Orange County NC Website
<br />HPC will rank the eligibility of sites from this group.) Over six hundred sites of historic <br />significance aze identified in the County's historic resources survey. A small number of <br />these sites may eventually achieve landmark status; however, the National Register and <br />NRSL sites will comprise the selection group for designation during the initial years of <br />the program. <br />The Historic Preservation Commission will select sites to recommend for landmazk <br />designation. The selection will be based on evaluation criteria developed by the HPC. <br />The Commission has developed a Historic Sites Scoring Criteria as a method to rank the <br />quality of resources. This ranking will result in a priority list, consisting of ten to fifteen <br />sites and will be updated annually. The number of sites selected annually for designation <br />will depend upon the availability of funding from the Board of Commissioners. After a <br />site is earmazked, a designation report is prepared. If the site is determined to be eligible <br />for the National Register, the report will consist of a National Register nomination form. <br />If the site is ineligible for National Register consideration, but otherwise significant and <br />worthy of local landmazk status, a local designation report is required. <br />Upon completion of the landmark designation report, it must be submitted to the State <br />Historic Preservation Office for comment. Review and comment by the SHPO will occur <br />before the HPC's recommendation to the Boazd of Commissioners. <br />The county's historic preservation ordinance outlines the specific steps of the landmazk <br />designation procedure. The HPC will recommend a historic landmazk designation to the <br />Board of Commissioners and request a public hearing on the draft designation ordinance. A <br />joint public hearing will beheld quarterly during the calendar yeaz to consider <br />recommended sites. Sites that are recommended for listing on the National Register of <br />Historic Places and local landmark designation undergo a slightly different procedure that <br />will entail both state and federal review and approval. <br />4 <br />Effect of the Loss of Revenue from Fifty Percent Tag Deferral <br />Should the Boazd of Commissioners choose to establish a landmarks designation program, <br />the benefit of a fifty percent tax deferral to landmark property owners would result in a <br />small loss of revenue from the general fund. Based on 1997 property assessments, the first <br />yeaz tax revenue loss if all National Register and National Register Study List sites (a <br />total of 46 properties) were locally designated would be $12,223.10. However, this loss in <br />revenue is minuscule in comparison to total revenues generated by property taxes, and <br />represents 0.023% of total property tax revenues. <br />Another consideration is whether to allow the fifty percent tax deferral benefit for landmazk <br />property owners who are currently receiving the tax deferment for forest or farm use. <br />Allowing the dual deferment would not significantly increase the revenue loss incurred by <br />landmark designation, but it would serve as an additional incentive for a property owner to <br />participate in the designation program. Any minor tax revenue loss could be offset by an <br />