The first application to use a tax benefit designed to help revitalize downtowns remains in limbo in Greenville, as the Select Board continues in a holding pattern over proposed renovations to 66 Main Street.
The town has adopted 79-e, a portion of the tax code that allows the town to “freeze” a property’s assessed value for a period of time — in Greenville, up to five years as a base — while significant renovations or replacement is undertaken.
Jeffrey Pearl, the owner of 66 Main Street, a rare Carpenter Gothic-style home on Main Street that has been recognized as one of New Hampshire’s Seven to Save, has applied for, but has not yet been approved for, the relief.
During a Select Board meeting on Wednesday, the board closed the public hearing on the proposed tax relief, but did not make a final decision. By law, the board has 45 days from the submittal of the application to issue a decision. In this case, their final opportunity will be July 24.
The board’s main concern in holding off deliberations on the application was the absence of the property’s owner, Jeffrey Pearl. The board initially continued the hearing in order to invite Pearl to the hearing to answer questions about the potential use of the property, as part of their decision on whether the use was a public benefit. Pearl originally was scheduled to attend the board’s meeting on July 17, but informed Town Administrator Tara Sousa shortly before that meeting was to begin that he could no longer attend.
Sousa told the board she has not had communication with Pearl since.
Should Pearl not appear before the board, Sousa said the board must use the submitted materials in his application to decide whether the proposal meets the requirements for the tax relief.
“The evidence he put out is the evidence you have to work with,” Sousa said.
In order to be approved for the tax relief, the applicant must prove three prongs. The board has previously determined that the application meets at least two: That it was located in the downtown district and that the proposed renovations met the “substantial” threshold. According to the application, the planned renovations would cost about $369,000 and would include structural repairs and upgrades to the heating and cooling system and a three-apartment layout. The tax relief requires at least $75,000 to be spent.
The third prong is that the project be a public benefit. Pearl has previously discussed plans to use the property as three-bedroom apartments, possibly to assist children transitioning out of foster care.
The board has previously discussed whether the property, which has stood empty for years, still qualifies to be used as a three-bedroom residence, which is not allowed by right in the downtown district, or whether Pearl would have to undergo zoning or planning approval.
Selectman Charlie Buttrick said he still had lingering questions about the property.
“I still am a little concerned,” Buttrick said.
Sousa said that given how long the property has stood empty, at one point being condemned, that almost any improvement to the property is likely to be a public benefit, even if it is just aesthetically for the neighborhood.
“It’s hard to come up with a use that doesn’t meet public benefit,” said Sousa.
The board agreed to close the public hearing, but not make a decision, and to attempt to confirm an appointment with Pearl to discuss the property before the deadline for a decision.