Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB)

Basic Responsibilities

• To provide recommendations to the Township Board of Supervisors regarding the advisability of issuing any certificate of appropriateness required to be issued pursuit to the Historic District Act and the Township Ordinance 579.
• To formulate recommendations concerning the preparation and publication of maps, brochures and descriptive material about the Township’s Historic District.
• To cooperate with and advise the Township Board of Supervisors in matters such as appropriate land usage, parking facilities and signs, as well as adherence to lot dimensional regulations and minimum structural standards.
• To advise owners of historic buildings regarding rehabilitation, repairs, maintenance methods and technologies, adaptive use, economic  and tax incentives and other historic preservation strategies.
• To promote public interest by carrying on educational and public relations programs.
• To cooperate with and enlist assistance from the National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Pennsylvania and the PA Historic   and Museum Commission concerning the preservation of historic sites and buildings.
• Other duties as found in the Township Ordinance 579.

Membership Requirements

• One must be a registered architect
• One member shall be a licensed real estate broker
• One member must be a building inspector
• One member must live in the historic district
• One member must reside within the Township and have knowledge or interest in the preservation of historic districts

Recent Projects

• Recent projects include the preparation of Mooncrest Design Guidelines and power point presentation. Post card invitations went out to all the shareholders in the Mooncrest Historic District to attend an information session this past June.  The Design Guidelines can be obtained at the Township Administration Office. 
• Since the HARB’s inception in February of 2006, historic interest has grown whether landlords, land owners and/or contractors.  Interested parties are welcome to attend the HARB’s regular monthly meeting.
• Another project completed by the HARB was completing an inventory of units in the Historic District.

Please note that it is required to obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness prior to obtaining a building permit in the Historic District.

Building Permits are required for alterations, additions, porch roofs, sheds, etc.  There are regulations concerning windows and doors along on the front of buildings, dryer vents, coal chutes, roofing materials, etc.

Please contact Lora Dombrowski for more information at 412-262-1700.