After months of back and forth, bickering, and changes, the city council has finally approved an ordinance governing historic buildings within the city’s newest historic district.

What building owners would be allowed to change on the outside of such buildings, including demolition, was the crux of the lengthy and sometimes heated discussions. The approved ordinance still enables Fayette to Historic Preservation Committee to step in but does not allow the committee to enforce its preservation guidelines.

Pam Huttsell, chair of the FHPC, hoped to dissuade the council not to allow any of the buildings to be torn down. But Mayor Stidham, council members, and the writer of this article, who owns a building downtown, asked that rules become less rigid in favor of personal property rights.

The new ordinance approved last week requires a Certificate of Appropriateness to be obtained before any changes “affecting the exterior architectural appearance of any landmark or any structure within a historic district may be undertaken” or “any construction, alteration, demolition, or removal affecting a significant exterior architectural feature or appearance as specified in the ordinance designing the landmark or historic district.”

However, the ordinance states that the owner “shall not be bound by the terms of the Certificate of Appropriateness.”

Any application for a demolition permit may be revised by the historic preservation committee, which can deny such a permit for 45 days. However, after the 45 days have passed, the demolition process may move along after 90 days. This is to allow the committee to educate the property owner as to measures that may be taken to save the building, potentially including grant opportunities.

Buildings on the southeast side of the square were saved in a similar situation in which a building collapse damaged the adjacent building, Mrs. Huttsell explained. Twenty-five years later, those buildings still stand at the corner of Main and Morrison streets.

“If the FHPC denies approval to demolish a building, such building may not be demolished for a period of 90 days following the FHPC ruling,” the ordinance states. However, the ordinance allows for demolition without a permit from the committee if the city’s building inspector has deemed it a danger to public safety.

“If a building is on the verge of collapse, it makes no sense to wait 90 days because people could be killed in those 90 days,” explained Nathan Nickolaus, the city’s attorney who drafted the ordinance. “People always have the option of restoring their building if it’s on the verge of collapse. But generally speaking, when the building inspector steps in, it’s because somebody hasn’t done those things and isn’t going to. I know you want to save those buildings, but ultimately, public safety has to come first.”

Mrs. Huttsell asked that a provision be added to the ordinance, allowing the FHPC to prevent demolition if something of local historical significance occurred in the building.

Mr. Nickolaus reiterated that the FHPC’s guidelines only pertain to a building’s appearance. “What happened in there, you can’t really consider because they aren’t relevant,” he said.

Ultimately, the ordinance was passed with unanimous approval from the five alderwomen.

The Fayette Board of Aldermen meets regularly at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month in City Hall. Meetings are open, agendas are published in advance, and the public is invited.