8.7.C Historic District Designation | Sedona Land Development Code

C. Historic District Designation

This section establishes the procedures for the designation of a historic district, which is an overlay zone in which designated properties retain the uses of and are subject to the regulations of the underlying zoning district(s). The underlying zoning, which relates primarily to land use and density, continues to be administered by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Historic Preservation Commission administers the regulations as they relate to the historic district designation. In the case where historic preservation and zoning regulations conflict, the Historic Preservation Ordinance takes precedence.

A rezoning approval is required in order to receive a historic district designation. The application and review process for a rezoning to a historic district shall be the same as for general rezonings as set forth in Section 8.6.A, Rezoning (Zoning Map Amendment), with the following modifications:

1. If more than one property owner is included in a proposed rezoning to a historic district, written consent of at least 51 percent of the property owners of record within the boundaries of the proposed district shall be submitted with the application.

2. Requests for historic district designations may be initiated by the Historic Preservation Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, City Council, a property owner, or the agent of a property owner.

1. An application for rezoning to a historic district shall first be submitted to the Historic Preservation Commission.

2. Upon acceptance of complete application for a historic district, no demolition or building permits shall be issued by the City until the process as described in this section has been completed and City Council has made its decision.

1. The Historic Preservation Commission shall hold a public hearing concerning the proposed rezoning, at which time interested parties and citizens shall have the opportunity to be heard. After the public hearing, unless the applicant requests that the application be withdrawn, the Historic Preservation Commission shall make a report and recommendation to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

2. The recommendation shall include the following:

i. A map showing the proposed boundaries of the historic district and identifying all structures within the boundaries, including classification as contributing or noncontributing;

ii. An explanation of the significance of the proposed district and description of the cultural resources within the proposed boundaries;

iii. A set of findings documenting the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission;

iv. Proposed design guidelines for applying the criteria for review to future development and redevelopment in the nominated historic district; and

v. The recommendations of the Commission may include reasonable additional conditions and/or modifications to the proposed district property boundaries as deemed necessary to promote the purpose of the district.

3. If an application is withdrawn after the Historic Preservation Commission hearing, the Historic Preservation Commission may refuse to accept another application for the same or substantially the same rezoning on the same property or any part of it within a year of the date the original application was filed on the same property or a portion of it.

The Planning and Zoning Commission shall hold a public hearing to consider the Historic Preservation Commission’s recommendations. Following conclusion of its public hearing, the Planning and Zoning Commission shall transmit its recommendation to the City Council.

Following conclusion of its public hearing, the Council may approve the historic district as recommended or in a modified form, stipulating those conditions it deems necessary to carry out the purpose of this district and this Code.

The supporting statements, design guidelines, and all other documents submitted with the application for a historic district shall be approved and adopted by the Council and included in the ordinance establishing the historic district.

1. Upon approval of a historic district designation by the City Council, the affected property(ies) shall be included in the Historic Property Register and on any other applicable documents as appropriate for its preservation. The City’s Zoning Map shall be updated to reflect the new zoning district boundaries. The City’s parcel information database shall be updated to include those properties identified within the historic district as contributing and noncontributing.

2. No person shall carry out any exterior alteration, restoration, renovation, reconstruction, new construction, demolition, or removal, in whole or in part, without first obtaining a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Commission pursuant to Section 8.7.E.

3. No person shall make any material change in the exterior appearance of a designated property, its color, materials, light fixtures, signs, sidewalks, fences, steps, paving, or other elements which affect the appearance of the property without first obtaining a Certificate of Appropriateness pursuant to Section 8.7.E.

4. Each property designated as a contributing property shall be maintained in good condition and faithful to its historic character.

5. Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent normal maintenance and repair which does not involve change in exterior design, material, color, or appearance.

6. In addition to any other required review and/or approval, any proposed construction within a historic district shall also be subject to Commission review according to any design guidelines which may have been applied to that district and other applicable criteria.

Each structure, site, building, landscape, or property within an area that is included in a historic district rezoning application shall be evaluated and may be designated a historic district if it is determined to possess integrity of location, design, settings, materials, workmanship, feeling and association; and be at least 50 years old or having achieved significance within the past 50 years if the property is of exceptional importance; and exhibits one or more of the following:

a. Association with events that have made significant contributions to the broad patterns of our local, state, or national history;

b. Association with the lives of persons significant in our local, state, or national past;

c. Embodiment of distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or representing the work of a master architect, artist, engineer or craftsman, or high artistic values or representative of a significant and distinguishable property or person whose individual components may lack distinctions; and

d. Information important in the understanding of the pre-history or history of the community or region.