The City Council voted 6-0 tonight to re-evaluate the historic landmark program, deferring action on six properties that were up for the designation and a 50 percent property-tax break.
At the request of City/County Planning Director Steve Medlin, the council put off voting until May to allow staff time to research the available options and make recommendations.
Council member Farad Ali abstained from the vote. Ali was not present at the council work session where reviewing the landmark program had been discussed.
Several council members, as well as several Durham County commissioners, have raised concerns in recent weeks about the loss of tax revenue from properties approved as "landmarks." Such properties are taxed at half their assessed valuation.
Seventy-two houses, places of business and public buildings already have the designation. Capping the number of designations per year and changing the size of the tax break have been mentioned as possible program amendments.
Several citizens spoke against any changes to the program, among them Preservation Durham Director John Compton and developer Michael Lemanski, whose Liberty Warehouse is one of the properties deferred.
"The landmark program is an economic development program," Lemanski said.
Compton made the same point, and pointed out that landmark owners give up some property rights in exchange for the tax break.
"They're subjecting themselves to a ... process their neighbors are not subject to," Compton said.
