Item No: AIR - 0080 Staff Responsible: Lisa McCarter Agenda Date: 10 Nov 2015 Prepared For: RE: DESCRIPTION Local Historic Landmark Designations MEMORANDUM TO: MAYOR AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FROM: LISA MCCARTER, PLANNER II SUBJECT: LOCAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATIONS DATE: NOVEMBER 10, 2015 CC: MELODY SHULER, WARREN WOOD Request: BOC consideration to vote on the commencement of local historic landmark designation reports for four town owned structures: Duncan McDonald House (115 McDonald Street), Niven‐Price Mercantile Building (216 W. North Main Street), The Meeting Place (209 W. South Main Street) and the Waxhaw Water Tank (113 McDonald Street). Benefits of Local Landmark Designation: Local Historic Designation of structures provides economic benefits, tourism and placemaking benefits, and community‐building benefits. The Town of Waxhaw wishes to preserve the unique character of Waxhaw for generations to come—including its historic buildings. Historic buildings are integral to an excellent Waxhaw visitor experience. Historic structures that are aesthetically cohesive and well promoted can be a community’s most important attraction and reinforce Waxhaw’s unique sense of place. The retention of our historic structures is a way to attract tourist dollars that contribute to the local economy. Waxhaw Local Landmarks: There are currently three designated local historic landmarks in Waxhaw. These are the Waxhaw Woman’s Club (200 E. South Main Street), the Cockinos Building/Antique Mart (portion of the 100 block of W. South Main Street), and the downtown overhead pedestrian bridge over the CSX railroad line. Local Landmark Designation vs. National Historic Registry Listing: National Historic Registry listings are mostly honorary and do not impose any restrictions that prevent private property owners from making changes to their buildings or demolishing them. Structures in the National Historic Registry are eligible for federal tax credits for rehabilitation, and will be eligible for State tax credits for rehabilitation in 2016. Local Historic Landmark Designation protects the historic integrity of a structure by requiring a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior changes or renovations other than ordinary repair and maintenance. Work on a local landmark must be in keeping with the Waxhaw Historic Landmark Guidelines (copies are available for viewing at the Town Hall and can be printed upon request). Further, demolition to a local landmark can be delayed 365 days by the WHPC in order to consider other preservation options. Privately owned Local Historic Landmarks are given a 50% tax deferral of Union County and Waxhaw taxes. Local Landmark Designation Process: A Board of Commissioners vote for the commencement of a local historic landmark report is the first step in the process for local landmark designation. If the commencement is approved, the local landmark report is prepared and goes before the WHPC (Waxhaw Historic Preservation Commission) for recommendation. The report is then provided to the State Historic Preservation Office, which has 30 days to comment. After receiving comments from the State Historic Preservation Office, a joint public hearing is held with the WHPC and the Board of 1 | Page Commissioners in which the WHPC votes on a recommendation immediately prior to the Commissioners vote. A historic landmark designation ordinance is then prepared and filed with the Union County Register of Deeds. Quote for Local Historic Landmark Designation Reports: A quote for the four designations was received from Fearnbach History Services, Inc. for $6,140.50. This is a discounted rate as designation reports average $3,000 per structure and involve an extensive amount of research. Structures for Designation: State statutes require that local historic landmarks have historic significance as well as historic integrity. These four structures are all listed in the National Historic Registry and hold historic significance for Waxhaw. The Duncan McDonald House, Water Tank and Niven‐Price Building have all retained historic integrity, however, further study is necessary to determine if The Meeting Place has retained historic integrity through fire damage and different renovations over the years. Duncan McDonald House, 115 McDonald Street (Photo Taken Prior to Current Construction) Niven‐Price Mercantile Building, 216 West North Main Street 2 Waxhaw Water Tank, 113 McDonald Street The Meeting Place, 209 West South Main Street Attachments: Fearnbach History Services, Inc. Quote Fearnbach History Services, Inc. Company Profile Heather Fearnbach Resume National Registry Listings Local Historic Landmarks Frequently Asked Questions 3 PROPOSAL Duncan McDonald House, 115 McDonald Street Niven-Price Mercantile Building, 216 West North Main Street Water Tower ***House (The Meeting Place), 209 West South Main Street [pending integrity evaluation] Local Landmark Designation Reports Waxhaw, Union County October 21, 2015 Fearnbach History Services, Inc. I. LABOR COSTS Est. Hours Rate/Hour Cost($) A. Site Visit, Photography, and Digital Photograph Management Heather Fearnbach, Architectural Historian 18 $ 50.00 $ 900.00 B. Historic Background Research and Context Development Heather Fearnbach, Architectural Historian 30 $ 50.00 $ 1,500.00 C. Local Landmark Application Preparation and Submittal: First and Final Drafts Heather Fearnbach, Architectural Historian 120 $ 50.00 $ 6,000.00 Total Labor Costs $ 6,000.00 II. SUPPORT SERVICES/SUPPLIES Mileage: 220 mi. @ $0.575/mi. (1 research trip to Waxhaw and Monroe) $ 126.50 Fedex Ground shipping to Raleigh $ 14.00 Total Support Services/Supplies Costs $ 140.50 III. PROJECT COSTS Labor Subtotal $ 6,000.00 Overhead no charge Support Services/Supplies Subtotal $ 140.50 Profit (0%) Total Cost For Project $ 6,140.50 Fearnbach History Services, Inc. Company Profile Firm Introduction Fearnbach History Services, Inc. is a woman-owned and operated business offering high-quality historic resource research, documentation, analysis, and management services to federal agencies, local and state governments, non-profits, and individuals. Prior to starting the firm, president and owner Heather Fearnbach served as an architectural historian for Edwards-Pitman Environmental, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and the Historic Sites Section of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. She has worked throughout North Carolina, successfully completing historic architectural surveys and reports for transportation projects; municipal and county architectural surveys; and numerous nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, North Carolina Study List applications, local historic designation reports, and rehabilitation tax credit applications. Ms. Fearnbach also serves as a lecturer in the Art and Design Department and the coordinator of the Historic Preservation Certificate program at Salem College in Winston-Salem. She has been a lecturer in the history and interior architecture department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Ms. Fearnbach meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards as set forth in 36 CFR Part 61 and is certified as a Historically Underutilized Business through the North Carolina Department of Administration. Fearnbach History Services, Inc. is located at 3334 Nottingham Road in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Types of Services Fearnbach History Services, Inc. is Qualified to Perform Architectural Surveys National Register of Historic Places Nominations NEPA/Section 106 Evaluations Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record Documentation Preservation Plans Local Historic Landmark and District Designation Reports Preservation Ordinance and Design Review Guidelines Preparation Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Applications Historical Research HEATHER FEARNBACH FEARNBACH HISTORY SERVICES, INC. EDUCATION ● Ph.D. in History coursework, 2006-2007, University of North Carolina at Greensboro ● Master of Arts in History, emphasis in Public History, 1997, Middle Tennessee State University ● Graduate coursework in Anthropology, 1994-1995, University of Tennessee at Knoxville ● Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, 1993, University of North Carolina at Greensboro PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE President and Architectural Historian, Fearnbach History Services, Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C., established May 2008 ● Prepare National Register of Historic Places nominations, local designation reports, Section 106/4f reports, site management plans, historic structures reports, and historic furnishings plans ● Conduct comprehensive architectural surveys and historical research ● Provide historic rehabilitation tax credit consultation and application submittal services Lecturer, Art and Design Department, Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C., Spring 2003 to present; Coordinator of the Certificate Program in Historic Preservation from its summer 2010 launch to present Teach “Introduction to Historic Preservation” (ARTD 206/PRSV 230) and “Preservation-Sensitive Sustainable Design” (PRSV 240) to undergraduate and continuing education students ● Recruit and advise certificate program students ● Arrange and supervise historic preservation internships Lecturer, History and Interior Architecture Departments, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Spring 2008 to Fall 2012 ● Taught HIS/IAR 628, “Identification and Evaluation of the Historic Built Environment” to graduate students Architectural Historian, Edwards-Pitman