14.01.090 Process for establishing or amending historic districts.
A. Initiating or Amending Historic Districts. Any person may initiate the process to establish or alter the boundaries of a historic preservation district. The process can also be initiated by the CHC, ARC, planning commission or city council.
B. Application. An application to establish or alter the boundaries of a historic preservation district shall be submitted to the department. The application shall meet the requirements for rezoning as described in the zoning regulations. The application and supporting information and plans shall be submitted to the department and shall include:
1. A map (eight and one-half inches by eleven inches) from the official zoning map, with the area to be changed shaded or outlined in a heavy, black line, with the proposed area to be changed clearly labeled;
2. Information showing how the application meets the criteria to establish or alter a historic district designation;
3. A statement of historic significance. A statement of historic significance shall be prepared by a qualified professional, as listed in the city’s list of qualified historians. The director may waive the requirement that the statement be prepared by a qualified professional if the applicant provides adequate information to enable informed review of the proposed district.
C. Contents. Statements of historic significance shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. A visual and written description of the district’s boundaries.
2. A description of the district’s architectural, historic, and cultural resources, character and significance, including a historic survey documenting the period of significance and how historic properties meet adopted local, state and, where applicable, federal criteria for historic listing.
3. Preservation goals and concerns for the district including but not limited to:
a. Identification of preservation priorities, important features, goals and objectives; and
b. Identification of potential obstacles to preservation; and
c. Identification of historic land use policies and goals for future land use; and
d. Special considerations for development review of projects both involving and not involving historic resources.
4. Graphic and written design guidelines applicable to the district’s preservation goals, historic character and features which shall include, but not be limited to:
a. Guidelines for projects involving historic resources, focused on preserving the district’s character and significant archeological, architectural, and historic features; and
b. Guidelines for projects within the district but not involving historically designated properties, focused on maintaining street character and compatibility with the district’s historic character while not necessarily mimicking historic styles.
D. Review. The CHC shall review the application and make a recommendation to the planning commission. The planning commission shall review the CHC recommendation and rezoning application and make a recommendation to the city council. The city council shall review the application and the recommendations of the CHC and planning commission, and approve or disapprove the application. The CHC, planning commission and the city council shall each conduct a public hearing on the application and the notice of such hearings shall be completed as provided in the city’s notification procedures.
E. Review Criteria. When considering a historic preservation district application, the reviewing body shall consider both of the following criteria:
1. Environmental Design Continuity. The inter-relationship of structures and their relationship to a common environment; the continuity, spatial relationship, and visual character of a street, neighborhood, or area. Environmental design continuity is comprised of:
a. Symbolic importance to the community of a key structure in the area and the degree to which it serves as a conspicuous and pivotal landmark (e.g., easily accessible to the public, helps to establish a sense of time and place); or
b. Compatibility of structures with neighboring structures in their setting on the basis of period, style (form, height, roof lines), design elements, landscapes, and natural features; and how these combine together to create an integral cultural, historic, or stylistic setting; or
c. Similarity to and/or compatibility of structures over fifty years of age which, collectively, combine to form a geographically definable area with its own distinctive character.
2. Whether the proposed district contains structures which meet criteria for inclusion on the city’s list of historic resources. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)