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Staff’s Revised Version 9-3-08ORDINANCE NO. __________ An ordinance amending Chapter 51A, “Dallas Development Code: Ordinance No. 19455, asamended,” of the Dallas City Code by amending Section 51A-4.501; allowing demolition of historic structures pursuant to a court order; allowing the fire marshal to summarily abatehazards; renumbering certain subsections of Section 51A-4.501; providing a penalty not toexceed $2,000; providing a saving clause; providing a severability clause; and providing aneffective date.WHEREAS, the city plan commission and the city council, in accordance with theCharter of the City of Dallas, the state law, and the ordinances of the City of Dallas, have giventhe required notices and have held the required public hearings regarding this amendment to theDallas City Code; Now, Therefore,BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DALLAS:SECTION 1. That Section 27-16.11, “Miscellaneous Notice Provisions,” of Article IV-a,“Municipal Court Jurisdiction over Urban Nuisances,” of Chapter 27, “Minimum UrbanRehabilitation Standards,” of the Dallas City Code is amended by adding a new Subsection (d),to read as follows:“(d) If the city attorney requests a court to issue an order requiring demolition of a

structure on a property subject to a predesignation moratorium or a structure in a historic overlay

district, the city attorney shall comply with the notice and other requirements in Section 51A-

4.501(i).”SECTION 2. That Section 51A-4.501, “Historic Overlay District,” of Division 51A-4.500, “Overlay and Conservation Districts,” of Article VI, “Zoning Regulations,” of Chapter 51A, “Dallas Development Code: Ordinance No. 19455, as amended,” of the Dallas City Code is

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amended by adding a new Subsection (i), “Certificate for Demolition Pursuant to Court Order,”to read as follows:“(i) Certificate for demolition pursuant to court order.(1) Findings and purpose. Demolition of a historic structureconstitutes an irreplaceable loss to the quality and character of the city. Elimination of substandard structures that have been declared urban nuisances and ordered demolished pursuantto court order is necessary to prevent blight and safeguard the public health, safety, and welfare.Therefore, the procedures in this subsection seek to preserve historic structures while eliminatingurban nuisances.(

2) Referral of demolition request to landmark commission and

director. When a city department requests the city attorney’s office to seek an order from a court

or other tribunal requiring demolition of a structure on a property subject to a predesignation

moratorium or a structure in a historic overlay district, it shall provide written notice to the chair

of the landmark commission and director of that request within two business days of the date it

makes the request. The notice must include a photograph of the structure, the address of the

property where the structure is located, and (if known) the name, address, and telephone number

of the owner of the property. If the city attorney’s office determines that the department did not

provide the required notice, the city attorney’s office shall provide that notice within two

business days of the date it determines that the department did not provide the notice.(

3) Notice of court proceedings to landmark commission and director.

The city attorney’s office shall provide written notice to the chair of the landmark commission

and director at least 10 days prior to any hearing before a court or other tribunal where the city

attorney’s office seeks an order requiring demolition of a structure on a property subject to a

predesignation moratorium or a structure in a historic overlay district. If a court or other tribunal

orders demolition of a structure on a property subject to a predesignation moratorium or a

structure in a historic overlay district, the city attorney’s office shall provide written notice to the

chair of the landmark commission and director within five days of the order being signed and

provided to the city attorney’s office.(4) Application. When the city or a property owner seeks demolitionof a structure on a property subject to a predesignation moratorium or a structure in a historicoverlay district pursuant to an order f

rom a court or other tribunal requiring demolition obtained by the city, a complete application for a certificate for demolition must be submitted to thelandmark commission. Within 10 days after submission of an application, the director shallnotify the city’s representative or the property owner in writing of any [

additional]documentation required b

ut not submitted. The application must be accompanied by thefollowing documentation before it will be considered complete:

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(A) An affidavit in which the city representative or the propertyowner affirms that all information submitted in the application is correct.(B) Records depicting the current condition of the structure,including drawings, pictures, or written descriptions, and including Historic American BuildingsSurvey or Historic American Engineering Records documentation if required by law or agreement.(C) A signed order from a court or other tribunal requiring thedemolition of the structure in a proceeding brought pursuant to Texas Local Government CodeChapters 54 or 214.(D) A copy of a written notice of intent to apply for a certificatefor demolition showing that it was submitted to the director and the landmark commission atleast 30 days before the application.(E) Any other evidence the city representative or the propertyowner wishes to submit in support of the application.(5) Hearing. Within 40 days after submission of a completeapplication, the landmark commission shall hold a public hearing to determine whether thestructure should be demolished. If the landmark commission does not make a final decision onthe application or suspend the granting of the certificate of demolition pursuant to this subsectionwithin that time, the building official shall issue a demolition permit to allow the requesteddemolition. The city representative or the property owner has the burden of proof to establish bya preponderance of the evidence the necessary facts to warrant favorable action by the landmark commission.(6) Standard for approval. The landmark commission shall approvethe certificate for demolition if it finds that:(A) there is a

final order requiring the demolition of thestructure issued by a court or other tribunal pursuant to Texas Local Government Code Chapters54 or 214; and(B) suspension of the certificate for demolition is not a feasibleoption to alleviate the nuisance in a timely manner.(7) Suspension. The purpose of this paragraph is to allow aninterested party to rehabilitate the structure as an alternative to demolition.(A) R

esidential structures with no more than 3,000 square feet

of floor area.(i) Initial suspension period.