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<br /> <br />ATTACHMENT B <br /> <br />Mayor Kitty Piercy and <br />Eugene City Council <br />777 Pearl Street, Room 105 <br />Eugene, Oregon 97401 <br /> <br /> <br />April 28, 2006 <br /> <br />Honorable Mayor Piercy and City Council, <br /> <br />On March 30, 2006, Eugene's Historic Review Board deliberated on the attached draft <br />resolution, which adopts a second period of Special Assessment of Historic Property <br />pursuant to HB 2776. The Board agreed that the Oregon Special Assessment Program is <br />an excellent mechanism for encouraging appropriate rehabilitation of historic properties. <br />The Board believes that it is fair to revalue the property at current market assessment <br />following conclusion of the first fifteen years of enrollment and to allow the owner of <br />that residential property to apply for a second fifteen-year term of special assessment. <br /> <br />The Oregon Special Assessment Program requires that the property be open to the public <br />for four consecutive hours in a year. This open house requirement serves to educate <br />visitors on the merits of rehabilitation of a historic property. By extension, the <br />rehabilitation of historic properties can serve as an incentive for others in a neighborhood <br />to fix up and clean up. Locally, the Historic Review Board has observed this to be true in <br />the Blair Boulevard Historic Commercial Area as well as the East Skinner Butte Historic <br />District. <br /> <br />On May 22, 2006, the City Council will consider this resolution to allow residential <br />property owners to register for a second fifteen-year enrollment in the Oregon Special <br />Assessment Program. This program is available only to an owner of property listed in the <br />National Register of Historic Places. (Owners of commercial property listed in the <br />National Register already have the option to apply for a second fifteen-year enrollment in <br />the program.) The program is administered by the Oregon State Historic Preservation <br />Office, so it does not impose an undue burden on Eugene's planning staff. <br /> <br />The Historic Review Board encourages you to consider adoption ofthis resolution at <br />your May 22, 2006 meeting. If you have any questions, please feel welcome to contact <br />me at 345-5553. <br /> <br />Thank you for your consideration. <br /> <br /> <br />Chair <br />Historic Review Board <br /> <br />cc: HRB <br />