This section contains criteria for reviewing all applications for new fencing and walls within the historic district or on the local register, and for any application for rehabilitation, renovation, alteration, reconstruction, or enlargement of fencing and walls within the historic district or on the local register. In reviewing an application, the historic preservation advisory committee shall consider the following general standards and principles:
A. Fencing proposals shall be used to form continuous cohesive walls of enclosure along the street, and shall be compatible with the architectural style of the main building and historic district.
B. If historic walls or fencing exist on a property, preference should be given to repair of the existing fencing or wall to restore its original appearance to the extent possible. If removal and replacement of historic fencing and walls is proposed, preference should be given to the use of like materials to preserve the appearance of the original fencing or wall.
C. Proposals for new fencing or walls should be compatible with the character and architectural elements of the historic structure onsite and its period of original construction.
D. Appropriate materials for fencing and walls shall include, but not be limited to, landscape masses, wood, wood pickets, wrought iron, cast iron, masonry walls, brick, stone, decorative wire, and vinyl materials that mimic the appearance of painted wood.
E. Proposals for chain link fencing in areas visible from the street shall be discouraged. The historic preservation advisory committee may grant an application for chain link fencing along public streets if, on the basis of the application and the evidence submitted, the committee makes one of the following findings:
1. That the proposed chain link fencing is compatible with the historic structure and the neighborhood;
2. That sufficient evidence has been provided indicating that the applicant will experience an economic hardship should the chain link fencing not be permitted to be placed on site.
(Ord. 2022-10 (part), 2022)