1. Is the structure (or portion thereof) fifty years old or older, or is it currently designated in any manner on the National or State Registers of Historic Places? (Sources for this information are generally building permit records or the Larimer County Assessor Records.) If the structure is less than fifty years old and is not designated on the National or State Registers of Historic Places, it is not reviewed under the Demolition/Alteration Review Process.

2. Has the structure been determined to be unsafe, as defined in Section 203 of the Uniform Building Code? If so, the structure is not reviewed under this process.

3. Is the building or structure, in the opinion of the Director of Advance Planning and the Chair of the LPC, individually eligible for designation as a Fort Collins Landmark, as defined in Section 14-5 of the Municipal Code? A building or structure that is individually eligible has historical significance and has substantially retained its exterior integrity. If the building or structure is not individually eligible for designation as a Fort Collins Landmark, then the application is approved without further review. However, the applicant is welcome to take advantage of free, no-obligation design advice offered by the LPC.

4. If the building or structure is individually eligible for designation as a Fort Collins Landmark, or is designated on the National or State Registers of Historic Places, would the proposed work be detrimental to the building's eligibility, or to the district, if any, in which the building is located? If the proposed work, in the opinion of the Director of Advance Planning and the Chair of the LPC, would not be detrimental to the building or structure's current level of eligibility, and would not negatively affect an existing district, then the application is approved.

If none of the preceding circumstances is determined to exist, then the application is referred to the LPC, in a two phase process: A preliminary hearing, followed, if needed, by a final hearing.

The preliminary hearing is an opportunity for applicants to meet with the LPC to discuss their plans, with the goal of identifying and solving issues that would adversely affect the property's historic significance and integrity. An agreeable solution is often found which allows for the applicant's needs and still protects the individual eligibility of the building or structure. If the applicant and LPC are not successful in developing acceptable alternate plans at the preliminary hearing, then the application proceeds to a final hearing.

The final hearing has additional requirements that must be complied with. These are:

• Payment of a $250 fee to cover the costs of processing the request; the submittal of additional information, including a completed Colorado Architectural Inventory Form for each building or structure, and a report regarding the effect that the alteration, removal, or demolition of the building or structure would have on the character of the site and on adjacent properties;
• A fully approved plan for the redevelopment of the property.

Within 45 days of receipt of this information and fee, the final hearing will be scheduled. At least 30 days prior to the hearing the property is posted, and notice is mailed to nearby property owners two weeks before the hearing.

At the final hearing, the LPC reviews all evidence presented. The LPC shall then either approve the application (with or without conditions), or postpone consideration of the application for a period not to exceed 45 days, for the following reasons:

• Additional information is needed for the full and complete consideration of the request by the LPC; or
• The request has generated substantial neighborhood concerns, and such postponement could contribute to resolving these concerns; or
• The LPC wishes to investigate the benefits to the city of protecting the building or structure through landmark or landmark district designation of the property.

The LPC may, as a condition of its approval, require the property owner to provide the city with additional information which will help to mitigate the loss to the city caused by the demolition, alteration or relocation of the building or structure. These conditions may include:

• Comprehensive photographic documentation of the building or structure;
• Comprehensive historical, developmental, social, and/or architectural documentation of the property and the neighborhood containing the property; and/or
• Any other mitigating solution agreed upon by the Commission, the applicant, and any other applicable parties.

Upon approval of the application, or after the full Demolition/Alteration Review Process has been complied with, the owner may obtain the appropriate permit.