In making a determination whether to approve or deny an application for a Certificate
of
Appropriateness (COA) the Board shall be guided by the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards
for Rehabilitation,” as follows:
a. 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 environment;
b. 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;
c. 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;
d. Most properties change over time;
those changes that have acquired historic significance
in their own right shall be retained and preserved;
e. Distinctive stylistic features or
examples of skilled craftsmanship that characterize a
building, structure, or site shall be treated with sensitivity;
f. 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;
g. Chemical or physical treatments, such
as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic
materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of the structures, if appropriate, shall be
undertaken using the gentlest means possible;
h. Significant archaeological resources
affected by a project shall be protected and
preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken;
i. 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;
j. 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.
k. Non-contributing structures in historic districts as defined
by the building survey submitted
with the application for designation of an historic district are exempt from these criteria and shall
only be subject to the design guidelines set forth in Section 12.704.
