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HomeMy WebLinkAbout089 - 06/20/1989 - AMENDING THE CITY CODE CONCERNING THE REVIEW OF SIGN PROPOSALS RELATING TO DESIGNATED LANDMARKS H ORDINANCE NO. 89, 1989 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AMENDING CHAPTER 14 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS CONCERNING THE REVIEW OF SIGN PROPOSALS RELATING TO DESIGNATED LANDMARKS WHEREAS, Chapter 14 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins establishes certain procedures for the approval of signs on structures designated as landmarks or located in landmark districts; and WHEREAS, according to said procedures, all such signs must be first approved by the Landmark Preservation Commission; and WHEREAS, in order to simplify and shorten the review process for persons desiring to erect, remove, restore, demolish or alter a sign on a landmark structure or a structure located in a landmark district, and in order to relieve the Landmark Preservation Commission of the burden of reviewing such requests, the Council of the City of Fort Collins has determined that it is in the best interests of the City that an administrative review process be established for such signs, to be conducted by the Director of Development Services with a right of appeal to the Landmark Preservation Commission; and WHEREAS, the Council has further determined that the implementation of an administrative review procedure for the erection, removal , restoration, demolition or alteration of signs on a landmark structure or structure located in a landmark district is in harmony with the recommended work program of the Strategic Plan for the Fort Collins Historic Preservation Program adopted by the Landmark Preservation Commission on November 2, 1988. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1 . That Section 14-47(b) of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby repealed in its entirety, with the relettering of the subsequent subparagraph from (c) to (b) . Section 2. That Chapter 14 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended by inserting therein a new Section 14-49, with the renumbering of the subsequent sections accordingly (including the existing Section 14-49) , such new Section to read as follows: Sec. 14-49. Signs. (a) Any person desiring to remove, demolish, erect, restore or alter any sign, including alteration of color, on any real property designated as a landmark or in a landmark district, shall submit to the Director of Development Services an application for approval and a specific statement of the work proposed, together with such details as the Director may require. (b) If, upon receipt of any such application, the Director finds that the proposed work is of a nature which will not erode the authenticity or destroy any distinctive exterior feature of the improvements and is compatible with the distinctive characteristics of the landmark or landmark district and with the spirit and purpose of this chapter, the Director shall advise the applicant in writing by issuing a report of acceptability and shall affix his signature to the plans and specifications for the approved work. In the case of an application for a building permit, the building permits and inspections administrator shall proceed with the review of the application only upon receipt of the Director's report of acceptability and approved plans and specifications. No change shall be made in any such application for a building permit or in the plans and specifications for work approved by the Director unless such changes are submitted to and approved by the Director in the same manner as the original application. (c) In deciding whether to issue a report of acceptability, the Director shall consider the following criteria: (1) The effect of the proposed sign upon the general historical and/or architectural character of the landmark or landmark district. (2) The design and construction, arrangement, texture and materials of the proposed sign, its relation to the building on which it will be attached, and its relation to other buildings and signs within the district. (3) The effect of the proposed sign in obscuring, changing or destroying the exterior architectural features of the structure upon which it will be attached. (4) The effect of the proposed sign upon the protection, enhancement, perpetuation and use of the landmark or landmark district. (5) The recommendations of the adopted Design Guidelines for Historic Old Town Fort Collins for sign proposals within The Old Town Historic District, and the design guidelines for local landmarks outside The Old Town Historic District adopted by the Landmark Preservation Commission on June 4, 1986. (d) Decisions of the Director regarding the acceptability of applications for the erection, removal , restoration, demolition or alteration of signs may be appealed to the Landmark Preservation Commission, provided that any such appeal shall be set forth in writing and filed with the Director within fourteen (14) days of the date of the decision of the Director. The birector shall schedule a date for hearing the appeal before the Landmark Preservation Commission as expeditiously as possible. The Director shall provide the appellant written notice of the date, time and place of the hearing of the appeal which notice shall be deposited in the U.S. Mail not less than five (5) days prior to the date of the hearing. Section 3. That Section 14-54, formerly Section 14-53, of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows: Section 14-54. Appeal of decisions. Decisions of the Landmark Preservation Commission regarding the acceptability of applications for building permits under § 14-46 or applications for approval of work not requiring a building permit under § 14-47, or appeals of applications regarding signs under § 14-49, shall be considered final decisions within the meaning of § 2-46 et seq. , and such decisions shall be subject to the right of appeal to the City Council as set forth in § 2-46 et seq. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 16th day of May, A.D. 1989, to,be presented for final passage on the 20th day of June, A. 989. Mayor ATTE T: tAi City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading this 2@ day of Rune, A.D. 1989. Mayor TTEST: City Clerk