Josephine County, OR Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

020 governs any land use action affecting a lot or structure the county has designated a primary historic site on its official map. Once a project is proposed, the property owner must be notified of the designation, and no alteration, defined as any exterior modification requiring a demolition permit or development permit, may proceed for 30 working days while the Historic Review Committee reviews it. The Committee clears the project if the change is harmonious and compatible with the resource's style, scale, texture and construction materials, or if it would actually enhance the site's historic value; it flags a conflict if the alteration would leave the resource out of character or reduce its significance.

If the 30-day window closes with no Committee recommendation, the Planning Director can let the project proceed on a finding of no conflict. When a proposal is found to significantly affect a designated site, the county adds another 30 days: staff notify agencies that might want to acquire the property, and the Planning Commission holds a public hearing to weigh the ESEE consequences under OAR 660-16-005(2), choosing to protect the resource, allow the alteration, or require mitigating conditions such as adjusted setbacks. If the Planning Commission finds the site meets the 3A-resource definition in OAR 660-16-010(1), even a demolition is held for a further 30 days while the county seeks a buyer before the owner may proceed.

Separately, any development proposed next to a property already listed on the National Register of Historic Places must go through site plan review so the new work stays compatible with its historic neighbor, even though the reviewed parcel itself carries no local historic designation. 010 is to review development proposals affecting identified historic properties, not to freeze them outright.