§ 167-74. Criteria for approval of certificate of appropriateness.

A. 

In passing upon an application for a certificate of appropriateness, the Historic Preservation Review Commission shall not consider changes to interior spaces, unless they are open to the public, or to property features that are not visible from a public street or alley. The Commission's decision shall be guided by the following principles:

(1) 

Standards set forth in the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and various accompanying guidelines (on an advisory basis, only);

(2) 

Properties which contribute to the character of an historic district shall be retained with their historic features altered as little as possible;

(3) 

Any alteration of a landmark and/or a property within an historic district shall be compatible with its individual historic character, as well as with that of its context or the surrounding district; and

(4) 

New construction at a landmark shall be compatible with the property's historic character, and new construction in an historic district also shall be compatible with the district in which it is located.

B. 

In applying the principle of compatibility, the Commission shall consider the following factors:

(1) 

The general design, character and appropriateness of the proposed alteration or new construction to a landmark or historic district;

(2) 

The scale of the proposed alteration or new construction in relation to the property itself, surrounding properties and the larger neighborhood;

(3) 

Texture, materials and color of the proposed alteration or new construction and their relation to similar features of the property itself, surrounding properties and the larger neighborhood;

(4) 

Visual compatibility with surrounding properties for building, including but not limited to the rhythm or spacing of buildings and structures in relation to the street and adjacent properties, features such as drives, walks, walls, fences, hedgerows, terraces and stairs and major landforms or topographic features; and

(5) 

The importance of individual features to the significance of the property itself, surrounding properties and the larger neighborhood.