Powers and procedures of historic district commission
(a) Before a property owner may authorize or commence construction, alteration, repair, removal or demolition affecting the exterior appearance of a structure or its appurtenances within the historic district, the owner must apply for and receive a certificate of appropriateness from the commission. The building inspector shall not issue a building permit until the commission has granted a certificate of appropriateness. The owner of the property must obtain a certificate of appropriateness whether or not state law requires a permit from the building inspector.
(b) Applications for certificates of appropriateness shall be filed with the commission at the department of planning, whose staff shall determine if such application is complete. Once the application has been determined to be complete, it shall be forwarded to the commission along with all maps, plans, and other data provided by the applicant to the commission for their review. The department of planning shall provide to the commission a written opinion stating whether the application meets the standards of review stated in this chapter.
(c) In applying, the owner must comply with application procedures as established by the commission pursuant to R.I.G.L. 1956, § 45-24.1-1 et seq., and this article. The owner shall submit information which is reasonably necessary to evaluate the proposed construction, alteration, repair, removal or demolition, including but not limited to plans, drawings, photographs or any other information set forth in the application procedures.
(d) All decisions of the commission shall be in writing. The commission shall articulate and explain the reasons and bases of each decision on a record, or if the decision is not to issue a certificate of appropriateness, the commission shall include the bases for its conclusion that the proposed activity would be incongruous with those aspects of the structure, appurtenance or the district which the commission has determined to be historically or architecturally significant. The commission shall send a copy of all decisions to the applicant, building inspector, and planning department.
(e) The commission's secretary shall record minutes of all meetings. The records of the commission shall be available for public inspection in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations at the office of the city clerk.
(f) Fish passage facilities, accessory structures, and related river modifications associated with the Ten Mile River Fish Restoration Project are exempt from a review by the historic district commission.
(Ch. 413, § I, 1-16-07)