Buckley staff review draft historic-preservation ordinance; SEPA review to follow

City staff reviewed a draft certified local government ordinance at the Buckley City Council study session on Jan. 7, 2025, saying the measure is based on a model ordinance from the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and would establish two types of recognitions for local resources: Buckley landmarks and community landmarks.

The ordinance would designate the Citizens Advisory Commission as the local historic preservation committee and set criteria for landmark status — including historical significance, architectural or artistic value and archaeological significance — and require that a nominated property owner agree to the nomination before the city can move it forward. The draft would make landmarks eligible for state and federal tax incentives and allow owners to seek variances from certain development regulations to preserve historic character.

Staff described certificate-of-appropriateness procedures for designated Buckley landmarks, saying some routine repairs and restorations would be eligible for an administrative “type 1” approval handled by staff, while changes affecting architectural character — such as historic windows or an original shake roof — would require review by the Citizens Advisory Commission. The draft also includes a process by which a designation can be terminated if a property is altered or a property owner requests removal; staff said removal would require council action under the proposed language.

Section 15 of the draft would amend Buckley’s development regulations to allow variances for setbacks, lot coverage, building height or parking when needed to preserve a designated landmark. That provision would use the existing variance criteria in the Buckley municipal code and allow review by the hearing examiner for major variances. Because the change affects development regulations, staff said the next procedural steps are a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review, notification to the Washington State Department of Commerce and a public hearing.

Councilors asked several clarifying questions. Councillor River Green asked whether a property owner could remove a historic designation without council approval; staff replied that the draft requires the council process to remove a designation but that the language could be clarified to make removal on owner request more explicit. Council Member Bergerson asked whether routine repairs such as furnace replacements would require certificates; staff said true internal or like-for-like repairs would not require a certificate, and that only changes affecting the historic character would go before the commission.

Staff said the ordinance is intended to be packaged with other development-regulation updates from the comprehensive-plan process and returned to council in the spring as part of a larger update. There was no formal council vote at the study session.

Next steps: staff will proceed with SEPA review, notify the Department of Commerce and schedule a public hearing as part of the development-regulation update process.