8 | Corpus

SEC. 8. STANDARDS OF REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.

The standards for review of all applications for Certificates of Appropriateness are as set forth in Section 1006.6 of Article 10. For the purposes of review under those standards, the “character of the Historic District” shall mean the exterior architectural features of the Chula-Abbey Early Residential District referred to and described in Section 6 of this Appendix. The three levels of review are: “No Certificate of Appropriateness” is required; an “Administrative Certificate of Appropriateness” is required, which is approved administratively by Planning Department Preservation staff as delegated pursuant to Section 1006.2(b) of the Planning Code; and “Certificate of Appropriateness” is required pursuant to Section 1006 of the Planning Code at a regularly scheduled Historic Preservation Commission hearing. The procedures, requirements, controls and standards of Article 10 of the Planning Code shall apply to all applications for Certificates of Appropriateness and/or Administrative Certificates of Appropriateness in the Chula-Abbey Early Residential District. Any exterior change within the Chula-Abbey Early Residential District shall require a Certificate of Appropriateness, pursuant to the provisions of Article 10, when such work requires a City permit, with the exception of: scopes of work outlined in Section 1005(e)(1-10) of Article 10; projects subject to the Housing Accountability Act (HAA) that comply with the Preservation Design Standards; and, the specific scopes of work as outlined below. Ancillary Structures within the Rear Yard – Construction or Removal No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for the construction of any structure within the rear yard that is no more than ten feet in height above grade and covers no more than 120 square feet of land regardless of visibility from public rights-of-way. A Certificate of Appropriateness shall not be required for the removal of any non-historic ancillary structure within the rear yard. Cladding No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for replacement of cladding on rear facades not visible from the public right-of-way. Vinyl siding will not be permitted on any elevation regardless of visibility. Decks, Stairs & Railings Front Stairways and Railings: No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for the replacement of stairways and/or railings with compatible stairways and/or railings provided that the proposal is based on physical or documented evidence and is found to be compatible in terms of location, configuration, materials, and details with the character-defining features of the building and/or district. This does not apply to the replacement of porticos, porches, or other architectural components of the entry. Rear Yard Decks, Stairs, and Railings: No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for repair, replacement, or installation of decks, stairways and associated structural elements (such as firewalls) or elevator shafts located at rear of subject property regardless of visibility from public rights-of-way. Doors, Windows, and Other Openings Doors, Windows, and Other Openings – non-visible elevations: No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for replacement of doors, including garage doors, and windows in existing openings at elevations not visible from the public right of way. No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for adding, expanding or removing openings at elevations not visible from the public right of way. Garage Doors: A Certificate of Appropriateness shall not be required for the replacement of an existing garage door and/or trim provided that the new features are compatible in terms of material, pattern, finish, and fenestration. Replacement garage doors must have a solid, painted finish and may feature no more than 25 percent glazing. Tradesman Doors: No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for replacement of tradesman doors provided the new tradesman door is compatible with the building and District to minimize visual impacts on the character-defining features of the building and District. Exploratory and Investigative Work No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for the removal of non-historic material to conduct investigation about the historic structure and to determine the existence of underlying historic materials, ghosting, and scarring. This scope of work shall be limited, at the Department’s discretion, to no more than 15% of the total surface area of the façade. This work area must be stabilized and protected after the investigation is complete. Fences A Certificate of Appropriateness shall not be required for the construction or replacement of rear or side yard fences. Ground Disturbance Most properties within the Chula-Abbey Early Residential District are also located within the Planning Department’s Archaeological Sensitivity Zone 1 (areas that have high sensitivity for archaeological resources that are at or just beneath the current ground surface). No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for any project where ground disturbance is not: 2 feet or deeper (depth below existing street elevation), and more than 25 cubic yards. Where a project exceeds the ground disturbance criteria of Zone 1, no Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required where Planning Department cultural resources staff, after initial review, determines that the proposed development project is unlikely to result in damage or destruction of significant archaeological resources. Non-Contributory buildings: No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for any exterior change on elevations not visible from the public rights-of-way for non-contributory properties. No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for any alteration or replacement of exterior building features on visible elevations of non-contributory properties, provided that reasonable efforts shall be made to produce compatibility with the District, and in no event shall there be a greater deviation from compatibility. The Planning Department will evaluate these proposals for compatibility with the character of the historic district as described in the designating ordinance, as set forth in Section 1006.6 of the Planning Code. Preservation Design Standards A Certificate of Appropriateness shall not be required for projects involving additions and modifications of district buildings that are also subject to the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), provided they comply with the adopted objective design standards outlined in the Preservation Design Standards. Ordinary Maintenance and Repairs No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required if the proposed work consists of ordinary maintenance and repairs, as defined in Section 1005 (e)(3) of the Planning Code as any work, the sole purpose and effect of which is to correct deterioration, decay or damage of existing materials, including repair of damage caused by fire or other disaster. Replacement of Character-Defining Features A Certificate of Appropriateness shall not be required for the in-kind replacement of character-defining features that are deteriorated beyond repair, including historic architectural details such as porticos, porches, cornices, stringcourses, plaster work, tympanum, roofline, and eaves) regardless of visibility from the public right-or-way.1 For this standard, “in kind” shall mean repair or replace exactly to match the feature’s material, dimensions, finish, profile, and details. Use of alternative material(s) does not qualify as “in-kind.” Roofing – Repair or Replacement No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for roof repair or replacement provided the proposed roof work does not change the roof character, form, structure, or character- defining features. New roofing shall be compatible with existing roofing. No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for repair and/or replacement of roofing materials other than visible surface materials, including but not limited to underlayment, structural members, chimneys, gutters, and scuppers, that does not alter the existing roof’s form or character-defining features. Rooftop Equipment (excluding cellular installations) A Certificate of Appropriateness shall not be required for the installation of rooftop equipment provided that the rooftop equipment is not visible from a public right-of-way and that the rooftop equipment is installed in a manner that may be easily removed in the future without disturbing any historic fabric. Security Measures A Certificate of Appropriateness shall not be required for installation or replacement of metal security doors, window grilles, or security gates on rear elevations regardless of visibility from the public right-of-way. Solar Panels A Certificate of Appropriateness shall not be required for the installation of solar panels, including the installation of structures that support solar panels, regardless of visibility, provided that the installation would not require alterations to the building greater than normally required to install a solar energy system, such as: (a) Set with a low profile, and (b) Mounted parallel with the slope of the roof (if roof is sloped greater than 1/12), and (c) Not visible from adjacent street sightlines if on a flat roof, and (d) Set in from the perimeter walls of the building, including the building’s primary façade. Windows Window Repair: Repair and retention of historic windows is encouraged. No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required to correct deterioration, decay, or damage to existing historic windows, at any façade, including window glazing, sash, muntins, jambs, pulleys, sills and other historic window components. See “Ordinary Maintenance and Repairs.” Window Replacement – Windows visible from public right-of-way: No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for replacement of non-historic windows, provided that replacement windows are wood (original windows are assumed to have been wood); are recessed between two and three inches from the surrounding exterior wall surfaces, measured from the primary exterior cladding to sash; have true divided lites or simulated divided lites with dark-colored spacers where sash feature muntins. Replacement windows are not required to be single-glazed even if the original windows are single-glazed. Vinyl windows are not permitted as a replacement for any window. Window Replacement – Windows not visible from public rights-of-way: No Certificate of Appropriateness shall be required for window replacement on façades not-visible from the public right-of-way, provided the replacement windows occur within the existing opening. Replacement windows can be any material (except vinyl), any configuration, operation, profile, or dimension. Vinyl windows are not permitted as a replacement for any window. (Added by Ord. 14-26, File No. 251100, App. 2/13/2026, Eff. 3/16/2026) CODIFICATION NOTE 1. So in Ord. 14-26.

SEC. 9. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR ALTERATIONS, ADDITIONS AND NEW CONSTRUCTION.

Excluding the exceptions defined in this Appendix.1 any exterior change to a contributory or non-contributory building or new construction within the Chula-Abbey Early Residential District shall require a Certificate of Appropriateness, pursuant to the provisions of Article 10, when such work requires a City permit. The following standards shall guide the approval of exterior alterations, additions, and new construction. (a) Character of the district. New construction shall complement and support the historic character of the district. Proposals for exterior alterations that result in greater conformity with the character of the district and are based on physical or documented evidence are encouraged. (b) Historic Materials. Exterior alterations or new construction shall not destroy historic materials.1 features and spatial relationships that characterize the property. Repair and retention of historic windows is encouraged. (c) Compatibility. New construction shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment. Additions shall be reviewed for compatibility with the historic building and the District, while infill construction shall be reviewed for compatibility with the overall District. Neither should imitate nor replicate existing features. Additions should not physically or visually dominate existing buildings in the District. Infill construction should reflect the character of the District, including the prevailing heights of contributing buildings without creating a false sense of history. The following standards shall guide the approval of additions and new construction: Additions. Horizontal and vertical additions on contributing and non-contributing buildings, as well as addition of new features such as garages or window openings in visible elevations of contributing buildings, shall be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Proposed additions should be located in an inconspicuous location and not result in a radical change to the form or character of the historic building or surrounding District. Due to their diminutive scale and the setbacks of many of the contributory buildings along the narrow alleys and side streets in the District, vertical additions to the contributory buildings facing Chula Lane and Abbey Street are generally discouraged unless it is can be demonstrated that the addition does not impair the form or character-defining features of the building, and that it is not visible from the surrounding public rights-of-way within the District.