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 New Rochelle
 Code of Ordinances
 Part II. General Legislation
 Chapter 170. Historic Districts and Landmarks

  § 170-4. Historical and Landmark Review Board.  

Latest version.
  • A. 
    Establishment and procedure.
    (1) 
    The City Council shall appoint a Board, which shall consist of seven members, all of whom shall be residents of the City of New Rochelle, to be known as the "Historical and Landmark Review Board."
    (2) 
    At least one of the members of the Board shall be a licensed architect and at least one of the members of the Board shall be experienced in the real estate business. The members of the Board shall include at least one owner-occupant from each of the designated historic districts in the City. The City Council shall seek to appoint at least one member to the Board with expertise in the field of local history. The Commissioner of Development shall be an ex-officio nonvoting eighth member of the Board, and the staff of the Department of Development and consultants, if any, retained by the Department of Development for such purpose shall serve as staff for the Board for the purpose of conducting and coordinating studies and research and providing other material and information necessary for the Board to reach its decisions.
    [Amended 1-18-2005 by Ord. No. 17-2005]
    (3) 
    Each member shall serve for a term of five consecutive years, except that, of the first appointments to the Board, only one member shall serve for five years, one shall serve for four years, one for three years, one for two years, and one for one year.
    (4) 
    Members shall serve without compensation.
    Editor’s Note: Former Subsection A(4), requiring one licensed architect, one person experienced with real estate business, and one person picked from a panel proposed by the Historical Association on the Board, was repealed 1-18-2005 by Ord. No. 17-2005. This local law also redesignated existing Subsection A(5) through (10) as A(4) through (9).
    (5) 
    They shall continue to hold office until their successors have been appointed and qualified.
    (6) 
    The Board, once constituted, shall designate its own Chairman. The Board members shall also designate an Acting Chairman and shall set meeting dates and adopt such procedures pertaining to their duties as they may deem necessary to perform their functions as set forth herein and as are consistent with the laws of the nation, state and City.
    (7) 
    All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public.
    (8) 
    The Board shall keep minutes of its proceedings, showing the vote of each member upon every question or, if absent or failing to vote, indicating such fact and shall also keep records of its examinations and other official actions. Every rule, regulation, every amendment or repeal thereof and every order, requirement, decision or determination of the Board shall immediately be filed in the office of the Department of Development and with the City Clerk and shall be a public record.
    (9) 
    Four members shall constitute a quorum, and actions may be taken by vote of a majority of members present and voting, except that the affirmative vote of four members shall be required for the refusal to grant a certificate of appropriateness or the grant of a delayed certificate of appropriateness or the grant of a certificate of appropriateness conditioned upon specific structural performance. Board members shall be required to exempt themselves from voting on any project in which their own financial interests are directly involved.
    [Amended 1-18-2005 by Ord. No. 17-2005]
    B. 
    Duties of the Board. The Historical and Landmark Review Board, together with the Board's staff and consultants, shall:
    [Amended 1-18-2005 by Ord. No. 17-2005]
    (1) 
    Review and provide guidance regarding applications for nomination of structures, sites and districts for historic preservation.
    (2) 
    Prepare recommendations on proposals for the designation of potential historic sites, structures and districts.
    (3) 
    Issue or deny certificates of appropriateness for landmarks and buildings in historic districts.
    (4) 
    Maintain and periodically revise listings of historical sites, buildings and districts and data about them, appropriately classified with respect to national, state or local significance.
    (5) 
    Establish procedures for the identification and designation of additional historic districts, sites and landmarks as defined in § 170-2A herein.
    (6) 
    Formulate recommendations concerning the establishment of an appropriate system of markers for selected historic and/or architectural sites and buildings, including proposals for the installation and care of such historic markers.
    (7) 
    Formulate recommendations concerning the preparation and publication of maps, brochures and descriptive material about the City's historic and/or architectural sites and buildings.
    (8) 
    Cooperate with and advise the City Council, the Planning Board and other City agencies in matters involving historically and/or architecturally significant sites and buildings, such as appropriate land usage, parking facilities and signs, as well as adherence to zoning regulations having to do with lot dimensions and minimum structural standards.
    (9) 
    Cooperate with and enlist assistance from the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the State Historic Preservation Officer and other state agencies, public and private, and local agencies concerned with historic sites and buildings.
    (10) 
    Advise the owners of historic buildings on problems of preservation.
    (11) 
    File an annual report with the City Council.
Amended 4-19-1994 by Ord. No. 85-1994; 1-18-2005 by Ord. No. 17-2005