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2 <br /> A summary of the Neighborhood Conservation District restrictions: <br /> • Gross floor area — 1,750 square feet for residential, with up to 2,250 square feet with approval. <br /> • Duplex size also restricted, but with allowances for affordable housing. <br /> • Restricts building of new duplexes with exceptions for affordable housing but leaves existing duplexes <br /> in place. <br /> • Additional restrictions in place for building height and setbacks. <br /> • Some building design elements, such as room count ratios were removed after Senate Bill 25 was <br /> passed in 2015 that essentially creates three different types: homes that were built with no <br /> restrictions, homes that were built with the original restrictions, and homes built with the modified <br /> restrictions after 2015. <br /> Most of the neighborhoods that were of specific interest to the Coalition are near the university, and these <br /> areas include a significant amount of gentrification and include student housing. This has created a heavy <br /> investor influence where there are remodeled homes beside homes with deferred maintenance. This specific <br /> set of unique characteristics does not exist throughout the entire County. <br /> Additionally, as part of the review of the 19 neighborhoods of concern by the Orange County Property Tax <br /> Justice Coalition, a goal of the Tax Office is to review individual properties highlighted in a recent presentation <br /> by the OCPTJ to ensure to address any specific issues if needed, which increased the amount of field reviews <br /> completed. <br /> Tanner Valuation Group has been contracted to conduct the neighborhood reviews, and to have sufficient <br /> information about the 19 neighborhoods of concern the contracted company staff had need to familiarize <br /> themselves with these unique areas that do not exist in most counties, or in the majority of Orange County. <br /> This unique set of characteristics does confound the process of mass appraisal. A tax neighborhood (or market <br /> area) should be viewed as properties that would compete with each other on the open market. Meaning, the <br /> neighborhood should be heterogeneous and "like properties." With these restrictions in place, there are <br /> multiple instances where neighboring properties have very different legal uses. Having legally nonconforming <br /> properties located beside legally conforming, and located beside properties that are being re-designed to <br /> accommodate multiple renters, hinders the assumption that the neighborhood is uniform. <br /> The Tax Office's plan in completing the neighborhood reviews was to begin with the 19 neighborhoods of <br /> concern, knowing that these have proved to be more challenging than the remainder of the County. The next <br /> remaining neighborhoods have been sorted by the number of appeals received, and the neighborhoods with <br /> the higher level of appeals are being reviewed first. <br /> However, as the contracted appraisers work through the remaining neighborhoods, there will be more data <br /> available to indicate what neighborhoods may need field reviews. <br /> Additionally, after discussion with the Tanner Valuation Group, their office will be using additional staff to <br /> complete the remaining neighborhood reviews in order to meet the requested time goal of mid-November. <br /> Orange County Government I www.orangecountync.gov 1 919.732.8181 <br />