Certificate of Appropriateness Application Page 6 of 7
Criteria for Granting Certificates of Appropriateness (Section 23.5-4(k)1)
In approving or denying applications for certificates of appropriateness, the City shall, at a minimum,
consider the following general guidelines:
A. What is the effect of the proposed work on the landmark or the property upon which such
work is to be done?
B. What is the relationship between such work and other structures on the landmark site or
other property in the historic district?
C. To what extent will the historic, architectural, or archaeological significance, architectural
style, design, arrangement, texture, materials and color of the landmark or the property be
affected?
D. Would denial of a certificate of appropriateness deprive the property owner of reasonable
beneficial use of his property?
E. Are the applicant's plans technically feasible and capable of being carried out within a
reasonable time?
F. Do the plans satisfy the applicable portions of the general criteria contained in the United
States Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation then in effect or as they may be
revised from time to time? The current version of the Secretary's Guidelines provides 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) This historic character of the 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 historic property shall be preserved.
(6) Deteriorated architectural features shall be repaired rather than replaced,
wherever possible. In the event replacement is necessary, the new material should
match the material being replaced in composition, design, color, texture, and other
visual qualities. Repair or replacement of missing architectural features should be based
on accurate duplications of features, substantiated by historical, physical, or pictorial
evidence rather than on conjectural designs or because the different architectural
elements from other buildings or structures happen to be available for relocation.