[The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this [chapter], shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:]

Adaptive Use: Rehabilitation of a historic structure for use other than its original use such as a residence converted into offices.

Addition: New construction added to an existing building or structure.

Alteration: Work which impacts any exterior architectural feature including construction, reconstruction, repair, or removal of any building element.

Appropriate: Especially suitable or compatible.

Building: A structure used to house human activity such as a dwelling, office, or garage.

Character: The qualities and attributes of any structure, site, street or district.

Commission: The Planning and Zoning Commission.

Configuration: The arrangement of element and details on a building or structure which help to define its character.

Contemporary: Reflecting characteristics of the current period. Contemporary denotes characteristics which illustrate that a building, structure, or detail was constructed in the present or recent past rather than being imitative or reflective of a historic design.

Compatible: In harmony with location and surroundings.

Context: The existing in which a historic element, site, structure, street or district exists.

Demolition: Any act which destroys in whole or in part a building or structure.

Demolition by Neglect: The destruction of a building or structure through abandonment or lack of maintenance.

Design: The creation and organization of formal elements in a work of art.

Design Guidelines: Criteria developed to identify design concerns in an area and to help property owners ensure that rehabilitation and new construction respect the character of designated buildings and structures.

Element: A material part or detail of a site, structure, street or district.

Elevation: Any one of the external faces or facades of a building.

Fabric: The physical material of a building, structure, or community, connoting an interweaving of component parts.

Harmony: Pleasing or congruent arrangements.

Height: The distance from the bottom to the top of a building or structure.

Historic District: A geographically definable area with a significant concentration of buildings, structures, sites, spaces, or objects unified by past events, physical development, design, setting, materials, workmanship, sense of cohesiveness or related historical aesthetic associations. The significance of a district may be recognized through listing in a local, state, or national landmarks register and may be protected legally through enactment of a local historic district ordinance administered by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Historic Imitation: New construction or rehabilitation where elements or components mimic an architectural style but are not of the same historic period as the existing building (historic replica).

Infill: New construction in historic districts on vacant lots or to replace existing buildings.

Integrity: of sound being.

Landmark: A building, structure, object or site which is identified as an historic resource of particular significance.

Maintain: To keep in an existing state of preservation or repair.

Material Change: A change that will affect either the exterior architectural or environmental features of an historic property or any structure, site or work of art within an historic district.

New Construction: Construction which is characterized by the introduction of new elements, sites, buildings, or structures or additions to existing buildings and structures in historic areas and sites.

Obscured: Covered, concealed, or hidden from view.

Period: A specified division of time.

Preservation: Generally, saving from destruction or deterioration old and historic buildings, sites, structures, and objects and providing for their continued use by means of restoration, rehabilitation, or adaptive use.

Primary: Main or principal part.

Proportion: Harmonious relation of parts to one another or to the whole.

Reconstruction: The act or process of reproducing by new construction the exact form and detail of a vanished building, structure, or object, or a part thereof, as it appeared at a specific period of time.

Rehabilitation: The act or process of returning a property or building to usable condition through repair, alteration, and/or preservation of its features which are significant to its historical, architectural, and cultural values.

Restoration: The act or process of accurately taking a building's appearance back to a specific period of time by removing later work and by replacing missing earlier features to match the original.

Retain: To keep secure and intact. In the guidelines, "retain" and "maintain" describe the act of keeping an element, detail, or structure and continuing the same level of repair to aid in the preservation of elements, sites and structures.

Re-use: To use again. An element, detail, or structure might be reused in the historic district.

Rhythm: Movement or fluctuations marked by the regular occurrence or natural flow of related elements.

Scale: Proportional elements that demonstrate the size, materials, and style of building.

Secondary: Subordinate, not primary.

Setting: The sum of attributes of a locality, neighborhood, or property that defines its character.

Shape: The outline or surface configuration of a particular form or figure. While form usually refers to the principle that gives unity to a whole, and often includes a sense of mass or volume, shape suggests an outline with some emphasis on the enclosed area or mass.

Significant: Having particularly important associations within the contexts of architecture, history and culture.

Stabilization: The act or process of applying measures essential to the maintenance of deteriorated building as it exists at present, establishing structural stability and a water resistant enclosure.

Streetscape: The distinguishing character of a particular street as created by its width, degree of curvature, paving materials, destiny of the street, and rooms of surrounding buildings.

Style: A type of architecture distinguished by special characteristics of structure and ornament and often related in time; also a general quality of a distinctive character.