RES-2005-016 Orange County's 2005 Legislative Agenda

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Opinions on the value of the Rehab Code vary. The can-ent North Carolina Building Code has an Existing Buildings section designed to address the types of code problems associated with historic buildings and many building professionals believe that it is sufficient for preservation purposes. In addition, National Register property owners can currently submit a Certified Historic Structure form or "green sheet" with their building permit applications. The purpose of the green sheet is to provide local inspectors some flexibility when applying the code to specific projects. The amount of flexibility tends to vary with the individual inspector. After discussing the code with a wide range of building professionals, sentiments seem to boil down to two opinions: those who have become well-versed with the NC Rehab Code or a similar code in another state find that it has great utility for preservation projects, those who are still teaming about the code wonder if it offers any real benefits over the Existing Buildings section of the current Code. Where Do We Go From Here? Under the rules set by the legislature, the Rehab Code must be individually adopted by each local government entity. The local code enforcement entity must meet certain qualifications (found in Paragraph 502.2.3 of the NC Administration and Enforcement Requirements Code). Once the code enforcement jurisdiction is qualified for local plan review approval, the local government must pass an ordinance specifically adopting the Rehab Code. The Rehab Code was established as a pilot program and is scheduled to sunset in January 2006 unless extended by a further act of the legislature. At its December meeting, the North Carolina Building Code Council decided to conduct a public hearing on the Rehab Code in March. In June the Council will vote on whether or not to include the Rehabilitation Pilot Code as an official part of the NC Building Code. Should the Council vote to adopt the Rehab Code it would likely become an alternative to the Existing Buildings section; applicants would chose to have their project reviewed under the Existing Buildings Code or the Rehab Code. Local Inspectors would have to complete additional training to learn the Rehab Code following the standard practice for other updates or changes to the Building Code. It is unclear what will happen if the Council votes against adopting the Rehab Code. The value of historic preservation is well documented. We believe that this type of building code has great potential to aid in the preservation of important local buildings, such as the Colonial Inn and some of the existing the buildings on County park sites such as the Blackwood Farm or the Cate Farm. Local preservation efforts, contribute to local pride, lead to tourism dollars, and often provide more economic development monies than new construction. As Orange County promotes preservation as a function of local government it should consider ways to facilitate such efforts when possible. In addition to rural Orange, the Orange County Inspections Division provides building code enforcement for the Town of Hillsborough. Much of downtown Hillsborough is located in a historic district (designated locally and listed in the National Register of Historic Places). Numerous properties are also individually listed in the National Register in Hillsborough and throughout the county. Establishing the Rehab Code in Orange County, therefore, would likely have a positive impact on a substantial number of local historic property owners. The Orange County Historic Preservation Commission supports the Rehab Code and respectfully requests that the Board consider voicing its support for the continuation and potential adoption of the Rehab Code as part of its annual legislative agenda. We recognize that the foundation of any successful preservation program lies in the relationship between the building community and the local inspections. department. Our discussions on this topic have opened the door to a better relationship with our Inspections Division and we hope to continue to build on that relationship in the future. Thank you for your consideration.