Alteration/Demolition Review
for Historic Buildings & Structures

As a part of the City's permitting processes, whenever a permit or development application is sought for a building or structure that is 50 years old or older, the application is reviewed under Section 14-72 of the Municipal Code, commonly called the Demolition/Alteration Review. This review was designed to help prevent the loss of Fort Collins' historic resources and to help preserve historic character. The review is also an opportunity to for citizens to comment on changes that may affect them, and for owners of eligible properties to become informed about the substantial financial incentives available for historic properties. To determine the age of a building or structure Larimer County Assessor Records.

1. Determination of Eligibility

The review begins with a determination of a property's eligibility for possible designation as a Fort Collins Landmark. This process takes no longer than two weeks. To make this decision, the Director of Community Development and Neighborhood Services and the Chair of the Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) review current photographs of each building or structure on the property, along with any available historical information.

To start this review of a building, the applicant must digitally submit four (4) good quality, color photos, of all four sides of the building that is over 50 years old to Karen McWilliams at If the applicant does not have access to e-mail, special accommodations can be made.

A building or structure will fall into one of three categories of eligibility, based upon its historical or architectural significance and its integrity, or extent of alterations:

Not Eligible
This refers to a building or structure which has limited historical or architectural significance, or has endured numerous exterior changes, or both.

Contributing
Buildings or structures that would contribute to a district are architecturally or historically significant resources that have experienced some alterations, which, while not seriously damaging the historic character of the property, have notably altered its appearance. These buildings or structures retain enough exterior integrity to contribute to a group of similar resources (a district), but are not typically eligible for landmark designation on their own.

Individually Eligible
Properties which have significance and substantially retain their exterior integrity. The resource may have some alterations but these alterations will not have compromised its integrity.

If the Community Development and Neighborhood Services Director and Landmark Preservation Commission Chair agree the building or structure is not individually eligible, (i.e., it is either not eligible for designation or only eligible as a contributing property) then there is no further historic preservation review.

If the Director and Chair determine a building or structure is individually eligible, the Director and Chair next decide if the proposed plans would negatively affect the resource's eligibility, resulting in its no longer qualifying as individually eligible. If the proposed work, in the opinion of the Director and the Chair, would not be detrimental to the building or structure's eligibility, or would not negatively affect an existing historic district, then there is no further historic preservation review.

If the Director and Chair disagree, either on the historic resource's level of eligibility or on the proposed work's effect upon the resource's eligibility, then the application is referred to the Landmark Preservation Commission for review.


2. Landmark Preservation Commission Review

If the Director and Chair find the resource is individually eligible for landmark designation and the plans would have a detrimental effect on the resource's eligibility, or if there is a split decision on eligibility or effect of the proposed work, the application is referred to the Landmark Preservation Commission for a Preliminary Hearing, followed by a Final Hearing.

If your property has been determined individually eligable or there is a split decision, you must contact Karen McWilliams at to have your plans for alteration or deomolition considered by the Landmark Preservation Commission. Additionally, the applicant will need to submit proposed plans no later than 5 pm 10 days before the proposed LPC meeting date in order to be eligable for the agenda. LPC meeting agendas fill up quickly, so considerations are on a "first come, first served" basis.

Preliminary Hearings are an opportunity for applicants to meet with the Commission to discuss their plans and explore alternatives. A solution is often found, allowing for the applicant's needs or wishes, while protecting the individual eligibility of the building or structure. If a solution is agreed upon by both the applicant and Commission, then there is no further historic preservation review.

If the applicant and Commission are not successful in reaching a mutually acceptable solution at the Preliminary Hearing, then the application proceeds to the Final Hearing. The Final Hearing has additional requirements, which must be met before the Final Hearing is scheduled. These are:
- a fee of $250, to cover the costs of processing the request;
- documentation of the history and architecture of the building by completing a Colorado Architectural Inventory Form, also available at the Development Review Center;
- information about the historic character of the immediate neighborhood, so the impact of the proposal on the eligibility of other nearby properties may be assessed;
- and final, approved plans for the proposed work.

Once again, the Final Hearing must be scheduled by the applicant contacting Karen McWilliams four weeks before the desired LPC meeting date and submitting proposed plans with a narritive describing all alterations to the structure. Decisions can only be made at a LPC regular meeting, not a work session.

After the meeting is scheduled, City Staff posts a green development review sign for 30 days and notifies neighboring property owners within 500 feet of the historic resource at least two weeks before the hearing via U.S. Mail. At the Final Hearing, the Landmark Preservation Commission conducts a public meeting to determine if the requirements for documentation of the property and public notification have been met, and either approves the application, or may recommend that City Council protect a threatened highly significant property through landmark designation.

Land Use Code Review

If the work proposed requires review under the City's Land Use Code, the procedure again begins with a determination of eligibility for the building, structure, or site, as described above. Again, if the historic resource is found to not be individually eligible for Landmark designation -- or, if the resource is individually eligible, it is determined that the plans will not be detrimental to the eligibility of this property as well as to nearby individually eligible historic resources -- then there is no further historic preservation review.

If, instead, the proposed plans would negatively affect the eligibility of an individually eligible resource or nearby designated or individually eligible properties, then the plans are reviewed by staff for compliance with Section 3.4.7 of the Land Use Code. Staff provides its recommendation to the Decision Maker, who determines compliance or non-compliance with the code. The Purpose statement of Section 3.4.7 (A) provides its intent: "This Section is intended to ensure that, to the maximum extent feasible: (1) historic sites, structures or objects are preserved and incorporated into the proposed development and any undertaking that may potentially alter the characteristics of the historic property is done in a way that does not adversely affect the integrity of the historic property; and (2) new construction is designed to respect the historic character of the site and any historic properties in the surrounding neighborhood. This Section is intended to protect designated or individually eligible historic sites, structures or objects as well as sites, structures or objects in designated historic districts, whether on or adjacent to the development site."

Historic Preservation staff is always willing to meet with applicants to discuss requirements and design alternatives.