Alpharetta, GA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

The Unified Development Code creates the seven-member Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission, the HPC, in Sec. 2.9.3: the mayor and each of the six council members appoints one member, HPC members serve at the appointing official's pleasure with no term limit, and at least four members must have demonstrated experience in history, architecture or historic preservation. Sec. 2.9.4 sets the substantive bar for designating a historic property: the building, structure or parcel must be of historic, cultural, aesthetic or architectural significance, must possess historic integrity in its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, and must be worthy of preservation because it is an outstanding or one of the few remaining examples of an architectural era or style, or is associated with a historically significant event or person, in every case being over 75 years old.

Designation itself is a legislative act: the HPC or the property owner can apply, both the HPC and City Council hold public hearings with 30-to-45-day mailed and published notice, the HPC forwards a recommendation, and City Council enacts a designation ordinance that adds an HP suffix to the property's zoning designation on the official zoning map. Once designated, no material change in appearance, including reconstruction, demolition, relocation or exterior color change outside the code's approved palettes, may occur without a certificate of appropriateness from the HPC, and owners gain access to zoning incentives such as reduced side and rear setbacks, parking reductions and mixed-use allowances detailed in Sec. 2.9.5.