Greensburg City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XA
Downtown District
§ 265-40.1 Composition, purpose and intent.
A.
The Downtown District is hereby established in accordance with the provisions of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Act of 1968, P.L. 805, No. 247, as reenacted and amended,[1] to preserve and/or protect natural and historic resources; to mean to conserve and safeguard these resources from wasteful or destructive use, but shall not be interpreted to authorize the unreasonable restriction of forestry, mining or other lawful uses of natural resources. The Downtown District Map is included at the end of this chapter (Attachment 3:1).
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
B.
The Downtown District shall be considered an overlay to various districts as shown on the Zoning Map. All of the provisions of the applicable underlying zoning district shall continue to apply in addition to the provisions of this overlay. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of the overlay district and the underlying zoning district, the provisions of this overlay shall apply.
C.
The City of Greensburg's Downtown District is created for the following purposes:
(1)
To protect those portions of the City of Greensburg which reflect the cultural, economic, social, political and architectural history of the City, state and nation.
(2)
To awaken and reinforce an interest in the historic past.
(3)
To promote the use and reuse of the Downtown District for the culture, education, pleasure and welfare of the general public.
(4)
To advocate an interest in civic beauty through the encouragement of appropriate settings and continued construction of buildings in general harmony with respect to style, form, color, proportion, texture and material between buildings of historic design and those of more modern design.
(5)
To strengthen the economy of the City by stabilizing and improving property values within the Downtown District.
§ 265-40.2 Applicability.
[Amended 4-12-2021 by Ord. No. 2120]
A certificate of appropriateness shall be required for construction, reconstruction, restoration, rehabilitation, alteration, addition, razing or demolition on sites located within the Downtown District. This includes but is not limited to cleaning methods, such as sandblasting or solvent washdown; the application of nonstructural surface textures or veneers, such as stucco or siding; replacement of windows, doors and other building elements; the installation of new signs where no similar sign currently exists (replacement of existing signs shall not require a certificate of appropriateness so long as it is the same type as and is no larger than the existing sign); the alteration of decorative elements, such as cornices or trim; and other work affecting the visual appearance of a building within the district which can be seen from a public street or way. Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent the routine maintenance or repair of any exterior elements of any building or structure, nor shall anything in this article be construed to prevent the construction, reconstruction, alteration or demolition of any such elements which shall be certified by appropriate City authority in accord with the Property Maintenance Code or other applicable ordinance as required for public health, safety, or welfare.
§ 265-40.3 Issuance of permits and/or certificates.
A.
A certificate of appropriateness shall be obtained prior to issuance of a zoning permit, UCC permit, and/or other permits required by the Code of the City of Greensburg for proposed activities regulated by this article or otherwise.
B.
City Council shall have authority to approve or deny a certificate of appropriateness upon review and recommendation of the City Planning Commission, and upon making a determination that proposed activities meet or do not meet the criteria specified herein.
C.
Projects that the Secretary of the Interior, as administered by the National Park Service, has approved as certified rehabilitation are deemed approved for a certificate of appropriateness and need not be reviewed according to the provisions of this article, provided that copies (one each) of the Part 1, Evaluation of Significance, and Part 2, Description of Rehabilitation Work, applications, along with evidence of their approval from the National Park Service, are submitted to the Planning Director; and the project is proposed to be completed as stated in the Part 2 application.
§ 265-40.4 Preapplication review procedure.
A.
Prior to the preparation of working drawings and specifications or calling for proposals or bids from contractors and/or developers, owners or agents may prepare preliminary scale drawings and outline specifications, including color samples for outside work, for review and informal discussion with the Planning Commission. The purpose of this review shall be to acquaint the developer, owner or agent with evaluation criteria and approval process for a certificate of appropriateness.
B.
The preapplication review shall not require formal application but does require notice to be given to the Planning Director and subsequent notification to the Chairman of the Planning Commission at least seven working days before the date of the meeting at which the preliminary drawings are to be discussed. Two paper copies of all documents, as well as an electronic copy of all documents in .pdf format, shall be submitted to the Planning Director.
§ 265-40.5 Application for permits.
A.
Two copies of all drawings and plans, as well as an electronic copy in .pdf format, for the proposed activities needing a certificate of appropriateness shall be submitted. The drawings and plans shall be prepared by a registered architect or engineer and shall include, but are not limited, to the following:
(1)
Plans and exterior elevations, drawn to scale, with sufficient detail to show, as it relates to exterior appearances, the architectural design of the buildings, including proposed materials, textures and colors and dimensions.
(2)
Plot or site plans, drawn to scale not smaller than one inch equals 50 feet, showing adjoining property lines, existing and proposed building footprints, and adjacent streets from which the proposed activity may be viewed and all improvements affecting appearances, such as walls, walks, terraces, landscaping, accessory buildings, parking, signs, lights and other elements.
(3)
A location map, drawn at a scale not smaller than one inch equals 200 feet, indicating the general location of the site in relation to the surrounding neighborhood and nearby roads and properties.
B.
The applicant must provide a narrative description of the proposed activities which shall substantiate in reasonable detail how the activities meet the evaluation criteria for a certificate of appropriateness as prescribed in § 265-40.7.
C.
Every application for a permit to demolish an existing structure shall be accompanied by a set of legible black-and-white or color photographs showing all sides of the building under consideration and any interiors which relate its state of disrepair or substantiate the need for demolition and photographs showing the contiguous properties and the relationship of the building to them.
D.
Every application for reconstruction, restoration, rehabilitation, alteration, and/or additions to existing structures shall be accompanied by a set of legible black-and-white or color photographs showing all sides of the structure and photographs showing the adjacent properties and the relationship of the building to them.
E.
Every application for new construction shall be accompanied by a set of legible black-and-white or color photographs showing the construction site and its relationship to the properties contiguous to it. The direction of the photograph shall be noted for each view and shall be keyed into the plot plan or site plan.
F.
All of the materials included in this section shall be filed at least 10 working days prior to the regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting with the Planning Director.
§ 265-40.6 Review by the Planning Commission.
A.
The Planning Commission shall review the permit application and consider recommended action on a certificate of appropriateness at its regularly scheduled public meeting or at a special meeting, to take place within 45 days of the date of the filing of the complete application. The applicant for the permit shall be notified in writing, sent to the address as identified on the application, of the time and place of said meeting and shall be invited to appear to explain his/her reasons therefor. Additional meetings, if necessary, shall be scheduled within 30 days of each other, unless mutually agreed to otherwise by the Planning Commission and the applicant.
B.
Within 45 days of the occurrence of the final meeting upon an application needing a certificate of appropriateness, the Planning Commission shall make recommendation to the City Council for the approval or denial of the certificate of appropriateness.
(1)
The Planning Commission shall forthwith transmit a written report with its recommendation to the City Council. The report shall state the basis for a recommendation of approval or the reasons for a recommendation of denial, including the Planning Commission's evaluation of the extent to which the proposed activities meet or do not meet the criteria contained in § 265-40.7. If the Planning Commission shall fail to transmit such report within 45 days after the occurrence of the final meeting concerning an application for a permit, the application shall be forwarded to the City Council with no recommendation, except where mutual agreement has been made for an extension of the time limit.
(2)
The Planning Commission may transmit a recommendation for approval based on pending revisions in the applicant's plans and specifications agreed by the applicant. Said revised plans and specifications shall be submitted to the Planning Director and included in the application presented to City Council prior to its action.
§ 265-40.7 Procedures by City Council; approval.
A.
In determining whether or not to issue a certificate of appropriateness, City Council shall consider the Planning Commission report and recommendation and the same criteria used by the Planning Commission as set forth in § 265-40.7.
B.
If City Council approves the application, it shall authorize the Planning Director to issue a certificate of appropriateness and applicable zoning, UCC, and/or other permits for the work covered.
C.
City Council shall notify the applicant in writing of its decision on the certificate of appropriateness within 10 days of its meeting at which the application was considered, unless mutually agreed otherwise. If a disapproval, the notice shall indicate the reasons for disapproval.
§ 265-40.8 Evaluation criteria.
[Amended 4-12-2021 by Ord. No. 2120]
A.
In considering approval or disapproval of a certificate of appropriateness, the Planning Commission and City Council shall consider the criteria enumerated in this section.
B.
Reconstruction, rehabilitation, restoration, alteration, and additions. The Planning Commission and City Council shall consider the degree to which proposed reconstruction, rehabilitation, restoration, alteration, and addition work complies with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation published by the United States Department of the Interior. The current standards are enumerated below. If the standards are revised by the Department of the Interior, the revised standards shall be used.
(1)
A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
(2)
The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
(3)
Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
(4)
Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
(5)
Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
(6)
Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
(7)
Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
(8)
Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
(9)
New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
(10)
New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
C.
New construction. New construction should achieve compatibility with the character of buildings and landscape in the Downtown District. The following criteria shall be considered:
(1)
Size, Scale, and Proportion. New construction should relate to the dominant proportions, size and scale of the buildings in the surrounding area.
(2)
Shape and Massing. New construction should incorporate massing, building shapes, and roof shapes that are present in the surrounding area.
(3)
Materials. Building materials should be compatible with those of buildings in the surrounding area. Traditional materials that are common to the area, such as brick, wood, and stone are preferred.
(4)
Patterns and Rhythm. The rhythm of facades along the street and the components thereof should be maintained. Large buildings can be divided into bays to reflect rhythms exhibited by smaller structures.
(5)
Cornice and Floor-to-Floor Heights. New construction should continue the floor-to-floor and cornice heights that are dominant in the surrounding area, or incorporate detailing to suggest those heights.
(6)
Windows and Doors. New construction should use window and door openings of design and size typical of those in the surrounding area.
(7)
Orientation. Principal facades of new construction should face the same direction as other existing buildings on the street or as indicated by predominant patterns in the surrounding area.
(8)
Location. New construction should not be placed in a way that adversely affects an historic resource or viewshed in terms of proximity or visually.
D.
Demolition. The following criteria shall be considered for proposed demolition:
(1)
The extent to which the building constitutes an immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare.
(2)
The significance of the building to the historic and architectural integrity and the economic vitality of the Downtown District.
(3)
The extent to which the applicant demonstrates that the building has no economic use.
(4)
The extent to which the building's deterioration and loss of economic use has been the result of the applicant's actions.
(5)
The efforts made by the applicant to successfully market the building.
(6)
The proposed use of and construction on the property after demolition and its impact on the integrity of the Downtown District.
§ 265-40.8.1 Parking regulations.
[Added 10-9-2023 by Ord. No. 2151]
The Downtown District is exempt from the minimum off-street parking requirements as set forth Greensburg Code § 265-65.