Excerpt from the Capital Gazette:
Proposed changes to city code are about bringing the Annapolis in line with state definitions and providing a clearer path for the people who own historic properties, the Historic Preservation Commission chairwoman said Thursday.
“We focused on things like clarity for the user, the property owners, for our stake holders and people in the community as well as the commission,” Sharon Kennedy said. “It makes our job easier to do if the code is clearer.”
That clarity can be found in the more concrete explanation of what constitutes routine maintenance, limited replacement in kind and other modifications to a property, Kennedy said.
Routine maintenance, repair work and “limited” replacement-in-kind do not require certificates of approval, and the code reflects that, Kennedy said. Limited is defined as costing less than $250 and or affecting less than 50 square feet of material.
What will require approval is replacement-in-kind exceeding the defined values or the homeowner wishing to replace damaged property with different substances.
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These clarifications will help people better understand how to maintain their property, said Lisa Craig, city Historic Preservation Chief.
