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Historic board urges staff to study raising demolition fees for historic/contributing structures
Summary
Board members questioned whether the current small fee for demolition review of historic/contributing structures covers staff costs and asked staff to research raising the fee and provide comparables.
Board members raised concerns at the Nov. 6 meeting about the city’s current fee structure for demolition of historic and contributing structures and asked staff to examine adjustments.
Planning manager Kristen Comer said the current combined cost to process a demolition of a contributing structure—historic review plus building permit fees—totals roughly $154 (approximately $50 for the COA historic review plus about $104 for the building permit review). Member Hurley and others contended that the fee understates the staff time and regulatory work involved and suggested a substantially higher fee (one board member proposed $1,000) for buy‑outs that plainly anticipate redevelopment.
Community Development Director Laura Canary told the board the city is already conducting a broad operating fee study and is evaluating enterprise fees to examine cost recovery. Canary also cautioned that changes must be reviewed with the city attorney for compliance with state law (she referenced potential constraints from Senate Bill 180) and that implementation timing could be affected by state requirements (noting possible delays until 2027 if SB 180 applies).
The board requested staff return with a short memo comparing comparable jurisdictions’ fees, the age of the current fee schedule and options for fee structures that distinguish demolition for new construction versus renovation or mitigation.
Provenance: Board debate and staff response (topicintro: 01:09:41; topfinish: 01:17:51).
