160D-946. Required landmark designation procedures.
As a guide for the identification and evaluation of landmarks, the preservation commission shall undertake, at the earliest possible time and consistent with the resources available to it, an inventory of properties of historical, architectural, prehistorical, and cultural significance within its jurisdiction. Such inventories and any additions or revisions thereof shall be submitted as expeditiously as possible to the Office of Archives and History. No regulation designating a historic building, structure, site, area, or object as a landmark nor any amendment thereto may be adopted, nor may any property be accepted or acquired by a preservation commission or the governing board, until all of the following procedural steps have been taken:
(1) The preservation commission shall (i) prepare and adopt rules of procedure and (ii) prepare and adopt principles and guidelines, not inconsistent with this Part, for altering, restoring, moving, or demolishing properties designated as landmarks.
(2) The preservation commission shall make or cause to be made an investigation and report on the historic, architectural, prehistorical, educational, or cultural significance of each building, structure, site, area, or object proposed for designation or acquisition. Such investigation or report shall be forwarded to the Office of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
(3) The Department of Cultural Resources, acting through the State Historic Preservation Officer, shall, upon request of the department or at the initiative of the preservation commission, be given an opportunity to review and comment upon the substance and effect of the designation of any landmark pursuant to this Part. Any comments shall be provided in writing. If the Department does not submit its comments or recommendation in connection with any designation within 30 days following receipt by the Department of the investigation and report of the preservation commission, the commission and any governing board shall be relieved of any responsibility to consider such comments.
(4) The preservation commission and the governing board shall hold a joint legislative hearing or separate legislative hearings on the proposed regulation. Notice of the hearing shall be made as provided by G.S. 160D-601.
(5) Following the hearings, the governing board may adopt the regulation as proposed, adopt the regulation with any amendments it deems necessary, or reject the proposed regulation.
(6) Upon adoption of the regulation, the owners and occupants of each designated landmark shall be given written notice of such designation within a reasonable time. One copy of the regulation and all amendments thereto shall be filed by the preservation commission in the office of the register of deeds of the county in which the landmark or landmarks are located. In the case of any landmark property lying within the planning and development regulation jurisdiction of a city, a second copy of the regulation and all amendments thereto shall be kept on file in the office of the city or town clerk and be made available for public inspection at any reasonable time. A third copy of the regulation and any amendments shall be given to the local government building inspector. The fact that a building, structure, site, area, or object has been designated a landmark shall be clearly indicated on all tax maps maintained by the local government for such period as the designation remains in effect.
(7) Upon the adoption of the landmark regulation or any amendment thereto, it shall be the duty of the preservation commission to give notice thereof to the tax supervisor of the county in which the property is located. The designation and any recorded restrictions upon the property limiting its use for preservation purposes shall be considered by the tax supervisor in appraising it for tax purposes.