1. Demolition of historic resources.
A. Demolition by neglect. No historic resource shall be demolished by neglect.
B. Demolition permits. No historic resource shall be demolished, in whole or in part, unless approved by the Board of Supervisors in accordance with the procedures as provided in this article, the Zoning Ordinance, and the Township Building and Fire Codes.
C. Application requirements for historic resources. In addition to applicable requirements under the Township Building and Fire Codes, any applicant seeking a permit to demolish a historic resource shall provide the following information with regard to that historic resource:
(1) The identity of the owner of record;
(2) Site plan showing all buildings and structures on the property;
(3) Recent photographs of the resource proposed for demolition, including internal features;
(4) Reasons for the proposed demolition;
(5) Method of proposed demolition;
(6) A statement of future use of the site and of the materials from the demolished resource; and
(7) In any instance where there is a claim that a historic resource cannot be used for any purpose for which it is or may be reasonably adapted, or where a permit application for demolition is based, in whole or in part, on financial hardship, the applicant shall submit financial documentation as requested by the Board of Supervisors.
D. Review by the Historical Commission. All applications for demolition of any property listed on the Historic Resource Map shall be submitted to the Historical Commission and no permit shall be issued without the completion of such review. The Historical Commission shall determine whether issuance of a demolition permit is in the public interest. The Historical Commission shall submit their recommendation to the Board of Supervisors not later than 60 days from the date application was filed. If the Historical Commission fails to act within 60 days, the application shall be deemed to be not recommended by the Historical Commission.
E. After review, the Historical Commission shall make a written report to the Board of Supervisors setting forth its recommendation regarding proposed demolition.
F. Within 45 days from receipt of the Historical Commission's recommendation, the Board of Supervisors will consider the Historical Commission's recommendation with regard to application for demolition of the historic resource at a public hearing. The property owner will be given a minimum of 10 days' notice of the meeting. The Board of Supervisors will consider evidence, reports, or testimony from interested parties and will render a decision either to deny or approve the application for demolition within 30 days of the meeting. If the Board of Supervisors fails to act within the time frames provided in this subsection, the application shall be deemed denied.
