§ 1-5-54. Process.

(a)

Fee required . There is a fee of $250 for each application for review of rehabilitation work conducted pursuant to this article. No application shall be processed without payment of this fee.

(b)

Plan required . Owners of property seeking approval of rehabilitation work must complete a rehabilitated historic property application with supporting documentation and application fee prior to beginning work. Rehabilitation work conducted prior to approval of the application is done so at the risk of the owner.

(c)

Preliminary approval . Upon receipt of the completed application, the planning department community appearance board shall determine if the project is consistent with the standards for rehabilitation and shall notify the owner in writing. Upon receipt of this determination, the owner may:

(1)

If the application is approved, begin rehabilitation;

(2)

If the application is not approved, the owners may revise such application in accordance with comments provided by the department community appearance board;

(3)

If the application is not approved, the owner may appeal the decision to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

(d)

Substantive changes. Once preliminary approval is granted to an application, substantive changes must be approved by the community appearance board. Unapproved substantive changes are conducted at the risk of the property owner and may disqualify the project from eligibility. Additional expenditures will not qualify the project for an extension on the special assessment.

(e)

Final approval. Upon completion of the project, the final certification must be obtained to be eligible for the special assessment. The community appearance board will inspect completed projects to determine if the work is consistent with the preliminary approval. The community appearance board will also verify that the required expenditures have been made in accordance with section 1-5-53. Upon final certification, the property will be assessed for the remainder of the special assessment period on the fair market value at the time preliminary certification was made. If the completed project does not comply with all requirements for final certification, final certification must not be granted and any monies not collected by the city due to the special assessment must be returned to the city.

(f)

Additional work . After the community appearance board's final approval has been issued, the property owner shall notify the planning department of any additional work, other than ordinary maintenance, before the 15-year expiration of the special property assessment. The community appearance board shall review the work at a regularly scheduled hearing and determine whether the overall project is consistent with the standards for rehabilitation. If the additional work is found to be inconsistent, the department shall notify the owner in writing of its decision to rescind approval within 30 days. The property owner may withdraw his request and cancel or revise the proposed additional work.

(g)

Decertification. When the property has received final certification and assessed as rehabilitated historic property, it remains so certified and must be granted the special assessment until the property becomes disqualified by any one (1) of the following:

(1)

Written notice from the owner to the city requesting removal of the preferential assessment;

(2)

Sale or transfer of ownership during the special assessment period, except in the course of probate proceedings;

(3)

Removal of the historic property designation by the city council; or

(4)

Rescission of the approval of rehabilitation of the community appearance board because of alterations or renovations by the owner or his estate which cause the property to no longer possess the qualities and features which made it eligible for final certification.

(h)

Notification . The city shall upon certification of a property as historic notify the county assessor, auditor, and treasurer that such property has been duly certified and is eligible for the special tax assessment.

(i)

Date effective . If an application for preliminary certification is filed by May 1 or is approved by August 1, the special assessment authorized herein is effective for that year. Otherwise, it is effective beginning with the following year.

(Ord. No. 2000-01-10(B), 1/24/00; Ord. No. 2009-05-11(A), 5/11/09)