(A) After the designation of an historic district, no exterior portion of any building or other structure (including walls, fences, light fixtures, steps and pavement, or other appurtenant features) nor above-ground utility structure, nor any type of outdoor advertising sign shall be erected, altered, restored, moved, or demolished within the district until after the Historic District Commission has received and approved an application for a certificate of appropriateness for the proposed work on exterior features of the building or structure.
(B) The owner or applicant shall submit an application that provides information about the proposed work on exterior features of the building or structure. The application shall include the material that is requested by the Historic District Commission. The owner or applicant shall be required to post signs on the property describing the proposed work.
(C) The city shall require a certificate of appropriateness to be issued by the Historic District Commission prior to the issuance of a building permit or other permit granted for the purposes of demolishing, constructing, or altering a building or structure. A certificate of appropriateness shall be required whether or not a building permit is required.
(D) For purposes of this chapter, EXTERIOR FEATURES shall include the architectural style, general design, and general arrangement of the exterior of a building or other structure, including the kind and texture of the building material and the type and style of all windows, doors, light fixtures, signs, and other appurtenant features. In the case of outdoor advertising signs, EXTERIOR FEATURES shall be construed to mean the style, material, size, and location of all such signs. Changes in the EXTERIOR FEATURES of a building or structure shall include proposed new construction or demolition.
(E) The Historic District Commission shall not review plans that involve changes to the interior of a building or structure. As to exterior features, the Historic District Commission shall only act for the purpose of preventing the construction, reconstruction, alteration, restoration, moving, or demolition of buildings, structures, appurtenant features, or outdoor advertising signs in the historic district which would be incongruous with the historical, architectural, archaeological, or cultural aspects of the district.
(F) The Historic District Commission shall adopt guidelines to help in its review of proposed work. The guidelines shall include the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, and they may include other guidelines appropriate for historic buildings and structures in the city. The Historic District Commission may expand or amend the guidelines it has adopted.
(G) Prior to the review of an application for a certificate of appropriateness, the Historic District Commission shall inform the owners of property likely to be materially affected by the application and shall give the applicant and such owners an opportunity to be heard. In cases where the Historic District Commission deems it necessary, it may hold a public hearing concerning the application.
(H) (1) If the Historic District Commission determines that the proposed construction, reconstruction, alteration, moving, or demolition is appropriate, it shall promptly approve the application and shall issue a certificate of appropriateness.
(2) If the Historic District Commission determines that a certificate of appropriateness should not be issued, it shall place in its records the reasons for this determination and shall promptly notify the applicant, furnishing the applicant an attested copy of its reasons and its recommendations, if any.
(3) The Historic District Commission shall act on the application within 45 days, or it shall be deemed to have approved the application.
(Prior Code, § 153.23) Penalty, see § 152.99