After the effective date of these regulations, land or structures or the uses of land or structures that would be prohibited under the regulations for the district for which they are located shall be considered as non-conforming. It is the intent of these regulations to permit these non-conforming regulations to continue; provided, they conform with the following provisions.
(A) No existing structure devoted to a use not permitted by these regulations in the district in which it is located shall be enlarged, extended, constructed, reconstructed, moved or structurally altered, except in changing the use of the structure to a use permitted in the district in which it is located or by special permit.
(B)
(1) If no structural alterations are made, any non-conforming use of a structure, or structure and premises, may be changed to another non-conforming use of a similar or higher classification; provided that, the Board of Aldermen, either by general rule, or by making findings in the specific case, shall find that the proposed use is equally appropriate or more appropriate to the district of the existing non-conforming use.
(2) In permitting such change, the Board of Aldermen may require appropriate conditions and safeguards in accord with the provisions of these regulations.
(C) No non-conforming use which has been damaged by more than 50% of its fair market value shall be rebuilt or repaired unless the Board of Aldermen, in order to prevent severe hardship or for some other lawful reason, grants permission for this use.
(D) In the event that a non-conforming use of any building or premises is discontinued, or its normal operations stop, for a period of one year from the date of this chapter, or after its adoption, the use of the same shall thereafter conform to the use permitted in the district in which it is located.
