15.060 Review of Applications for Demolition Permits.
A. Applications for Demolition Permits. Applications for demolition permits shall be referred to the Historic and Cultural Preservation Committee for review and determination, when the Director determines that a structure has potential historic or cultural significance. The following exceptions to this provision shall apply: permits for buildings posing an immediate danger to the public safety, health and welfare, as determined by the Director and the Chief Building Official, and/or applications of a routine, minor nature not warranting further review, as determined by the Director. When demolition of a historic structure is permitted, the applicant shall be required to salvage, to the extent possible, building materials, fixtures, doors, and other items of a historic nature, for reuse or to be made available to interested parties.
When determining whether a structure has potential historic or cultural significance, the Director may require the property owner to submit an official evaluation of the property prepared by a qualified historian or archaeologist, and may use the following California Register of Historical Resources criteria, which states that a resource may be significant if it is:
1. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history, or the cultural heritage of California or the United States;
2. Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history;
3. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic value; or
4. Has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation.
B. Findings.
1. Finding of No Significance. If the Historic and Cultural Preservation Committee determines that a structure is not culturally or historically significant, the application shall be returned to the Director with a finding of no significance and the demolition permit shall be issued.
2. Finding of Significance. In cases where the Historic and Cultural Preservation Committee determines the structure has cultural or historical significance, the Committee shall make the findings as outlined below, deny the application for demolition, except as provided in Section 15.080 of this Chapter, and shall forward its decision to the Director. Mandatory findings of significance are as follows:
a. The structure is of historical/cultural significance when listed on a local, state, or national register or survey.
b. The structure is eligible for listing on a local, state, or national register or survey.
c. Demolition of said structure will be detrimental to the aesthetic and/or economic vitality of the community.
d. Any of the criteria used by the Director to determine the historical or cultural significance of the property.