[Adopted 9-27-2010 by Ch. No. 1725]
There shall be an Architectural Review Board in the Town of
Westerly, the purpose of which shall be to provide guidance in the
form of an advisory opinion with regard to the design of buildings,
structures, landscaping and site layout, with the objective of promoting
development projects that are in harmony with Westerly's architectural
heritage, and is in the context to promote, encourage and improve
the appearance, beauty and character of the individual historic villages
within the community.
A.
The Architectural Review Board shall function in an advisory capacity
to the Planning and Zoning Boards, providing commentary on submitted
architectural plans and site plans submitted for development plan
review applications for commercial, industrial, institutional, and
multifamily residential developments, with regard to the scale, massing,
and proportions of buildings, landscaping, public spaces, lighting
and signage.
B.
The Architectural Review Board shall not conduct its review relative
to zoning regulations governing use of a property, the granting of
variances, or building code compliance. Furthermore, the Board's recommendations
shall not be binding; rather, they are of an advisory nature only,
and a plan's endorsement by the Architectural Review Board will not
imply or guarantee subsequent approval of an application by the Planning
and Zoning Board.
C.
The Architectural Review Board shall not require additional documents
beyond what is required under the minor or major development plan
review planning approval process.
D.
Prior to commencing its role as an Architectural Review Board, the
Board shall develop proposed rules of procedure/guidelines to be submitted
to the Town Council for approval.
E.
The Architectural Review Board shall submit a written report to the
Planning and Zoning Boards for each application not less than 10 days
prior to the scheduled meeting or public hearing at which the application
will be heard. If the Architectural Review Board fails to submit a
written report within this time frame, the application will move forward
through the planning and zoning process and shall be deemed to have
no comment from the Board. The Architectural Review Board shall not
be authorized to extend its review period absent consent from the
applicant.
A.
The Architectural Review Board shall consist of five members who
shall be appointed by the Town Council. The initial appointments to
this Board shall be as follows: two members for three years; two members
for two years; and one member for one year. Thereafter, members of
the Board shall be appointed for a period of three years from July
1 in the year of their appointment. Any vacancy occurring in the membership
of the Board shall be filled by an appointment of the Town Council
for the unexpired portion of the vacated term.
[Amended 3-10-2014 by
Ch. No. 1812]
B.
At the first meeting after July 1 of each year, the Board shall elect
a Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary from among its members. Said
appointments shall be by a vote of the majority of the Board members.
C.
The Town Council shall appoint two auxiliary members to the Architectural
Review Board, to be designated as the first and second auxiliary members,
each to hold office for the term of three years; provided, however,
that the initial appointments shall be made for terms of two and three
years, respectively, and shall occur upon passage of this article.
Thereafter, as terms expire, appointments shall be made in July and
shall be for terms of three years. The auxiliary members shall sit
as active members of the commission when and if a member of the commission
is unable to serve at a meeting or hearing, and shall have the same
voting rights, powers and duties of the absent member. The first auxiliary
member shall vote if one member of the Board is unable to serve at
a hearing, and the second shall vote if two members of the Board are
unable to serve at a hearing. In the absence of the first auxiliary
member, the second auxiliary member shall serve in the position of
the first auxiliary.
[Added 6-10-2013by Ch. No. 1789]
D.
Members of the Architectural Review Board, at the time of their appointment
and for the duration of their term, shall be residents and qualified
to vote in the Town of Westerly.
[Added 3-10-2014 by Ch.
No. 1812]
No member of the Architectural Review Board shall participate
in the review of or deliberations upon any matter in which he/she
is directly or indirectly interested in a personal or financial sense.
Members of the Architectural Review Board shall not concurrently be
members of the Planning and Zoning Boards or Town Council.
