eight (8) feet and a maximum clearance of twelve (12) feet above the sidewalk. Awning signs shall not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the vertical area of the sign.
(14) Significant archaeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
(c) Properties Not Designated as Locally Significant Resources. For property which does not contain a designated Locally Significant Resource, the Design Review Commission shall determine appropriateness by whether the proposed activity will have a negative effect on the historic character and visual integrity of the Design Review Overlay District.
(1) Building architecture, materials, colors, and height should be designed to complement and coordinate with Locally Significant Resources in the Design Review Overlay District.
(2) If new materials are to be used for buildings that are architecturally undistinguished, they should be selected to coordinate with neighboring structures and to complement the design of the structure.
(d) New Construction. The Design Review Commission shall determine appropriateness of a completely new freestanding structure by whether the new construction will have a negative effect on the historic character and visual integrity of the Design Review Overlay District. New construction shall be designed to:
(1) Maintain the repetitive storefront widths along established block facades to create a unified street wall.
(2) On traditional storefront buildings, recessed entrances are encouraged.
(3) Building architecture, materials, colors, and height should be designed to complement and coordinate with Locally Significant Resources in the Design Review Overlay District.
(e) Demolition Applications.
(1) Upon a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition, the Design Review Commission shall determine whether the structure is or has the potential for designation as a Locally Significant Resource.
A. If not a Locally Significant Resource or a potential Locally Significant Resource, nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the demolition of such structure, whether public or private.
B. If the subject structure is determined to have the potential for designation as a Locally Significant Resource, every effort shall be expended by the Design Review Commission to undertake meaningful discussion with the applicant to find a means of preserving the resource, including a continuance of the hearing for up to ninety (90) days to permit the Commission recommend to Council that the designation of "Locally Significant Resource" be assigned to such building, identify alternative uses for the structure, undertake grant applications, or seek public acquisition or purchase by a third party with a preservation interest in the building.
C. No Certificate of Appropriateness may be issued for demolition of a Locally Significant Resource unless the Design Review Commission finds there is no reasonable economic use or return for the structure as it exists such that deterioration has progressed to the extent that rehabilitation is not economically sound, or there is no feasible and prudent alternative to demolition. To justify that rehabilitation is not economically sound, the record must contain sufficient information so that the Commission may adequately make a factual decision. Evidence which may be found significant in such a determination may include: a two-year gross income statement from the property which itemizes operating and maintenance expenses, depreciation, debt-service, and annual cash flow; a two- year financial pro-forma prepared by a third party architect, developer, appraiser, or other real estate professional experienced in rehabilitation; a two-year history of offers substantiated by a real estate broker engaged to advertise to sell or lease the property at a reasonable price or rent; an evaluation of structural suitability for rehabilitation signed by a licensed engineer or architect experienced in rehabilitation; economic incentives and/or funding available to the applicant through federal, state, City, or private programs; the history of real estate taxes over the past two years, the purchase price, and the relationship between the owner of record or applicant and the person from whom the property was purchased; and similar reliable and probative evidence and testimony.
(2) Where a Certificate of Appropriateness is approved for demolition, every reasonable effort shall be made to protect and preserve Locally Significant Resources adjacent to or affected by any project.
A. Prior to demolition, the owner shall provide up to a six-month window of opportunity for all historic features to be salvaged from the property.
B. Once the structure has been removed, the lot shall be graded to the level of the sidewalk and sloped to provide proper site drainage to assure that water does not compromise adjacent building or foundation walls, nor allow surface run-off to flow on any sidewalk or right-of-way.
C. Landscaping treatments, such as plants, trees, fencing, walkways, benches, and other elements shall be installed to preserve or create a unified street wall, or park-like space.
(f) Minimum Maintenance Requirements. Properties in the Design Review Overlay District shall be kept in good repair in a safe and sanitary condition and presentable appearance. Such properties shall be provided sufficient maintenance and upkeep for such structure to ensure its perpetuation and to prevent its destruction by deterioration.
(g) Guidelines for Developing Additional Design Standards. After appointment and subject to Council approval, the Design Review Commission may develop and provide City Council with specific design standards and guidelines for each subdistrict within the established Design Review Overlay District.
(1) Additional design standards and guidelines developed for subdistricts within the Design Review Overlay District shall be based upon the following:
A. Historic Areas. Design review standards that address historical areas shall conform to “The Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings” by Morton, Hume, Weeks and Jandl (United States, National Park Service, Preservation Assistance Division, 1991, as reprinted in 1997).
B. New Construction. Design review standards and guidelines shall not limit new construction to any one historical period or architectural style, but shall seek to insure compatibility with relevant historical or contextual urban design considerations of a neighborhood, district or corridor.
C. Relation to Underlying Zoning District. The use, lot area, and bulk regulations in a particular Design Review Overlay District shall be in accordance with the applicable underlying zoning district, except as the use, area, and yard regulations may be expressly modified or revised in accordance with this chapter.
D. Relation to the Comprehensive Plan. Design review standards should address any design standards adopted in the Rossford Comprehensive Plan.
(2) Additional design standards shall address preferred methods for modification and reuse of structures and methods to encourage compatible new development within the Design Review Overlay District. Such standards shall include sufficient detail and may address:
A. Design;
B. Building height;
C. Building width;
D. Roof type;
E. Building materials consisting of the type characteristic of the century or period;
F. Ornamentation of features such as window and door lintels, quoins, soffits, cornices, fences, railing and the like;
G. Walkway paving materials;
H. Building setback from the street line;
I. Color or colors of the exterior as related to color or colors of surrounding structures;
J. Arrangements of the structures on the lot;
K. Scale, placement and design of signage;
L. Exterior lighting;
M. Exterior landscape elements.
(Ord. 2008-06. Passed 4-14-08.)