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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
Historic District Commission. 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 the Towns regulation. |
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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 plans, drawings, photographs or
any other information set forth in the application procedures. The owner
of the property must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness for the
project, whether or not state law requires a permit from the Building
Inspector. The Building Inspector shall not issue a permit until the
Commission has granted a Certificate of Appropriateness. |
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In reviewing
plans, the Historic District Commission shall give consideration to the
following: |
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The historic and
architectural significance of the structure and its appurtenances; |
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The way in which the
structure and its appurtenances contribute to the historical and
architectural significance of the district; and |
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The appropriateness
of the general design, arrangement, texture, materials and siting
proposed in the plans. |
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The Commission shall
pass only on exterior features of a structure and its appurtenances and
shall not consider interior arrangements. |
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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 compliance, 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 that Commission has determined to be historically
or architecturally significant. The Commission shall send a copy of the
decision to the applicant. |
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If an application is
submitted for construction, repair, alteration, removal or demolition
affecting the exterior appearance of a structure or its appurtenances
which the Commission deems so valuable to the town, state or nation that
the loss thereof will be a great loss to the Town, State or Nation, the
Commission shall endeavor to work out with the owner an economically
feasible plan for the preservation of such structure. Unless the
Commission is satisfied that the retention of such structure constitutes
a hazard to public safety, which hazard cannot be eliminated by economic
means available to the owner, including sale of the structure to any
purchaser willing to preserve such structure, or unless the Commission
votes to issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for such proposed
construction, alteration, removal or demolition, the Commission shall
file with the Building Inspector its rejection of such application. |
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If any structure is
deemed so valuable for the period of architecture it represents and
important to the neighborhood within which it exists, the Commission may
file with the Building Inspector its Certificate of Appropriateness for
such application if any of the circumstances under which a Certificate
of Appropriateness might have been given if: |
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Preservation of such
structure is a deterrent to a major improvement program which will be of
substantial benefit to the community; |
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Preservation of such
structure would cause undue or unreasonable financial hardship to the
owner, taking into account the financial resources available to the
owner including sale of the structure to any purchaser willing to
preserve such structure; or |
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Preservation of such
structure would not be in the interest of the majority of the community. |
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When considering an
application to demolish or remove a structure of historic value, the
Commission shall assist the owner in identifying and evaluating
alternatives to demolition, including sale of the structure in its
present site. In addition to any other criteria, the Commission also
shall consider whether there is a reasonable likelihood that some person
or group other than the current owner is willing to purchase, move and
preserve such structure and whether the owner has made continuing, bona
fide and reasonable efforts to sell the structure to any such purchaser
willing to move and preserve such structure. |
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In circumstances
where Historic District Commission review may overlap with historic
reviews of the State Historic Preservation Commission, it shall be the
obligation of the Historic District Commission to arrange a coordinated
review process with the state agency. This coordinated review shall be
arranged within the time limitations established through the local
commission's rules of procedure for its own review of an application.
The purpose of the coordinated review shall be to minimize the potential
for conflicting opinions on matters related to historic preservation on
the part of the local and state authorities. The Historic District
Commission shall solicit the written comments of the State Historic
Preservation Commission. |
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Meeting
Agendas & Minutes 2008
to Current |
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Meeting Archives
2003
- 2007 |
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All meetings are held in the
Cold
Spring Community Center,
30 Beach
Street at 7:00 pm unless otherwise noted. |
