(A) In addition to satisfying the criteria in § 153.607(A) when recommending the designation of a historic district, the Commission and City Council must also find:
(1) That the historic district is an identifiable and distinct entity with discernible boundaries, consisting of a cohesive concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development.
(2) That the historic district retains integrity from its period of significance as determined by a qualified architectural historian or historian. Not all properties or features within a proposed district need to retain all seven aspects of integrity (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association), but a substantial number of such properties and structures must retain sufficient integrity to convey the historic, cultural, or architectural significance of the district.
(3) That a minimum of 51% of the buildings and structures within the boundaries of the historic district be identified as contributors to the historic district.
(B) The components of an eligible historic district may lack individual distinction but still represent a significant and distinguishable entity that meets eligibility criteria.
(C) In recommending approval of a historic district, the Commission shall recommend the adoption of district-specific preservation plan and design guidelines to guide subsequent in-fill and new construction, alterations and additions, and to further the purpose of this subchapter.
(D) Neither deferred maintenance within a proposed district nor the dilapidated condition of its constituent buildings and landscapes shall, on its own, be equated with a loss of integrity. Integrity shall be judged with reference to the particular characteristics that support the district’s eligibility under the appropriate criteria and theme of significance.
(Ord. 636-C.S., passed 8-15-17)