Agenda - 04-07-2015 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 1 by the County ordinance for historic preservation and by state law. He said it is important to 2 note that the landmark designation program is voluntary in Orange County. He said neighbors 3 are notified when a landmark is being proposed, and these nearby residents are generally very 4 supportive. He reviewed the background of the creation of the program in the 1970's. He said 5 the goal was to encourage and promote the preservation and maintenance of historic properties 6 for public benefit. He said properties must possess special historical, archeological, 7 architectural or cultural significance for Orange County. He said this determination is then 8 reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office, and landmark status can only 9 be conferred through an ordinance passed by elected officials of a local government entity. He 10 said landmark owners are entitled to receive a 50 percent deferral on their property, but these 11 residents must maintain the historic character of the property. 12 He reviewed the following background information from the abstract: 13 14 Background: One of the HPC's duties is to recommend properties to the BOCC for local 15 landmark designation. Properties must meet a high standard of historic and/or architectural 16 significance to be designated as an individual landmark. The higher standard is appropriate 17 since landmark property owners are eligible for a 50 percent property tax deferral as provided 18 by state law, as long as the property is preserved and retains its historic character. The historic 19 landmark designation process, outlined in Article 3 of the County's Historic Preservation 20 Ordinance, involves several steps culminating with the adoption of an ordinance by the BOCC 21 for each individual landmark. At its October 22, 2014 meeting, the HPC accepted a Part 2 22 application from Ms. Danielle Sunde to consider her property, the White Cross School, for 23 designation as an Orange County Local Historic Landmark, thus initiating the application 24 process. Ms. Sunde's application materials were submitted to the State Historic Preservation 25 Office (SHPO) for review and comment as required by state law. The HPC received a favorable 26 response from the SHPO staff. The HPC concurred with the SHPO's evaluation that the White 27 Cross School was worthy of consideration for local landmark designation. The HPC voted 28 unanimously to request a joint public hearing with the BOCC, as required by Section 3.7 of the 29 Historic Preservation Ordinance. Built in 1933, the White Cross School is one of only three brick 30 consolidated schools to survive in rural Orange County. The property consists of the 1933 brick 31 school, built in the Colonial Revival style, along with the cafeteria wing added in 1948. Both 32 portions retain a high degree of architectural integrity, with most of its original historic exterior 33 and interior features still preserved. The White Cross School played a pivotal role in the social 34 and cultural life of lower Bingham Township until it closed in 1961. It now serves as the home 35 for a privately-operated preschool. 36 37 This is a routine joint public hearing required by state enabling legislation and the county's 38 Historic Preservation Ordinance. Following this joint public hearing, the BOCC and the HPC will 39 take into consideration any public comments in preparing the final ordinance. The HPC will then 40 return the final version of the proposed ordinance back to the BOCC for the Board's 41 consideration and adoption this spring. 42 43 PUBLIC COMMENT: 44 Stan Lewis said he has lived in this area since 1993, and he knew people that actually 45 went to this school. He said he expressed a few concerns at a previous meeting. He said he 46 does not want to hold this process up, and he is in favor of the landmark. However, he said Mr. 47 Sunde needed water for his business, and so he (Stan Lewis) agreed to have a well installed 48 for this purpose. He said there were some issues related to this that were supposed to be 49 addressed by Mr. Sunde; however, it has been two years, and these issues have not been 50 addressed. He said there is a lease agreement for this, and Mr. Sunde is two months behind