To promote the retention of community character through preservation of the local heritage by recognition and protection of historic and cultural resources.

To establish a clear process by which proposed changes affecting historic resources are reviewed.

To encourage the continued use of historic properties and facilitate their appropriate rehabilitation and adaptive reuse.

To encourage the preservation of historic settings and landscapes.

To discourage the demolition of historic resources.

To utilize historic preservation as a tool for economic revitalization, and to promote the general welfare, education and culture of the Township.

For any property shown on the Historic Resources Map, the requirements and opportunities contained in this Part shall supersede, with the consent of the landowner, the otherwise applicable requirements of the underlying zoning district.

Should the Historic Resources Map be revised as a result of legislative or administrative action or judicial decision, the zoning requirements and other regulatory measures applicable to the property in question shall be those of the underlying zoning district without consideration of this Part.

Preservation of Other Restrictions. It is not intended by this Part to repeal, abrogate, or impair any existing easements, covenants, or deed restrictions. However, where this Part imposes greater restrictions, the provisions of this Part shall prevail.

Class I.

Class II. Building, sites, structures, objects, and districts not meeting National Register criteria, but determined to be of historical or architectural significance to East Coventry Township and appropriately documented to that effect by the East Coventry Township Historical Commission.

Class III. Buildings, sites, structures, objects and districts included in the Historic Resources inventory of the East Coventry Historical Commission, and not included in Class I or Class II above.

In considering any revision, including additions, deletions, or changes of classification to the Historic Resources Map, the Board of Supervisors shall receive a written recommendation from the Historical Commission.

The owner(s) of any property(s) that are the subject of any such proposed administrative action shall be given one written notice, by certified mail, of the Board of Supervisors recommendation at least 45 days prior to the public hearing.

Historic Resources Inventory. The Historical Commission shall maintain an updated inventory of resources shown on the Historic Resources Map and their respective classifications.

One copy of the application for demolition shall be forwarded to the Historical Commission, together with recent interior and exterior photographs of the resource proposed for demolition, a site plan showing all buildings on the property, and explanation of the reasons for demolition and future uses of the site.

Within 30 days of receipt of a complete application, at its regular or a special meeting, the Historical Commission shall meet to review the application for demolition. The applicant will be notified of the meeting and encouraged to present evidence or testimony pertaining to the demolition. In reviewing the application the Historical Commission shall take into account:

Within 30 days following conclusion at the meeting, the Historical Commission shall set forth its recommendation in a written report to the Board of Supervisors.

Within 30 days of the review of the demolition application by the Historical Commission, the Board of Supervisors shall consider the application for demolition at a public meeting. The applicant will be notified of the meeting and encouraged to present evidence or testimony pertaining to the demolition. The Board of Supervisors may vote to authorize the permit, deny the permit, or delay authorization for a period not to exceed 180 days from the date of initial application for a demolition permit, during which period the Township and applicant will explore alternatives to demolition.

Demolition by Neglect. Class I or Class II resources, identified on the Historic Resources Map shall be maintained in good repair and kept structurally sound and reasonably protected against decay and deterioration as enforceable under the Property Maintenance Code [Chapter 5, Part 1, § 5-103] of the Township.

Enforcement.

The granting of the conditional use is deemed by the Board of Supervisors to be necessary for the preservation of a Class I or a Class II Historic Resource.

The granting of the conditional use is deemed by the Board of Supervisors to have minimal detrimental effect on neighboring properties.

Any plans for the rehabilitation, alteration, or enlargement of a Class I or Class II historic resource shown on the application for conditional use must be in substantial compliance with the standards contained in § 27-1208.

Business and professional office, excluding surgical offices and clinics.

Custom shop for making articles or products sold at retail on the premises, such as custom clothing, art, needlework, baked goods or confectionery.

Museum, gallery or cultural studio.

Specialty retail store, such as gift shop, antique shop or tack shop.

Home and business furnishing and decorating retail store.

Florist shop.

Cottage industry, such as a cabinet maker or similar trade.

Accessory use on the same lot.

Restaurant and/or bed and breakfast.

The granting of the special exception or variance is deemed by the Zoning Hearing Board to be necessary to the preservation of a Class I or Class II historic resource.

The granting of the special exception or variance is deemed by the Zoning Hearing Board to have a minimal detrimental effect on neighboring properties.

Any plans for the rehabilitation, alteration or enlargement of a Class I or Class II historic resource shown on the application for special exception or variance must be in substantial compliance with the standards contained in § 27-1208.

East Coventry Historical Commission. The Historical Commission shall review the request for conditional use or special exception or variance and evaluate whether the proposed modifications are necessary to the preservation of the Class I or Class II historic resources. The Historical Commission also shall review any construction plans for their compliance with the standards in § 27-1208. Recommendations shall be transmitted in the form of a written report to the Board of Supervisors or Zoning Hearing Board and shall indicate what specific changes in the plans would bring them into substantial compliance with § 27-1208.

The plans have been revised by the applicant in accordance with the Historical Commission's recommendations.

Forty-five days have elapsed from the date of application, and all other requirements of the Township have been satisfied. The Historical Commission and the Board of Supervisors shall be notified of the "intent to issue a permit" 15 days prior to issuance.

Every reasonable effort shall be made to provide a compatible use for a property which requires minimal alteration of the building, structure, or site and its environment, or to use a property for its originally intended purpose.

The distinguishing original qualities or character of a building, structure, or site and its environment shall not be destroyed. The removal or alteration of any historic material or distinctive architectural features should be avoided when possible.

All buildings, structures, and sites shall be recognized as products of their own time.

Changes which may have taken place in the course of time are evidence of the history and development of a building, structure, or site and its environment. These changes may have acquired significance in their own right, and this significance shall be recognized and respected.

Distinctive stylistic features or examples of skilled craftsmanship which characterize a building, structure, or site shall be treated with sensitivity.

Deteriorated architectural features shall be repaired rather than replaced, wherever possible. In the event replacement is necessary, the new material should match the material being replaced in composition, design, color, texture, and other visual qualities. Repair or replacement of missing architectural features should be based on accurate duplications of features, substantiated by historic, physical, or pictorial evidence rather than on conjectural designs or the availability of different architectural elements from other buildings or structures.

The surface cleaning of structures shall be undertaken with the gentlest means possible. Cleaning methods that will damage the historic building materials shall not be undertaken.

Every reasonable effort shall be made to protect and preserve archeological resources affected by, or adjacent to, any project.

Design for alterations and additions to existing properties shall not be discouraged when such alterations and additions do not destroy significant historical, architectural, or cultural material, and such design is compatible with the size, scale, color, material, and character of the property, neighborhood, or environment.

Wherever possible, new additions or alterations to structures shall be done in such a manner that if such additions or alterations were to be removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the structure would be unimpaired.

The boundaries of certified historic districts are shown on the Historic Resources Map.

The provisions of this section apply to all land, buildings, and structures within the boundaries of certified historic districts.

Structures or buildings shall not hereafter be used, and no structure or building shall hereafter be erected, reconstructed, altered, restored, demolished, or razed, in whole or in part, without full compliance with the provisions of this section and other applicable regulations.

Duties of the Zoning Officer. The Zoning Officer of East Coventry Township, or such other person or agency charged by the Board of Supervisors with the issuance of permits for the erection, demolition, or alteration of buildings or structures subject to the provisions of this Part, shall issue no permit for any such building changes until a certificate of appropriateness with respect thereto has been received from the Board of Supervisors.

Application for Permit. The application for a building permit for any building or structures subject to the provisions of this Part shall be filed with the Zoning Officer together with the filing fee required under the schedule of fees then in effect. The application shall include a written description of the proposed alteration, addition, reconstruction or rehabilitation; a site plan at a scale of one inch to 40 feet; schematic architectural drawings of the proposed construction or changes at a scale of one foot to 1/4 inch; and a materials list and disposition of existing materials.

Standards for Determining Appropriateness. In determining whether or not any proposed work for the erection, reconstruction, alteration, restoration, demolition, or razing of any building or structure within the certified historic district is appropriate to the district, the Board of Supervisors shall be guided by design guidelines adopted by the Township, the Secretary of the Interior's Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, as cited in § 27-1208, above, and consider the following criteria, where relevant:

Decision of the Board of Supervisors. Within 30 days following the conclusion of the aforesaid public meeting, the Board of Supervisors shall, by official written communication to the applicant, either:

Failure of the Board of Supervisors to so act within the said period shall be deemed to constitute a decision in favor of the applicant and a certificate of appropriateness shall thereupon be issued. In the event that approval is granted subject to conditions, the applicant may, within 10 days after receiving a copy of the official written communication from the Board of Supervisors, give notice of his refusal to accept all of the conditions, in which case the Board of Supervisors shall be deemed to have denied a certificate of appropriateness. In the event the applicant does not, within the said period, notify the Board of Supervisors of his refusal to accept all of the said conditions, the approval, with all conditions, shall stand as granted.

Resolution of Board of Supervisors. The grant or denial of a certificate of appropriateness shall be in the form of a written resolution which shall include findings of fact related to the specific proposal and shall set forth the reasons of the grant, with or without conditions, or for the denial, referring to such of the criteria set forth in Subsection 2C, hereof, which were relevant to its decision.