§ 127-11. Design review standards and guidelines.

(a)

In reviewing plans, the commission shall follow the U.S. secretary of the interior's standards for rehabilitation and guidelines for rehabilitating historic buildings as set forth in 36 C.F.R. part 67. Design review standards and guidelines that address special design characteristics of historic districts administered by the commission may be followed if they are equivalent in guidance to the secretary of interior's standards and guidelines and are established or approved by the state historic preservation office of the Michigan Historical Center.

The U. S. secretary of the interior standards for rehabilitation are as follows:

(1)

A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.

(2)

The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.

(3)

Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.

(4)

Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.

(5)

Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.

(6)

Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.

(7)

Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.

(8)

Significant archaeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.

(9)

New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.

(10)

New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

(b)

In reviewing plans, the commission shall also consider all of the following:

(1)

The historic or architectural value and significance of the resource and its relationship to the historic value of the surrounding area.

(2)

The relationship of any architectural features of the resource to the rest of the resource and to the surrounding area.

(3)

The general compatibility of the design, arrangement, texture, and materials proposed to be used.

(4)

Other factors, such as aesthetic value, that the commission finds relevant.

(5)

Whether the applicant has certified in the application that the property where work will be undertaken has, or will have before the proposed project completion date, a fire alarm system or a smoke alarm complying with the requirements of the Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state construction code act, 1972 PA 230, MCL 125.1501 to 125.1531.

(c)

The commission shall have the responsibility to review proposed projects on all properties within a designated historic district (both historic and non-historic resources). Upon completion of their review, the commission will: issue a certificate of appropriateness; prepare a notice to proceed; or deny the proposed project, as determined by a majority vote.

(Ord. No. 1880, 7-24-06)