Heritage Designation: Incentives 2

• Issues and philosophy of conservation and rehabilitation
• Municipal regulatory processes affecting heritage properties and building rehabilitation
• The availability of support program by the municipality or from other sources
• Technical ‘how-to’ advice
• A directory of local heritage tradespeople, contractors, and suppliers
• How to conduct research about the history of buildings in the community

• Support independent heritage conservation advocacy organizations, and neighbourhood or merchant organizations representing heritage areas.
• Provide financial assistance, the use of public facilities, or through logistical or support services.
• Assist heritage area and advocacy groups to develop achievable policy positions and to articulate their positions effectively to the council.
• Listen attentively and to consider with respect the viewpoints expressed by such citizens.
• Promote and encourage the initial formation of such groups where they do not already exist.

• Endorse heritage property owners who seek assistance from other agencies or from the general public.

• Give public recognition to properties or projects of heritage value to the community.
• Install plaques and interpretation signs.
• Pass resolutions, issue certificates of recognition. Or otherwise, express the community’s appreciation for outstanding conservation efforts.

Examples include:

• Declaration of Heritage Week
• Bronze plaques on designated heritage properties
• Commemorative and interpretative street signs (rural and urban roadway)
• Annual awards program
• Grant program
• Web site support
• Certificates
• Storyboards for selected heritage sites

• An efficient, integrated approval process for the building permits or other approvals required for alterations which do not change the exterior appearance of a heritage building.
• Immediate handling by staff and priority status on meeting agenda (“green door policy”).
• Pre-approval to items covered in a site management plan, or for changes covered under pre-established alteration standards.
• Relaxed regulation of applicable bylaws and cut the so-called red tape associated with the potential alteration or rehabilitation of a heritage property.

• Given according to a pre-set formula; could be given in the form of a cash payment or as a credit against property taxes.

Performance Grants

• Subsidize the costs of conserving properties that meet pre-established criteria and heritage standards; Grants may be made in the form of a cash payment or tax credit.

Discretionary Grants

• Subsidize either the heritage property itself or conservation work, based on flexible criteria

• Reduce the amount of property tax by waiving or reducing the owner’s tax liability by adjusting mill rates, property assessment or taxed payable. Tax relieve could be for one year, for a specified time period, or open-ended.

Property Tax Freeze

• To remove the disincentive to rehabilitation or area revitalization, property owners are offered temporary exemptions from any increase in property taxes due to increases in the property assessment.

Property Tax Deferment

• A type of tax exemption that allows the property owner to defer payment of taxes to a future time, but still remains liable for the full amount of property taxes.

Property Assessment

• Taxation of a property can be varied if the property is designated according to the Heritage Conservation Act, the Local Government Act, or the Vancouver Charter, or if it is part of an Official Community Plan. (Refer to BC Assessment Act)

• Enact restrictions on other properties in order to protect the context of a heritage building.

Re-zoning

• Re-zone heritage property to enable a more profitable use of the building or site.

Bonus Zoning

• Zoning regulations can be designed to offer additional “bonus” density as an incentive for owners to provide certain amenities.

Performance Zoning

• A type of bonus zoning that is based on discretionary awards of extra density within flexible guidelines governing the types of performance to be rewarded, rather than based on a fixed schedule of entitlements.

Zoning Concessions

• Relax or vary any of the provisions of local government land-use regulations (restrictions apply).

Transfer of Development Rights

• An owner is allowed to move unused development rights from a protected heritage site to another property in the community, adding this density to that which is already allowed for the second site under its zoning.

• Provides the flexibility to respond to the requests and needs of owners of protected properties over time.
• Read further

Adjusting Building Regulations

• Equivalencies, compliance alternatives, relaxations or exemptions offer flexibility that can promote building rehabilitation.

• A formal voluntary written agreement negotiated by a local government and an owner of heritage property. A heritage revitalization agreement outlines the duties, obligations, and benefits negotiated by both parties to the agreement.
• See Heritage Revitalization Agreements: A Resource Guide.

• A contractual agreement between a property owner and a local government or heritage organizations. Conservation covenants are registered on the title of the property. The covenant outlines the responsibilities of the covenant parties with respect to the conservation of a heritage property. Conservation covenants can apply to natural or manmade heritage resources.
• Read further about covenants

• A municipality may encourage the owner of a heritage property, or all of the owners in a heritage area, to undertake rehabilitation by agreeing to complement their efforts with public improvements in the vicinity. These improvements can include trees and landscaping, special paving materials for sidewalks and/or roadways, street furniture, heritage street lighting, etc. Alternatively, particular properties might benefit from the removal of adjacent public facilities which create nuisances.