Opinion ID: 2399351
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Dover Historic District Preservation

Text: The purpose of the Historic District, as set forth in the City of Dover Code, is to: preserve and enhance that unique character and value of the older portion of Dover as an area of special charm and interest. It is particularly intended that the regulations prevent, in the Historic District, any change of conditions that would be deemed to be a disfigurement or degradation of the present unique visual and architectural qualities of the district. [6] The City of Dover Code provides that [a]n architectural review certificate shall be required for the demolition, construction, reconstruction, alteration or restoration of any new or existing structure or where general exterior repairs are made within the Historic District, as provided in Article 10, Section 3 of this ordinance. [7] The Historic District Commission was created pursuant to Article 10, Section 3.1 of the City of Dover Code: for the purpose of assisting the [Planning Commission] and city planner in reviewing applications for architectural review certifications as specified in Section 3.2 of this Article; and for making recommendations for designation of historic zones; and for establishing guidelines for the preservation and conservation of historic zones; and for advising other officials and departments in the City of Dover in matters concerning historic preservation .... [8] The City of Dover Code provides that, [n]o building permit or certificate of occupancy may be issued for any structure in the Historic District until an architectural review certificate is issued .... [9] An architectural review certificate may be issued only after review and recommendation by the Historic District Commission to the Planning Commission and determination by the Planning Commission [10] that the new proposed construction is in general accordance with the standards set forth in Section 3.24 .... [11] In setting forth the standards that must be complied with prior to the issuance of an architectural review certificate, the City of Dover Code provides: An architectural review certificate may be issued if it is found that the architectural style, general design, height, bulk and setbacks, arrangement, location and materials and structures affecting the exterior appearance are generally in harmony with neighboring structures and complementary to the traditional architectural standards of the historic district as set forth in the Historic District Guidelines and Standards adopted by the Planning Commission .... [12] The Historic District Guidelines and Standards provide that construction of new buildings in the Historic District should be discouraged, if not prevented, even if those new buildings would be constructed in an historical style. Standard 3 of the Historic District Guidelines and Standards specifically states: This Standard also provides a clear basis on which to discourage, if not prevent, the practice in Dover of building new buildings in a historical, especially Colonial or Georgian, idiom. Such new construction may seriously confuse the clarity of the District as a physical record. (emphasis added). The Historic District Guidelines and Standards apply to each historic district in the City of Dover. These Guidelines and Standards have enhanced significance, however, in the Dover Green Historic District, as to which the Historic District Guidelines and Standards provide: The buildings themselves [in the Dover Green Historic District] constitute a 200-year continuum of American architectural styles from the eighteenth-to the very early-twentieth century. Housed within are a variety of functions including residences, government offices, professional offices, courts, and a civic club.    The Green and the buildings that surround it, and by extension its immediate environs, are extremely significant historic resources by any criteria. The complete enclosure of the Green as well as the excellent state of preservation of its buildings make it an extremely significant historic resource. The Green historic context should be very carefully preserved, and requires the most restrictive design guidelines. [13]