Event Date
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Public Notice
Notice is hereby given that the Milford Borough Council will conduct a Public Hearing, and thereafter may vote upon and potentially enact an amendment to Chapter 167 of the Milford Borough Code, establishing and regulating the Historic District. If passed, the amendment would:
Amend Section 167-4 to add definitions of: Addition, Borough Council, Borough Planning Commission, Borough of Milford Design Guide, Building Inspector, Certificate of Completion, Emergency Repairs, Historic District, Local Landmark, Preservation, Public Way/Public Right-Of-Way, Rehabilitation, Relocation, and Restoration. The Amendment would remove definitions of: Council, Historic District Office, and Reconstruction.Redesignate Section 167-5 (previously Section 167-6) as Creation, membership, and terms of office of Historical Architectural Review Board (previously Section 167-6), and require that one member of the Historic Architectural Review Board be the Borough Building Inspector and to provide for five year terms; Eliminate the requirement that one member of the HARB be the Historic District Official and that one member may be a Planning Commission Member, and replacing same with the requirement that one member be the Building Inspector, and expanding the allowance that one member be a property owner residing or carrying on a business in the district to also allow a resident of the Borough at large (i.e., not limited to residence in the District); Eliminating language allowing for indefinite holdover terms of members (and thus limiting terms to five years);Redesignate Section 167-8 as Designation of historic districts (previously Section 167- 5(C), eliminating the definition of historic district (moved to Section 167-4, Definitions), renumbering paragraphs, eliminating the process of designating contributing and non- contributing resources, eliminating language allowing the HARB 30 days following public meetings to consider an application for its recommendation to Council;Redesignate Section 167-8(B) (previously Section 167-5(F) as the section regarding Delineation of Historic Districts; incorporating the district boundary description as an Appendix; providing for interpretation of Historic District boundaries and resolving uncertainties through consultation with PHMC; Redesignate Section 167-8(G)(9) (previously Section 167-5(D)(7)) as the requirement that Council act upon the HARB recommendation to amend a historic district boundary within 30 days; clarify procedures regarding Amendments to Historic Districts; providing for Planning Commission consideration of proposed Amendments to Historic Districts; providing that changes to a Historic District be provided to and certified by PHMC;Redesignate Section 167-6 (previously Section 167-7) Powers and duties of HARB; removal of members, compensation, meeting requirements; add a list of items requiring HARB review and Council approval to include any alteration, construction, reconstruction, repair, restoration, relocation, or demolition activity on private or public property visible from the public right-of-way, or any sign visible from the public right-of-way; specifying activities not subject to HARB review to include routine maintenance, interior repairs, alterations, or renovations with no exterior change, and changes in use; allowing the HARB to organize and select its own officers; not permitting compensation but allowing for reimbursement of direct expenses; allowing for compensation of the Building Inspector as a member; requiring all members to participate in at least four (4) hours of continuing education annually; adding as an additional power of the HARB to participate and lead public education and information programs regarding historic preservation.Eliminating previous Section 167-9 Design guidelines, which is now a separate document;Eliminating language in Section 167-10 regarding historical markers;
Redesignating various subsections of 167-11 Application Review Procedure; adding provision for informal presentation and discussion at a meeting; providing for initial review of an application by one designated HARB member; providing a specific process for administrative review and HARB review; provide for HARB to request additional information to aid its review and providing for automatic recommendation for approval if recommendations are not provided to Council within thirty (30) days of the meeting at which an application is considered; requiring a written report recommending approval; requiring that written reports cite specific design guidelines pertinent to the project; providing for review by Council and for further review by HARB of any changes considered by Council; Eliminating the requirement for a Certificate of Compliance;Adding to Section 167-12 Unreasonable economic hardship the examination of comparable properties and submission of structural reports where structural deficiency is claimed as proofs required by an applicant seeking relief on this basis; providing for HARB review regarding a claim of unreasonable economic hardship and for Council to make a final determination on that claim within thirty (30) days;Adding Section 167-13 Demolition, which shall require separate permit approval for demolition of historic resources, consideration by HARB of such proposed demolition; consideration of specific factors by HARB in whether to recommend approval of such proposed demolition; consideration of proposed relocation of historic resources instead of demolition; requiring a good faith effort to relocate historic resources instead of demolition;Redesignating Section 167-14 (previously Section 167-13) Maintenance to protect from deterioration required; demolition by neglect.; allowing consideration by HARB as to whether conditions constitute demolition by neglect; requiring evaluation of the condition of buildings by the Building Inspector and/or Zoning Officer; consideration of unresolved notices of ordinance violations in determination of demolition by neglect;Adding Section 167-15 allowing emergency repairs to preserve historic resources without prior approval and requiring for emergency on-site reviews;Adding Section 167-16 Appeals to provide for appeal of adverse decisions to the Court of Common Pleas of Pike County;Redesignating Section 167-17 (previously Section 167-14) Notice of violation. and replacing HARB-approved work with the terms under which a certificate of appropriateness is issued;Redesignating Section 167-18 (previously Section 167-15) Enforcement and replacing the Historic District Official with the Building Inspector and/or Zoning Officer;Redesignating Section 167-19 (previously Section 167-16) Violations and penalties.Redesignating Section 167-20 (previously Section 167-17) Amendments.
The proposed Ordinance is available for inspection at the Milford Borough Office, 500 Broad Street, Milford during normal business hours.
The Hearing shall take place on June 16, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at the Milford Borough Hall, 109 Catharine Street, Milford, Pennsylvania.
Joseph Dooley, Council President
Jason R. Ohliger, Esq., Solicitor
Francesca Lombardo, Secretary
June 2, 9 2025
LSOM0302001