Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 2A of chapter 395 of the acts of 1970 is hereby amended by striking out the definition of "Exterior architectural features", as most recently amended by section 1 of chapter 333 of the acts of 1989, and inserting in place thereof the following definition:-

"Exterior architectural features", such portions of the exterior of a building or structure, including the size and shape of proposed buildings and structures described in subsection (b) of section 9, as are open to view from a beach, a public way, a traveled way, a street or way shown on a land court plan or shown on a plan recorded in the registry of deeds, a proprietor's road, a street or way shown on a plan approved and endorsed in accordance with the subdivision control law, a public park, or a public body of water, and shall include, but not be limited to, the architectural style and general arrangement and setting thereof, the kind, color, and texture of exterior building materials; the color or paint or other materials applied to windows, doors, lights, signs, trim, gutters, leaders, louvers, vents, exterior surfaces and type and style of roofs, porches, decks, staircases, steps, balconies, roof walks, and other appurtenant exterior fixtures.

SECTION 2. Subsection (b) of section 9 of said chapter 395 is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:- In the case of new construction or additions to existing buildings or structures, the Historic District Commission shall consider the appropriateness of the size and shape of the building or structures both in relation to the land area upon which the building or structure is situated and buildings and structures in the vicinity, and the commission may in appropriate cases impose dimensional and setback requirements in addition to those required by applicable by-law.

SECTION 3. Said section 9 of said chapter 395 is hereby further amended by striking out subsection (c), as amended by section 5 of chapter 735 of the acts of 1987, and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(c) The Historic District Commission shall not consider interior arrangement or building features not subject to public view. The commission shall not make any recommendations or requirements except for the purpose of preventing developments incongruous to the historic aspects of the surroundings and the Historic Nantucket District.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon its passage.