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Hatfield City Zoning Code

PART 22

DEMOLITION WAITING PERIOD

§ 27-2201 Purposes.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991; as added by Ord. No. 430, 7/17/2002, § XII]
To provide a mechanism to discourage thoughtless and unnecessary destruction of valuable historic or community heritage resources. To provide a mechanism that allows interested parties an opportunity to encourage a property owner to consider alternatives to demolition, such as sale to another person, movement of the building or rehabilitation. Also, to provide opportunities for historic resources to be documented before they may be demolished, and to encourage that historic features be salvaged before demolition.

§ 27-2202 Applicability.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991; as added by Ord. No. 430, 7/17/2002, § XII]
1. 
This Part 22 shall apply to any principal building in any zoning district that the Zoning Officer has reason to believe was primarily constructed prior to January 1, 1940.
2. 
No building regulated by this Part 22 shall be partially or entirely demolished unless a minimum of 80 days has passed from the date a complete valid permit application has been duly submitted to the Borough staff for the demolition. After such time period, the permit may be issued by the Borough for the demolition if all requirements of Borough ordinances have been met.
A. 
Within 30 days after the application for demolition has been submitted to the Borough, it shall be submitted to Borough Council for any review Borough Council may wish to make.
3. 
The Zoning Officer may issue a permit for the demolition immediately if the staff person responsible for enforcement of the Borough Building Code certifies in writing that the building represents a clear and immediate hazard to public safety, and that no other reasonable alternative exists to immediate demolition.
4. 
This subsection shall not regulate: (A) interior renovations nor removal of features (such as a rear porch) that are not necessary to support the principal building and that are not visible from a public street or adjacent public sidewalk, nor (B) removal of features that were added to the building after its original completion, such as a modern porch or aluminum siding.