Powers and procedures

A. Reviewable actions. The Historic District Commission shall review all plans for new construction on any existing lot or lots, including any construction, alteration, removal or demolition of a structure affecting the exterior appearance of any designated structure within an Historic District. The Historic District Commission shall have the power to review and approve such plans before a building or demolition permit is issued.
[Amended 9-9-2010 by Ch. No. 2947]
B. General procedures.
- (1) 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 any designated Historic District, the owner must apply for and receive a certificate of appropriateness from the Commission.
- (2) A certificate of appropriateness is necessary for all window replacements and all construction, alteration, repair, removal or demolition requiring a building permit. The Director may not issue a building permit until the Commission has issued a certificate of appropriateness.
  [Amended 8-25-2004 by Ch. No. 2739]
- (3) In applying for a certificate of appropriateness, a property owner must comply with the application procedures as established by the Commission pursuant to Chapter 45-24.1 of the General Laws, as amended, and the provisions of this chapter.
C. Application for certificate of appropriateness.
- (1) Applications for certificates of appropriateness shall be filed with the Commission at the Department of Planning and Redevelopment, whose staff shall determine if such application is complete and who shall forward complete applications, together with all maps, plans and other data to the Commission for review. Incomplete applications shall be returned to the applicant within seven working days of receipt of the Department of Planning and Redevelopment.
- (2) The Commission shall require the owner to submit information which is reasonably necessary to evaluate the proposed construction, alteration, repair, removal or demolition, including but not limited to site plans, elevation drawings, photographs or other information deemed appropriate by the Commission as set forth in the Commission's rules and regulations.
D. Commission's review of applications.
- (1) In reviewing applications and plans, the Commission shall give consideration to:
  - (a) The historical and architectural significance of the structure and its appurtenances.
  - (b) The way in which the structure and its appurtenances contribute to the historical and architectural significance of the district.
  - (c) The appropriateness of the general design, arrangement, texture, material and siting proposed in the plans.
- (2) The Commission shall pass only on exterior features of a structure and its appurtenances and shall not consider interior arrangements.
- (3) The Commission shall use the standards contained in the publication Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings by the Secretary of the Interior as its primary guide.
- (4) All decisions of the Commission shall be in writing. The Commission shall articulate and explain the reasons and basis of each decision on record and, in the case of a decision not to issue a certificate of appropriateness, the Commission shall include the basis for its conclusion that the proposed activity would be incongruous with those aspects of the structure, appurtenances or the district which the Commission has determined to be historically or architecturally significant. The Commission shall send a copy of the decision to the applicant.