Fairhope recently approved a new demolition procedure for historical buildings and structures.

On Thursday, Feb. 19, Fairhope City Council unanimously approved final adoption on an ordinance that, according to documents, will "further the goal of education of property owners about possible financial incentives available from local, state, federal and private funding resources and tax credit opportunities that may assist the property owner in attempting to save or rehabilitate a historically significant building prior to the issuance of a demolition permit."

While the demolition of any building requires an application submitted to the Building Department, under the ordinance, if the Building Department determines a building is a "Historically Significant Building," the application will be forwarded to the Historic Preservation Commission for review.

The ordinance also requires the property owner to meet with the Historic Preservation Commission to discuss the application, which would include discussions about the history of the property and community and "preservation incentives and demolition alternatives." The application will be denied if the property owner fails to attend, though an online meeting through platforms such as Zoom can be scheduled if they are unable to meet in person.

After meeting with the property owner, the Historic Preservation Commission will notify the Building Department within five business days that the applicant has completed the ordinance requirements. Upon notification by the commission, the Building Department shall be authorized to issue the permit after 15 days, provided all other requirements are met.

If the demolition is approved, a representative of the Historic Preservation Commission will document the exterior of the building via photographs, with the commission also being able to "encourage the applicant to salvage and repurpose significant architectural features or materials and/or make them available to the community."

The ordinance was first introduced on Feb. 9, where Erik Cortinas of the Building Department clarified that the measure is intended to encourage the property owner to explore potential options for preservation of historic property, but the property owners will still ultimately have the decision to demolish if they choose to do so.

"This is strictly an opportunity for the commission to be able to educate potential owners on what ways that they may be able to rehab or save a structure if they so choose," Cortinas said. "They can make them aware of it, but ultimately the decision whether or not to keep that structure lies with the property owner. They have the ultimate decision to do what they want to with their property."