A.
Encourage the continued use of historic resources and facilitate
their appropriate re-use.
B.
Safeguard the heritage of the City of Camden by preserving resources
within the City which reflect elements of its cultural, social, economic
and architectural history.
C.
Maintain and develop an appropriate and harmonious setting for the
historic and architecturally significant buildings, structures, sites,
objects, or districts within the City of Camden.
D.
Stabilize and improve property values and discourage the unnecessary
and untimely demolition of historic resources.
E.
Foster civic beauty and neighborhood pride.
F.
Promote appreciation of Historic Conservation Overlay Districts for
the education, pleasure and welfare of the citizens of the City of
Camden and its visitors.
G.
Spur beautification and private reinvestment.
H.
Manage change by preventing alteration or new construction not in
keeping with the historic structure or the Historic Conservation Overlay
District.
I.
Recognize the importance of all buildings in conservation districts
and of individual historic structures located outside of a district
by urging property owners and tenants to maintain their properties
in keeping with the requirements and standards of this article.
J.
Encourage the proper maintenance and preservation of historic settings
and landscapes.
K.
Encourage appropriate alterations of historic structures and buildings
in Historic Conservation Overlay Districts.
L.
Enhance the visual and aesthetic character, diversity, continuity
and interest of the City.
M.
Promote the conservation of historic sites located in Historic Conservation
Overlay Districts and invite voluntary compliance in a manner that
minimizes hardships on residents located within conservation districts,
especially those of low and moderate income.
N.
Protect archeological sites and resources currently buried that may
prove valuable in interpreting the history or pre-history of the City
of Camden.
The following regulations shall apply to all structures designated in § 870-155 and to any other historic resources which are designated in accordance with the procedures outlined in §§ 870-161 and 870-173. These historic designations shall be in addition to the districts which shall also be designated on the City Zoning Map and articles of the Land Development Ordinance for such areas.
All uses permitted for an historic structure(s) within a conservation
district shall be those designated by the City Zoning Map. Such uses
shall not be altered by further designation as an Historic Conservation
Overlay District.
The maximum building height, minimum lot size, maximum coverage,
etc., shall be as provided in the Land Development Ordinance for the
respective zones, except that the Planning Board or Zoning Board of
Adjustment may grant variances for such regulations where necessary
to preserve historic characteristics.
A.
The designation and creation of historic conservation districts and
the designation of historic structures is hereby authorized.
B.
Surveys shall be used as a basis for identifying future historic
structures and Historic Conservation Overlay Districts worthy of such
designation. The Commission shall consider for designation individual
structures and districts that have integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship and association, and that meet one
or more of the following criteria or attributes:
(1)
Character, interest or intrinsic value as part of the development,
heritage or cultural characteristics of the City, state or nation;
(2)
Identification with a person or persons who significantly enriched
the City, state or nation;
(3)
Site of an historic event which had significant effect on the
development of the City, state or nation;
(4)
Embodiment of distinctive characteristics of a type or period
or method of construction, architecture or engineering;
(5)
Identification with the work of a master builder, builder, designer,
artist, architect, developer or landscape architect whose work has
influenced the development of the City, state or nation;
(6)
Unique location of singular physical characteristics that make
a district, landmark or topographical feature an established or familiar
visual feature or landmark in the City of Camden; or
(7)
Ability or potential ability to yield information important
in prehistory or history.
C.
Designation of an Historic Conservation Overlay District shall occur
according to the procedures outlined below:
(1)
The Commission or interested party shall prepare a nomination
report for each proposed district or structure. For Historic Conservation
Overlay District designations, the report shall include a building-by-building
inventory of all properties within the district, photographs of representative
properties within the district, a property map of the district showing
boundaries and tax parcel, a physical description and statement of
significance for the district and a property tax parcel listing. For
historic structure designations, the report shall include one or more
photographs, the tax lot and block number of the property and a physical
description and a statement of significance.
(2)
The Commission shall schedule a public hearing on the proposed
designation of a district or structure. At least 10 days prior to
the hearing, the applicant for designation or the Commission, as the
case may be, shall by personal service or certified mail:
(a)
Notify each owner of private property of a proposed historic
structure or each owner of a property within a proposed conservation
district that his or her property is being considered for historic
designation and the reasons therefor;
(b)
Advise each owner of private property of the significance and
consequences of such designation and of his or her right to object
to such designation; and
(c)
Notify each owner or private property of the date, time and
place of the hearing.
(3)
Public notice of the hearing shall be given at least 10 days
prior to the hearing by publication in the official newspaper of the
City. A copy of the nomination report shall also be made available
for public inspection in the City Clerk's office at least 10 days
prior to the hearing.
(4)
Upon Commission review and approval of the proposed Historic
Conservation Overlay District or historic structure designation, the
Commission shall forward its report to the City Council. The City
Council shall refer the report to the Planning Board, which in turn
shall report to the City Council within 35 days. If the designation
report is approved by the Planning Board, the Board shall forward
its recommendation for commensurate historic zoning change to the
City Council. The City Council may disapprove or change any Planning
Board recommendation by a vote of a majority of its full authorized
membership and shall record in its minutes the reasons for not following
such recommendation. Failure of the Planning Board to transmit its
report within the thirty-five-day period provided herein shall relieve
the City Council of its obligations relating to referral of such a
report to the Planning Board. City Council action on conservation
district designation shall be otherwise subject to those procedures
and statutes which apply to a change of a zoning designation and the
adoption, revision or amendment of any development regulation.
(5)
Notice of designation shall be made public by publication in
the official newspaper of the City Council and distribution to all
municipal agencies reviewing development applications and permits.
A certificate or letter of designation shall be sent to each owner
affected by the designation as identified by the Tax Assessor. In
those cases where City Council approval of a conservation district
or the extension of an existing district is forthcoming, the City
Zoning Map shall be amended to indicate the extension of the Conservation
District Overlay Zone shall be amended accordingly.
(6)
A protest of a proposed historic district signed by 50% or more
of the property owners within that proposed conservation district
may be filed with the City Clerk. Such designation shall not become
effective following the filing of such protest except by a favorable
vote of 2/3 of all members of the City Council.
A.
The exterior of structures shall not be restored, reconstructed,
rehabilitated, constructed or demolished, altered or added to unless
such action complies with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards
or standards created specifically for the regulation of building restoration
within Historic Conservation Overlay Districts.
B.
If any person shall undertake any activity on a structure or site
within an Historic Conservation Overlay District or an individual
historic structure without first having appeared before the Historic
Preservation Commission, such person shall be deemed to be in violation
of this article.
C.
Upon learning of the violation, the Zoning Officer/Administrative
Officer shall personally serve upon the owner of the lot whereon the
violation is occurring or has occurred a notice describing the violation
in detail and giving the owner 10 days to abate the violation by restoring
the structure or improvement to its status quo ante. If the owner
cannot be personally served within the City with said notice, a copy
shall be posted on-site and a copy sent by certified mail, return
receipt requested, to the owner or violator at his last known address
as it appears on the City tax rolls.
All existing zoning regulations, in addition to those enumerated
in this article, shall apply to Historic Conservation Overlay Districts.
The historic structures and properties in Historic Districts and Historic
Conservation Overlay Districts identified in Appendix A of the Camden
Historic Survey and the City Master Plan shall be included in a Historic
Conservation District Overlay Zone.
This article shall be interpreted to review or regulate:
A certificate of appropriateness is not required in a Conservation
District or historic structure designated for conservation.
