Chapter 137: Architectural Board of Review

Editor’s note: The Architectural Board of Review was established by Ordinance 1955-350.

Cross references

  • Open meetings - see ADM. Ch. 114
  • Fees for review - see BLDG. 1309.11
  • Plans and drawings - see BLDG. Ch. 1305
  • Establishment - see CHTR. Art. VII, Sec. 9
  • Removal of members - see CHTR. Art. VII, Sec 10

137.01   Board Appointments, Terms and Vacancies

Pursuant to Article VII, Section 9 of the Charter of the Village of Chagrin Falls, the Architectural Board of Review shall consist of five voting members and two architect advisors. Three of the voting members and the two architect advisors shall be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by Council for three year terms and the remaining two members shall be appointed by Council, starting 2024, for three year terms, except that one Council appointed voting member shall initially be appointed to a two year term. The Mayor shall continue to appoint three voting members and the two architect advisors, by either appointing or replacing the current three voting members and two architect advisors when their terms expire, whose appointments shall be confirmed by Council for three year terms.

Vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of unexpired terms in the same manner as the original appointment. Up to three alternate members of the Board may be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by majority vote of the members of Council for three year terms, who shall serve whenever one or more members are unable to hear a particular matter or are unavailable for a particular meeting. The alternate members shall either be a resident of the Village or registered architects in the State of Ohio, and in the event the absent or conflicted member is an architect, then the alternate member appointment preference for a particular matter or meeting, shall be for any alternate member who is a registered architect. Four members of the Architectural Board of Review shall be residents of the Village of Chagrin Falls and need not be architects. The alternate members shall either be residents of the Village of Chagrin Falls or registered architects in the State of Ohio, including architects who were previously licensed for ten years or more or are retired and are registered as emeritus architects.
(Ord. 2024-32. Passed 8-26-24.)

137.02   Membership

The two architect advisors and at least one voting regular member of the Architectural Board of Review, shall be architects, duly registered, and either currently licensed or previously licensed to practice architecture in and under the laws of the State of Ohio, which may include a registered emeritus architect and shall have been actively engaged in the general practice of architecture as registered architects in the State of Ohio for a period of not less than three years prior to their appointment to the Architectural Board of Review, but such three year period shall not be required to be immediately before the time of appointment. The architect member(s) and the architect advisors may reside outside the Village. Four members of the Architectural Board of Review shall be residents of the Village of Chagrin Falls and need not be architects. The two architect advisors shall serve in an advisory capacity only and shall not vote or exercise any authority of the Village.
(Ord. 2019-33. Passed 4-22-19; Ord. 2024-32. Passed 8-26-24.)

137.03   Compensation for Meeting Attendance

The members of the Architectural Board of Review shall receive such compensation as shall be established by Council in the annual pay ordinance.
(Ord. 2009-73. Passed 12-14-09.)

137.04   Member Not to Review Own Work; Conflict of Interest

No voting member or architect advisor of the Architectural Board of Review shall participate in the review or approval of any work of which he or she or any partner or professional associate of his or hers is the author, or in which he or she or they have a direct or indirect financial interest. An architect advisor may present matters to the Board which he or she authored, or in which he or she has a direct or indirect financial interest, but that advisor shall not serve in an advisory capacity to the Board for such matters.
(Ord. 2009-10. Passed 1-26-09.)

137.05   Chairman and Secretary of Board

One member of the Architectural Board of Review shall be elected Chairman and shall be responsible for the proper administration of the Board’s work. One member of the Board shall act as Secretary and shall keep, or cause to be kept, in the Village Hall a complete record of all meetings of the Board and of all transactions handled by the Board.
(Ord. 2002-13. Passed 2-11-02.)

137.06   Quorum, Duties and Rules

The Architectural Board of Review may not act without a quorum present. A quorum shall consist of a minimum of three voting members of the Board, and if none of the voting members of the Board is an architect, one architect advisor must be present to establish the quorum. The Board shall exercise the powers and duties herein provided in accordance with existing laws and ordinances of the State of Ohio and the Municipality, and in accordance with such rules and regulations for its own procedure as it may promulgate.
(Ord. 2009-10. Passed 1-26-09; Ord. 2024-32. Passed 8-26-24.)

137.07   Purposes of Board

  1. (a) The purposes of the Architectural Board of Review are to preserve and protect the public health, safety and welfare by maintaining the high character of community development and protecting the real estate within the Municipality from impairment or destruction of value by regulating, according to proper architectural principles, the design, use of materials, finished grade lines and orientation of all new buildings, signs and structures, hereafter erected, and the moving, alteration, improvement, repair, adding to or razing in full or in part of the exterior of all existing buildings.

  2. (b) Such regulations shall take into consideration the historical and architectural nature of existing buildings, signs and structures within the Municipality and the compatibility of proposed changes or proposed new buildings, signs and structures with such existing buildings, signs and structures.

  3. (c) The Board shall exercise such other powers and duties as may be established by ordinance of Council.
    (CHTR. Art. VII, Sec. 9; Ord. 2002-13. Passed 2-11-02.)

137.08   Review of plans; time limit

  1. (a) The Architectural Board of Review shall receive and promptly review and pass upon all drawings, plans and complaints filed in connection with applications for building permits in accordance with public rulings and regulations adopted by the Board.

    Failure by the Board to act on any set of plans or specifications within forty-five days from the date of the Board’s initial consideration of an application may be considered an approval of such plans and specifications by the Board. No building permit shall be issued unless plans therefor have been approved in writing by the Architectural Board of Review or unless no action by the Board in regard to such plans has been taken within forty-five days of the date of the Board’s initial consideration of an application.

  2. (b) An applicant may request an unofficial review. The unofficial review is informal and does not entitle the applicant to preliminary or final approval, or to a building permit.
    (Ord. 2010-08. Passed 4-12-10.)

  3. (c) Any applicant seeking required approval from the Architectural Board of Review for the erection, enlargement and/or alteration of any building in the Village shall provide the following information to the Architectural Board of Review for consideration, that they believe support granting approval as follows:

    1. (1) Specify how, architecturally, the proposed design compares, relates or fits with the adjacent, contiguous and neighboring properties.

    2. (2) Specify how the proposed design compares, relates or fits with the Village of Chagrin Falls Design Guidelines in terms of (i) architectural style, (ii) massing, (iii) proportion, (iv) setback, (v) distance, (vi) orientation, (vii) height, (viii) exteriors, (ix) roof elements, (x) windows and doors, and (xi) porches and entry features.

  4. (d) Any application form utilized by the Chief Administrative Office of the Village for applications to the Architectural Board of Review shall have an attachment in an appropriate form determined by the Chief Administrative Officer, incorporating the criteria set forth in Codified Ordinance Section 137.08(c).
    (Ord. 2016-70. Passed 11-14-16.)