7-101.A. Impacts. The alteration, addition to, relocation and demolition of structures, construction of new structures, and development in general can have substantial impacts on the architectural integrity of the entire Town and the unique historic character and scale of the Town’s core area.

7-101.B. Specific Regulations Needed. Certain aspects of development are subtle and not fully amenable to regulation through legislation which does not address specific land use proposals. Among these aspects are the general form of the land before and after development, the spatial and architectural relationships of the structures and open spaces to adjacent and nearby land uses, and the appearance of buildings and open spaces as they contribute to the area being developed, the Town, and its mountain setting as a whole.

7-101.C. Public Review Board. The preservation of the Town’s historic character and architectural integrity requires the timely exercise of judgment on a case-by-case basis by a public review board which applies specific design guidelines and review criteria to authorize, condition, or deny historical or architectural aspects of certain development proposals which may otherwise be permitted by the Town’s laws, including, but not limited to, compliance with specific zone district dimensional limitations such as maximum height, floor area and site coverage, and minimum setbacks.

Therefore, the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone District (HPOD) and Telluride Historic Landmark District (THLD), which is a subdistrict of the HPOD, are hereby created, to be administered by the Historic and Architectural Review Commission (H.A.R.C.).