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Home My WebLink About2017-086 Historic DesignationsDate: December 8, 2017 INFORMAL STAFF REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: Overview of historic designations within the Downtown Square. BACKGROUND: Report No. 2017-086 On November 7, 2017 Council requested that staff research the possibilities of designating the Fine Arts Theater building (113-115 N. Elm St.) as a historic landmark and the Downtown Square as a historic district. The Fine Arts Theatre is not currently specifically designated as a historic landmark. There are three different levels in which a building or area can be designated as historic. This can be achieved in several ways: • Federal: the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) through the National Parks Service; • State: Recorded Texas Historical Landmark (RTHL) through the Texas Historical Commission; • Local designation: historic landmark, historic district or historic conservation district. Currently, the Denton Courthouse Square is listed as a historic district through the National Register of Historic Places. The Denton County Courthouse is also designated as a Texas Historical Landmark, as well as City Hall West and the Campus Theatre (214 W. Hickory St.). DISCUSSION: Consideration of options to designate the Fine Arts Theatre as a State or local landmark or the Square as a local historic district. The following provides specifics on the each of the three levels of historic designations. National Register of Flistoric Places (Federal) Currently the Downtown Square is listed on the NRHP as the Denton County Courthouse Square Historical District. It was given this designation on December 28, 2000 and included a number of buildings as contributing towards that designation. The Fine Arts Theater is listed as a contributing building for the district along with 29 other buildings, sites, structures, and objects that can be found in the National Re�ister Nomination File. The following applies to all buildings within a NRHP district: • Federal preservation grants for planning and rehabilitation are available. • Federal investment tax credits are available up to 20% of eligible costs. • Preservation easements for non-profits. • International building code fire and life safety alternatives available. • Property may be eligible for additional state tax benefits and grants. Texas currently offers a credit worth 25% of eligible rehabilitation costs. • NRHP designation puts no restriction on what a property owner may do with a property unless federal assistance is received. • Does not automatically invoke local historic district or landmark designation. Date: December 8, 2017 Report No. 2017-086 Recorded Texas Historical Landmarks (State) Currently there are three buildings in the Downtown area that are designated as Recorded Texas Historical Landmarks: City Hall West, Campus Theatre, and the Denton County Courthouse. Buildings on the Downtown Square eligible for RTHL designation are those buildings at least 50 years of age and retains the integrity from a period of at least 50 years ago. (RTHL and NHRP designation are separate and are not a prerequisite for either designation nor do they guarantee listing in the other register.) The following applies to all RTHL buildings: • Buildings qualify for a 25% tax credit for eligible rehabilitation costs, but it is not necessary to receive the state tax credit. (An NRHP designation also allows a candidate to receive the tax credit.) • If a building is a RTHL then notification must be made to the Texas Historical Commission at least 60 days prior to any alterations being made to the building. • If the changes made to the structure are unwarranted or appreciable then the State Marker Review Board may withdraw the designation. Locally Designated Historic Landmarks or Districts (Local) A building or district can also be designated at the local level through the City Council. There are seven buildings, as shown in Attachment 1, that are local historic landmarks in the Downtown Square. The Fine Arts Theatre is not currently a historic landmark. The Denton Development Code lists 13 criteria that allow designation of a landmark and one is "Recognition as a recorded state historic landmark, a national historic landmark or entered into the National Register of Historic Places". Typically the owner of a property applies for a historic landmark designation. There has been no precedent where the City initiated a designation. An informal staff report was provided to the Historic Landmark Commission (HLC) in 2013 about the designation of the Courthouse Square as a local historic district, but there was no interest from the property owners at that time. In January 2018, the HLC will receive a report and hold a discussion regarding locally designating the Downtown Square and surrounding area as a historic district. The following applies to buildings designated as a local historic landmark: • Eligible for exemptions of 50% of city property taxes for 10 years may be granted based on certain criteria. (Denton City Charter; Chapter 10; Article VI — VII) � Buildings within a historic district are not eligible for the tax exemption unless those buildings are also separately designated as a historic landmark. • A Certificate of Appropriateness is required for any work except routine maintenance. • Applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness must be approved by the HLC prior to beginning work on a historic landmark building or on buildings in a historic district or conservation district. ATTACHMENTS: 1. 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