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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: April 19, 2011 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~ - (~ <br />SUBJECT: Murphey School Local Historic Landmark Designation <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, <br />Parks and Recreation <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) Yes <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1) HPC Recommendation <br />2) Draft Designation Ordinance <br />3) HPC Minutes March 23, 2011 <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Dave Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2514 <br />Tina Moon, 245-2517 <br />PURPOSE: To consider approving an ordinance designating the Murphey School as an Orange <br />County Local Historic Landmark. <br />BACKGROUND: In 1991, Orange County adopted the "Ordinance Creating the Historic <br />Preservation Commission (HPC) of Orange County" also referred to as the "Historic <br />Preservation Ordinance". A few years later, in 1997, the County adopted a voluntary program <br />to designate properties of local historic and architectural significance called the Local Landmark <br />Program. One of the HPC's duties is to recommend properties for local landmark designation. <br />Properties may be designated as individual landmarks or as part of historic districts. Properties <br />must meet a higher standard of historic and/or architectural significance to be designated as an <br />individual landmark. The higher standard is appropriate since, in North Carolina, landmark <br />property owners are eligible fora 50-percent property tax deferral as long as the site retains its <br />historic character. <br />The designation process, outlined in Article 3 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, involves <br />several steps culminating with the adoption of an ordinance for each individual landmark site or <br />historic district. At its October 27, 2010 meeting, the HPC accepted a formal application from <br />Jay Miller to consider the Murphey School for designation into the Local Landmark Program. <br />Mr. Miller's application materials were forwarded to the State Historic Preservation Office <br />(SHPO) for review and comment. The HPC received a favorable response from the SHPO staff <br />at its December meeting. The HPC concurred with the SHPO's evaluation -that the application <br />materials were complete and that "the Murphey School has the requisite special significance <br />and integrity for local landmark designation". At that same meeting, the HPC scored the <br />Murphey School highly on its historic site evaluation form and voted unanimously to request a <br />public hearing with the BOCC, as required by Section 3.7 of the Historic Preservation <br />Ordinance. <br />The BOCC held a joint public hearing with the Historic Preservation Commission on March 3, <br />2011 to receive public comments on the Murphey School Local Historic Landmark application <br />