Title
Recommendation on Proposed Change to Historic Inventory Regulations
Report
Issue:
The Olympia Heritage Commission recommends removal of section 18.12.100(B) of the Olympia Municipal Code regarding Heritage Commission review of demolition permits for buildings that have been placed on the Olympia Historic Inventory (but not listed on a Heritage Register or within a historic district).
Staff Contact:
Michelle Sadlier, Historic Preservation Officer, Community Planning and Development, 360.753.8031
Presenter(s):
Michelle Sadlier, Historic Preservation Officer
Background and Analysis:
On May 28, 2014, the Olympia Heritage Commission passed a motion to recommend the removal of OMC 18.12.100(B): Demolition of Property on the Historic Inventory from the Olympia Municipal Code. Background on this recommendation is provided below.
As described in the code, the City maintains two lists of historic properties. This proposed change relates to one of them: the Olympia Historic Inventory (Inventory).
Definitions:
The Inventory is defined in OMC 18.02.180 as: Buildings and property identified and listed by the Heritage Commission as having special historic significance and merit. This list of historic buildings is relatively informal. It typically results from information gained from a professional architectural survey of historic properties which is presented to the Heritage Commission for review. The Heritage Commission then determines which properties to place on the Inventory to note these properties as having historical significance to Olympia. There is minimal regulation associated with being on the Inventory (described below). There are also no preservation incentives, such as tax benefits, for Inventory properties.
A companion list of historic properties, the Olympia Heritage Register (Register) is defined in the code as: The listing of properties having special historic significance and is listed on the Olympia Heritage Register, and including listings on the Washington
Heritage Register, or National Register of Historic Places. In contrast to the Inventory, the Register has a formal application process that includes extensive historical research and documentation, assessment of the application by the Heritage Commission using pre-determined criteria, and a public process which includes a public hearing and consent by the owner of the property. Regulation of Register properties is enshrined in the code through the heritage review process. Owners of Register properties have access to preservation incentives, such as Washington State's tax valuation program, and receive a bronze plaque to mark their home as one of Olympia's designated historic properties.
Regulation of Inventory Properties:
The only regulation associated with Inventory properties relates to demolition. Current code requires that proposed demolition of a building on the Inventory go through a special review process with the Heritage Commission. This process considers whether the property is eligible for the Register, resulting in the following:
1) If the property is determined not to be eligible, the Heritage Commission documents the property and conveys a Waiver of Certificate of Appropriateness, the document submitted to the City of Olympia's Building Official to indicate the Heritage Commission's approval of an application on heritage grounds.
2) If the property is determined eligible, the process of placing it on the Register begins.
However, in essence, whichever determination is made is unlikely to have a direct impact on the application to demolish. This is because a building cannot be placed on the Register without the owner's consent unless decided by City Council (OMC 18.12.085(B)(10), and the applicant-owner is unlikely to give consent to place a building they intend to demolish on the Register.
Olympia Heritage Commission Recommendation:
Following consideration of these factors, the Heritage Commission recommended that regulation of Inventory properties be removed from the code. Doing so removes any regulation of these properties but retains the Inventory as an informational list of historically significant places.
The sections of the code which would be impacted by this proposed change are:
1) OMC 18.02.180 Definitions
2) OMC 18.12 Historic Preservation
The attached proposed text of the code was drafted by staff and further reviewed by the Heritage Commission. In addition to making modifications to the text related to Inventory properties, staff made minor edits to improve language use in those edited paragraphs only.
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