Belgium Village City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
Architectural Review Board
§ 270-86 Establishment; purpose.
There is hereby established an Architectural Review Board for the Village of Belgium for the purpose of promoting compatible development, aesthetics, and stability of property values and to prevent impairment or depreciation of existing developments.
§ 270-87 Membership; officers.
§ 270-88 Organization and meetings.
The Architectural Review Board shall organize and adopt rules for its own government in accordance with the provisions of this section.
A.
Meetings shall be held at the call of the Chairman or when requested by the Building Inspector and shall be open to the public.
B.
Minutes of the proceedings and a record of all actions shall be kept by the Secretary, showing the vote of each member upon each question, the reasons for the Board's determination, and its finding of facts. These records shall be immediately filed in the office of the Board and shall be a public record.
C.
A quorum shall be four members, and all actions shall require a majority of those members present.
§ 270-89 Powers and duties.
A.
The Architectural Review Board shall have the power to:
(1)
Hear and decide applications for permission to erect, move, reconstruct, extend, alter, or change the exterior of all structures.
(2)
Approve, deny, or conditionally approve the application and request such modifications as it may deem necessary to carry out the purpose of this article.
(3)
Require the applicant to furnish additional information when necessary.
B.
Assistance. The Architectural Control Board may request assistance from other municipal officers, departments, boards, and commissions or may seek outside professional opinion and pay for the same, provided funds for said consultation services are made available by the Village Board.
§ 270-90 Principles.
[Amended 10-11-1999 by Ord. No. 50-99]
To implement and define criteria for the purposes set forth in § 270-86, the following principles are established:
A.
No building or sign shall be permitted, the design or exterior appearance of which is of such unorthodox or abnormal character in relation to its surroundings as to be unsightly or offensive to generally accepted taste and community standards.
B.
No building or sign shall be permitted, the design or exterior appearance of which is so identical with those within 600 feet as to create excessive monotony or drabness.
C.
No building or sign shall be permitted where any exposed facade is constructed or faced with a finished material which is aesthetically incompatible with the other facades and which presents an unattractive appearance to the public and to surrounding properties.
D.
No building or sign shall be permitted to be sited on the property in a manner which would unnecessarily destroy or substantially damage the natural beauty of the area, particularly insofar as to it would adversely affect values incident to ownership of land in that area, or which would unnecessarily have an adverse effect on the beauty and general enjoyment of existing structures on properties in the vicinity.
§ 270-91 Review and approval required; exemption.
[Amended 3-15-1993 by Ord. No. 7-93]
No structure shall hereafter be erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, or have its exterior altered or changed until the Architectural Review Board has reviewed and approved plans for the structure. Small accessory structures (being less than 95 square feet), decks, porches and fences are exempt unless the Building Inspector requests a determination by the Board.
§ 270-92 Applications.
[Amended 3-15-1993 by Ord. No. 7-93]
Applications for approval by the Architectural Review Board shall be made to the Building Inspector and shall be accompanied by the building permit application required under § 270-115 and, in addition, shall be accompanied by plans showing the exterior elevations of the existing and proposed structure, including all intended signs, symbols, etc., description of the proposed materials and intended color of each, and landscape plans. However, landscape plans are not required in the RD-1 District. Proposed floor grades, land formation, and grading site plans shall be provided to the Architectural Review Board when specifically requested by the Building Inspector or the Architectural Review Board.
§ 270-93 Hearings and notice.
Building plans requiring architectural review shall be reviewed at a public hearing. The Architectural Review Board shall schedule a reasonable time and place for the hearing and cause notice to be mailed to the applicant, the Building Inspector, and the parties in interest at least five days prior to the hearing. The applicant may appear in person, by agent, or by attorney.
§ 270-94 Findings and decisions.
The Architectural Review Board shall not approve any application unless it finds by a preponderance of the evidence after viewing the site that the purposes set forth in §§ 270-86 and 270-90 have been complied with. The findings of the Architectural Review Board shall be indicated in the minutes of its proceedings and shall be a public record. The Architectural Review Board shall decide all applications within seven days after the final hearing and shall transmit a signed copy of its decision to the applicant and file a copy with the Building Inspector.
§ 270-95 Appeals.
[Amended 3-8-2010 by Ord. No. 2-10]
Any person or persons aggrieved by any decision of the Architectural Review Board may appeal the decision to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Such appeal shall be filed with the Village Clerk within 30 days after filing of the decision with the Village Clerk.