City of Tacoma Notice of Public Hearing July 17, 2013 On Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at approximately 5:30 p.m., the City Council will conduct a public hearing regarding the Norma J. Sands and Lennea C. Sands' open space current use assessment application for property located at 615 South 82nd Street to be classified as open space for use and property tax purposes, as recommended by the Planning Commission. For additional details, please see below. This hearing will take place in the City Council Chambers on the first floor of the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market Street, Tacoma, Washington. All persons will have an opportunity to present their oral comments at the meeting. Those wishing to submit written comments may do so at the public hearing, or may submit them to the City Clerk's Office at 747 Market Street, Room 220, Tacoma, WA 98402, by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30, 2013. Resolution No. 38693, which set the public hearing date, can be viewed in its entirety on the City's website at www.cityoftacoma.org/recentlegis by clicking on the link for July 16, 2013, or by requesting a copy from the City Clerk's Office at (253) 591-5505. For more information, please contact Ms. Cheri Gibbons, Associate Planner, Planning and Development Services at (253) 591-5379 or via email at cgibbons@cityoftacoma.org. Doris Sorum City Clerk City Council Public Hearing July 30, 2013 Subject A proposed Open Space Current Use Assessment for the reduction in property taxes for the Sands Property, addressed as 615 South 82nd Street. If approved, this would be a multi-year reduction in property taxes assessed to the 1.5 acre property contingent upon its continued use as publicly beneficial open space. The Planning Commission recommended approval on May 1, 2013. Summary The applicant is requesting that seven parcels, totaling approximately 1.5 acres, be approved by the City Council for classification as open space for property tax purposes, per the City and Pierce County's Open Space Current Use Assessment (OSCUA) procedures. The Planning Commission reviewed the proposal, authorized the current use assessment application for distribution for public review and comment on April 3, 2013, and recommended approval of the renewal on May 1, 2013. Through the process, land owners can apply to have their open space valued, for tax purposes, at their current use value rather than at the highest and best use that would be permitted by zoning. The amount of tax reduction would be proportional to the amount of benefits the public derives from the open space lands. Property owners may remove their property from the program at any time, paying back taxes and a penalty if they do so within 10 years of entering the program. The tax reductions resulting from open space classifications are redistributed to County taxpayers. The City and County jointly review current use assessment applications for sites located within the City based upon a point system called the Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS). Using the PBRS the seven undeveloped parcels would qualify for a total of 20 points. Based on its size, wetland, location within an urban area, and proximity and connections to open space areas the property could be approved for open space classification resulting in an 80 percent tax reduction. Additional Information The complete text of the Planning Commission's Findings and Recommendations Report, and other relevant information, are available at the Planning and Development Services Department, and on the Planning Services Division's website at www.cityoftacoma.org/planning (and click on "Open Space Current Use Assessment Sands Property"). Contact Cheri Gibbons, Associate Planner, 253-591-5379, cgibbons@cityoftacoma.org. July 19