West Hartford City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VII
Design Review Advisory Committee
§ 177-52 Establishment; purpose.
There is hereby established a Design Review Advisory Committee for the purpose of promoting and encouraging public and private actions to maintain a high character of community development, to protect the public health, safety, convenience and welfare and to protect real estate within the municipality from impairment or destruction of value. In reviewing building plans for the purpose of making recommendations, the Committee shall consider and take cognizance of the development of adjacent, contiguous and neighboring buildings and properties for the purpose of achieving safe, harmonious, aesthetically pleasing and integrated development of related properties.
§ 177-53 Members; terms; officers; vacancies.
[Amended 10-27-1992]
A.
The Town Council shall appoint the members of the Committee, which shall consist of six regular members and two alternate members. The Town Planner who shall be an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Committee, shall serve as Committee secretary. The term of office for members and alternates shall be three years commencing January 1, except that of the five regular members first appointed, two shall be appointed for terms ending December 31, 1988, two shall be appointed for terms ending December 31, 1987; and one shall be appointed for a term ending December 31, 1986. The sixth regular member shall be appointed for a term ending December 31, 1995. No member shall serve on the board for more than two consecutive terms.
B.
At least three regular members shall be specifically qualified by reason of education, training or experience in architecture, landscape architecture or in the area of graphic or allied arts; at least one regular member shall be specially qualified by reason of education, training or experience in the financing of commercial real property; one regular member shall be a real estate, development or construction professional with knowledge of city planning and urban design; one regular member shall be appointed by the Architectural Heritage Committee. Alternate members shall have special training or experience in architecture, urban design or other related businesses or professions. Committee members shall be individuals who are either property owners, residents or actively engaged in business or employment in the Town of West Hartford. Members shall receive no compensation for their services on the Committee.
C.
The Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee shall be elected by a majority of the members of the Committee for a term of two years. Committee members shall not serve as Chair or Vice Chair for more than one term.
D.
Any vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term as original appointments are herein provided. The Council may remove any member of the Committee, after hearing, for misconduct or nonperformance of duty.
§ 177-54 Meetings.
The Committee shall meet at such times as the Committee may determine. A quorum shall consist of three members. The Committee shall adopt its own rules and procedures and shall adopt standards and criteria for reviewing projects. Such rules and procedures and standards and criteria shall be adopted not later than 90 days following appointment of Committee members pursuant to § 177-53 of this article, provided that prior to the effectiveness of the standards and criteria, the Committee shall submit these to the Council for its review and comment. Upon adoption and effectiveness, the rules and procedures and standards and criteria shall be placed on file in the Town Clerk's office. The Committee shall report at least annually to the Council and the Town Plan and Zoning Commission on its activities.
§ 177-55 Jurisdiction and powers.
[Amended 1-14-2014]
No application for special development district designation or amendment shall be approved until the plans, drawings, sketches and other documents required pursuant to § 177-44C of this chapter for a special development district application have been reviewed and recommendations reported by the Committee to the applicant and to the Town Council and Town Plan and Zoning Commission. The Plan and Zoning Commission or the Town Planner may, at their discretion, refer to the Design Review Advisory Committee any application which has been submitted to them; provided, however, that no such referral shall extend the time periods within which the Plan and Zoning Commission or Town Planner must act on any such application. Where any application is referred to the Design Review Advisory Committee by the Plan and Zoning Commission or the Town Planner, it shall be reviewed in the same manner as is applicable to special development district applications pursuant to this article.
§ 177-56 Procedures
A.
Submission. An applicant for a special development district approval shall submit an extra set of all materials with the application for the Committee's review and such other materials as the Committee may require pursuant to its rules and procedures adopted in accordance with § 177-54 of this article.
B.
Forwarding to Committee. The Town Clerk shall, upon receipt of an application, forward a copy of all completed application materials to the Committee.
C.
[1]Action by Committee. At least five days prior to a hearing by the Town Council on a special development district application, the Committee shall submit a written report, including specific recommendations and suggestions, to the applicant, to the Town's Building Inspector and Town Planner and to the Town Council and Town Plan and Zoning Commission. Failure of the Committee to comply with the time requirements of this subsection shall not delay the Town's action on the application, unless such delay is specifically authorized by the applicant.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection C, Notice, was repealed 5-10-2005. This ordinance also redesignated former Subsections D and E as C and D, respectively.
D.
Preliminary consideration. An applicant may request preliminary consideration by the Committee of the general plans prior to seeking a special development district designation or amendment. When seeking preliminary consideration, the applicant shall submit a site plan showing the proposed structures, improvements and parking, together with a general description of the plans. The Committee shall submit a report, together with its recommendations and suggestions, to the applicant no later than 20 days after receipt thereof. This preliminary report shall be deemed to fulfill the requirements of this article for review and report on final plans to the extent that the final plans are in substantial conformity with the preliminary plans. All changes in final plans as compared to preliminary plans shall be submitted in accordance with this section for additional report and comment by the Committee.
§ 177-57 Approval of standards and criteria.
No application for a special development district designation or amendment shall be subject to review and report of the Committee until standards and criteria have been approved in accordance with § 177-54 of this article.
§ 177-58 Conflicts of interest; disqualification.
The provisions of Chapter 16, Code of Ethics, of the Code of the Town of West Hartford shall apply to the members of the Committee. In addition, no member shall participate in the meeting or decision of the Committee upon any matter in which he or she is directly or indirectly interested in a personal or financial sense. In the event of such disqualification, such fact shall be entered on the records of the Committee, and the Chair shall appoint an alternate member to participate in the meeting.
§ 177-59 (Reserved) [1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 177-59, Renewal of provisions, as amended 12-13-1988, was repealed 10-27-1992.