Sec. 30.01. - Purposes.

(a)

It is hereby found that structures, sites and areas of special character or special historical, architectural or aesthetic interest or value have been and continue to be unnecessarily destroyed or impaired, despite the feasibility of preserving them. It is further found that the public health, safety and welfare require prevention of needless destruction and impairment, and promotion of the economic utilization and discouragement of the decay and disuse of such structures, sites, and areas. The purpose of this article is to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the public through:

1.

The protection, enhancement, perpetuation and use of structures, sites and areas that are reminders of past eras, events and persons important to local, state or national history, or which provide significant examples of architectural styles of the past or are landmarks in the history of the city's architectural styles, or which are unique and irreplaceable assets to the city and its neighborhoods, or which provide for this and future generations examples of the physical surroundings in which past generations lived;

2.

The development and maintenance of appropriate settings and environment for such structures;

3.

The enhancement of property values, the stabilization of neighborhoods and areas of the city, the increase of economic and financial benefits to the city and its inhabitants, and the promotion of tourist trade and interest;

The enrichment of human life in its educational and cultural dimensions by serving aesthetic as well as material needs and fostering knowledge of the living heritage of the past;

The preservation of the city's status as a certified local government.