[Ord. 1067, 1/18/2005, § 1]
A Historical Architectural Review Board, hereafter referred
to as HARB, is hereby established to be composed of seven members
appointed by the Council. The membership of HARB shall be composed
as follows: one member shall be a registered architect; one member
shall be a licensed real estate broker; one member shall be a Permit
Officer; one member shall be a Planning Commission member; one member
shall own property within the Historic District; two members shall
be residents of the Borough, at least one of whom shall reside in
the Historic District, who shall have demonstrated interest, knowledge,
ability, experience or expertise in restoration or revitalization
and who have interest in the preservation of the Historic District.
[Ord. 1067, 1/18/2005, § 1; Ord. 1118, 9/21/2010]
Except as follows, all members of the Historical Architectural
Review Board shall be residents of the Borough. The Permit Officer,
registered architect and licensed real estate broker need not be residents
of the Borough. However, consideration to nonresident candidates seeking
to fill any of these three positions will be given in the following
order of priority:
A.
Significant professional experience with and demonstrated interest,
knowledge, ability and expertise in restoration and revitalization
of historic structures and/or districts;
B.
Residency within the Historic District;
C.
Residency within the Borough; and
D.
If no Borough residents qualify, then a nonresident may be appointed.
[Ord. 1067, 1/18/2005, § 1]
The terms of office of the first members shall be so fixed that
no more than two members shall be replaced or reappointed during any
one calendar year. The Permit Officer and the Planning Commission
member shall be appointed for initial terms of four years. The registered
architect and one resident member shall be appointed for initial terms
of three years. The licensed real estate broker and member who is
appointed because of ownership of property within the Historic District
shall be appointed for an initial term of two years. The remaining
resident member shall be appointed for an initial term of one year.
Thereafter, terms of office shall be for four years. Notwithstanding,
members shall continue in office until a successor has been appointed.
[Ord. 1067, 1/18/2005, § 1]
An appointment to fill a vacancy on the HARB shall be only for
the remainder of the unexpired term. The position of any member of
HARB appointed in his capacity as a registered architect, a licensed
real estate broker, Permit Officer, Planning Commission member, or
member who owns property within the Historic District who ceases to
be so engaged or who ceases to own such property, shall be deemed
vacant upon such disqualification.
[Ord. 1067, 1/18/2005, § 1]
HARB members are limited to two consecutive four year terms.
Appointment to fill an unexpired term shall not constitute a term
for purposes of this Section, but shall be permitted in excess of
the two-term limit.
[Ord. 1067, 1/18/2005, § 1]
It shall be the duty of each HARB member to remain conscious
of and sensitive to any conflict of interest. A member shall disqualify
himself from voting on any application in which his own financial
interests are directly or indirectly involved, or in which he is otherwise
prohibited by law from participation.
[Ord. 1067, 1/18/2005, § 1]
In its advisory capacity, HARB shall do and perform the following:
A.
Advisory Role. HARB shall give recommendations and counsel to the
Council regarding the advisability of issuing any certificate of appropriateness.
Such counsel shall at all times be consistent with the provisions
of all chapters of this Code.
B.
HARB Powers. HARB may make and alter rules and regulations for its
own organization and procedure, provided that they are consistent
with the laws of the commonwealth and all provisions of this and any
other chapter of this Code.
C.
Removal of Members. All HARB members shall serve at the pleasure
of the Council and may be removed at any time, with or without cause.
D.
Annual Reports. The members of HARB shall make an annual report to
the Council and Planning Commission, which shall include:
(1)
Recommendations, if any, for changes to this chapter.
(2)
Review and recommendations, if any, for changes to the boundaries
of the Historic District or the creation of additional districts.
(3)
The number and types of cases reviewed.
(4)
The number of cases reviewed for which a certificate of appropriateness
was either approved or denied.
(5)
The number of HARB meetings which each member attended.
(6)
Historic preservation and related training which each member
attended.
(7)
A narrative summary describing the state of preservation in
the Historic District with recommendations in policy, goals, and objectives
for the Council's consideration.
E.
Compensation. With the approval of Council, HARB may employ secretarial
and professional assistance, and incur other necessary expenses.
F.
Meetings. HARB shall meet publicly at regularly scheduled intervals
and may hold special meetings when deemed necessary. Such meetings
shall be open to the public and shall comply with the requirements
of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Law.[1] A majority of HARB shall constitute a quorum and action
taken at any meeting shall require the affirmative vote of a majority
of the members present.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 65 Pa.C.S.A. § 701 et seq.
G.
Training. HARB members shall be required to complete at least eight
hours of training annually by attendance at approved seminars, conferences
or workshops related to historic preservation and HARB administration.
[Ord. 1067, 1/18/2005, § 1]
In addition to the above, HARB shall have the following duties:
A.
To conduct a survey of buildings, structures, monuments, sites and
other resources for the purpose of determining those of historic and/or
architectural significance and pertinent facts.
B.
To act in coordination with the Mechanicsburg Planning Commission,
Zoning Hearing Board, and Council and to consider the recommendations
of Mechanicsburg Museum Association and other appropriate civic groups
or entities.
C.
To maintain and periodically revise the detailed listings (resource
inventories) and relevant data of buildings, structures, monuments,
sites and other resources, appropriately classified with respect to
national, state and local significance in accordance or consistent
with the most recent version of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission's "Cultural Resource Management in Pennsylvania: Guidelines
for Historic Resource Surveys."
D.
To formulate recommendations concerning the establishment of an appropriate
system of markers for selected historical and/or architecturally significant
buildings, structures, monuments, sites and other resources including
proposals for the installation and care of such historic markers.
E.
To formulate recommendations concerning the preparation and publication
of maps, brochures and descriptive material about the Borough's
historical and/or architecturally significant buildings, structures,
monuments, sites and other resources.
F.
To cooperate with and advise the Council, the Planning Commission
and other local, state or federal agencies, departments and staff
in matters involving historically and/or architecturally significant
buildings, structures, objects, monuments and other resources.
G.
To cooperate with and enlist assistance from the National Park Service,
the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Pennsylvania,
the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and other agencies,
public and private, concerned with the preservation of historically
and/or architecturally significant buildings, structures, objects,
monuments and other resources.
H.
To advise owners of historically and/or architecturally significant
buildings, structures, objects, monuments and other resources regarding
rehabilitation, repairs, maintenance methods and technologies, adaptive
use, economic and tax incentives, grant and funding sources and other
historic preservation strategies.
I.
To promote public interest in preservation by conducting educational
and public relations programs.
