Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Signed Minutes - December 21, 2020

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moving of a building within, out of or into the district is discouraged ; however, moving is preferred to demolition. Buildings incompatible with existing structures in th e historic district shall be prohibited. [ ... l VI. ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES Enforcement of the preservation guidelines and standards for the historic district is made possible in the Zoning Ordinance of the City of South Bend , ordinance No. 5565-73, as amended and the Historic Preservation Commission's Preservation Plan. The Historic Preservation Commission may petition the Building Commissioner to use the l egal means available to him/her to force the maintenance and / or repair of any building or structure within the historic district in accordance with the intent of this ordinance. This ordinance, however, does not prevent the ordinary maintenance and repair of any building or structure which does not involve a change in any exterior feature, nor does it prevent the reconstruction, alteration, demolition or moving of any building or structure which the Building Commissioner or other official has determined to be a hazard to public safety. Property owners wishing to do, or have done, any work affecting the exterior of their building or land must apply directly to the History Preservat ion Commission on the form prescribed by the Commission (see Appendix A). The Historic Preservation Commission shall issue a Certificate of Appropriateness before commencement of any construction, reconstruction, alteration, demolition, or moving of any house or structure within the historic district boundaries (see Appendix A). The Historic Preservation Commission will accept applications for Certificate of Appropriateness only from the property owner. In making its determination, the Historic Preservati on Commission shall consider three factors: first, the appropriateness of the proposed work to the preservation of the building and district; second, the detriment to the public welfare if the proposed work is permitted even though it is not deemed appropr iate; third, the potential hardship that the denial of the Certificate of Appropriateness would cause the applicant. [ ... l SITE VISIT REPORT: NI A STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Acknowledging that over a year has passed since the fire of November 2019, Historic Preservation Staff would like to see this property find resolution, be it through demolition or rehabilitation . Staff concedes that the structure has been open to the elements for over a year and that extensive interior damage is to be expected from that continued exposure. Were the structure to be approved for demolition, staff would ask that the property owner deconstruct /save unique character defining characteristics of the structure for reuse or donation to local preservation organiz ations. Staff recommends approval for the deconstruction of the structure (with a preference for saving as much usable material as possible). Recommendation by Adam Toering Historic Preservation Specialist Approved by Elicia Feasel Historic Preservation Administrator Commissioner Downs Krostenko made a motion to accept COA #2020-1209 for the demolition of the now derelict property and that we request that the owner salvage all architectural features of the home, particularly the egg and dart molding at the eaves and any other things that are uncovered when the siding is removed in order to consider repurposing/reusing them in the next generation building on the site. Seconded by Commissioner Tiffany. Seven in favor, none opposed. Vote: 7 – 0. Motion to deconstruction of the structure with a preference for saving as much usable material as possible. COA #2020-1209 passes.