10/24/1977 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. Dean Quick, attorney, 130 West 1st Street, Albany, spoke in opposition on behalf of the Home Federal Savings and Loan. He said the parcel was, at the time of the overpark assessment, held in trust. Montgo- - mery Ward leased the property and had established a number of parking spaces at the time. He said the entire area had been assessed at $186,000, but an appeal ,to the City Council. resulted in a reduced assessment to $101,000. The reason for the reduction was that parking spaces had been included on the Montgomery. Ward property. He noted there were; al so a number of other areas in the assessment di stri ct which had recetyed exemptions. On this basis, the appeal was made to the City Council that the trust was not receiving the same treatment as other pieces of property in the area. He said it was particularly important what use was being made at the time of the assessment. He said the Code indicates that once there is a change in use in exempt properties, then the City could proceed. Montgomery Ward had used the property has a parking lot and it was leased to the City for a parking facility. Home Federal purchased the property in the summer of 1976. There had been no change in assessment at that time. He said it included one-quarter of a block of which 14,000 square feet were fully assessed and 11,800 feet were exempt because of the use as a parking facility. When Home Federal Savings and Loan began building, it assumed assessments of $96,000 in liens existing against the 14,000 square feet. He said it was his company's position that there had been no change of use from the time the 11,800 square feet had been exempted until the present time. He introduced several exhibits: 1) A drawing showing the 27 parking spaces which will be i ncorporated i~n the faci 1 i ty. He cited City Code Section 7.475 which stated any real property on which there is located an off-street . parking facility operated as a profit-making venture for use of the general public, as distinguished from a parking lot owned or leased and operated primarily as a service and convenience for customers of a particular busi ness, shall not be deemed benefited by the proposed off-street parking facility improvement. He contended that definition had already been interpreted by the Council in 1966-67. He cited Quackenbush's, other businesses, and Montgomery Ward's parking lots were off-street facilities for general use of the public. The re- mainder of the exhibits entered were: 2) map showing the parcels; 3) property descriptions; 4) a series of pictures of various parking lots at the time exemption status was given; and 5) a number of pictures of the Montgomery Ward parking lot as it existed at that time. The Home Federal Savings and Loan will have 27 parking spaces designated in the same manner as Montgomery Wards, including parking for customers of the Home Federal Savings and Loan. He said the statutes authorize a new assessment only if there has been a change of use in parking. He contended there had not been, and never would be a change with Federal Home Savings and Loan. 10/24/77--2 e. l'lLf