§ 7-7. Preservation of important structures

(a) In the case of an application for construction, repair, or alteration, removal, or demolition affecting the exterior appearance of a structure or its appurtenances which the commission deems so valuable to the town, the state or the nation, the commission shall endeavor to work out with the owner an economically feasible plan for the preservation of such structure. Unless the commission is satisfied that the retention of such structure constitutes a hazard to public safety which hazard cannot be eliminated by economic means available to the owner, including sale of the structure, or unless the commission votes to issue a certificate of appropriateness for such proposed construction, alteration, repair, removal or demolition, the commission shall file with the building official or duly delegated authority its rejection of such application. In the absence of a change in such structure arising from casualty, no new application for the same or similar work shall be filed within one year after such rejection.

(b) In the case of any structure deemed to be valuable for the period of architecture it represents and the importance to the neighborhood within which it exists, the commission may file with the building official or other duly delegated authority a certificate of appropriateness for such application if any of the circumstances under which a certificate of appropriateness might have been given under the preceding sections are in existence or if:

(1) Preservation of such structure is a deterrent to a major improvement program which will be of substantial benefit to the community;

(2) Preservation of such structure would cause undue or unreasonable financial hardship to the owner, taking into account the financial resources available to the owner including sale of the structure to any purchaser willing to preserve such structure; or

(3) The preservation of such structure would not be in the interest of the majority of the community.

(Rev. Ords. 1989, § 7-7)