Hamburg Village, NY Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

The Village of Hamburg does not use the label cultural monument. Its Board of Trustees adopted Chapter 44 on 10-15-2018 as L.L. No. 4-2018, and the protected categories are the individual landmark, the scenic landmark and the historic district. Under § 44-11 the Commission designates an individual property if it has special character or historic or aesthetic interest in the Village's political, economic or social history, is identified with significant persons or events, embodies a type, period or method of construction or design, is an established and familiar visual feature of the community, or has yielded or is likely to yield information important in prehistory or history.

A historic district requires that a majority of the properties in it contain properties meeting one or more landmark criteria and form a unique section of the Village. Scenic landmarks cover a landscape feature or group of features, and a recommendation must carry the historical and architectural information the Commission requires plus any fee set by the Board of Trustees. Boundaries are tied to tax map identification numbers and filed in the Village Clerk's office. Under § 44-12 a proposal can come from the Commission, the owner or any Village resident.

The owner is notified within five days, notice of the public hearing is published in a newspaper at least 15 days ahead, and the Commission decides by resolution within 62 days after the hearing closes, with notice to owners within seven days. Under § 44-4 the Commission has seven members appointed by the Mayor with Board of Trustees approval. A district is not a zoning district, and the Commission cannot regulate height, bulk, yards or density. Once a property is designated, § 44-13 requires a certificate of appropriateness before exterior alteration, demolition, new construction or a move, and § 44-14 bars the Commission from reviewing exterior paint colors.