HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD-2023-041-Designation of the Davis Cotton Gin and press as an Orange County Historic Landmark ORD -202M41 ° r 4 ' /;2
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AN ORDINANCE OF THE ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
DESIGNATING THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS THE
DAVIS COTTON GIN AND PRESS (PIN : 9862611999)
IN ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
AS A HISTORIC LANDMARK
WHEREAS , all of the prerequisites to the adoption of this ordinance prescribed in
Chapter 160D , Article 9 , as amended (Historic Districts and Landmarks) of the General Statutes
of North Carolina and an Ordinance Creating the Historic Preservation Commission of Orange
County (the "Historic Preservation Ordinance ") have been met; and
WHEREAS , the members of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners have
taken into full consideration all statements and information presented by the Orange County
Historic Preservation Commission at a j oint public hearing held on the 17th day of October, 2023 ,
on the question of designating the property known as the Davis Cotton Gin and Press as a
historic landmark; and
WHEREAS , the property known as the Davis Cotton Gin and Press , located at 421 CD
Farms Road in Chapel Hill Township in the County of Orange and more particularly described in
Attachments A and B attached hereto , is significant as the only known surviving example of a
cotton processing operation in Orange County ; and
WHEREAS , the Davis Cotton Gin and Press is significant because the log and frame
building along with the Daniel Pratt Cotton Gin patented in 1877 and the press machinery
display the distinct characteristics of a small- scale cotton gin facility from the late-nineteenth and
early -twentieth centuries ; and
WHEREAS , the Davis Cotton Gin and Press operated from ca. 1880 to ca. 1940 ,
providing an essential processing service that helped Orange County ' s small farmers prosper and
survive during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries ; and
WHEREAS , based on the additional information further detailed in the landmark
designation report, incorporated herein by reference , the Orange County Historic Preservation
Commission has demonstrated that the property known as the Davis Cotton Gin and Press
possesses special significance in terms of its historic , architectural and/or cultural significance and
has recommended that the property be designated as an historic landmark as outlined in Article IV
of the Orange County Historic Preservation Ordinance ; and
WHEREAS , the State Historic Preservation Office , an agency of the Office of Archives
and History of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources , has reviewed
and commented on the findings of the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission for the
designation of the Davis Cotton Gin and Press as a historic landmark, as required by Chapter
160D , Article 9 , as amended, of the General Statutes of North Carolina and the Orange County
Historic Preservation Ordinance ;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Board of County Commissioners of
Orange County, North Carolina that :
Section 1 . The property known as the Davis Cotton Gin and Press , located in Chapel Hill
Township , Orange County, North Carolina jurisdictional area (including the barn, gin and press
machinery) and approximately 1 . 5 acres of the larger parcel of land listed under PIN number
9862611999 and more particularly described in Attachments A and B is hereby designated a
historic landmark .
Section 2 . This landmark shall be subject to Chapter 160D , Article 9 of the General
Statutes of North Carolina and the Orange County Historic Preservation Ordinance, and any
amendments as may be made to either set of regulations .
Section 3 . The owner(s) and occupant(s) of the property known as the Davis Cotton Gin
and Press be given notice of this ordinance as required by applicable law, and that copies of this
ordinance be filed and indexed in the office of the County Clerk, Orange County Register of
Deeds , Orange County Tax Supervisor and Orange County Department of Environment,
Agriculture , Parks and Recreation, as required by the applicable law.
Section 4 . In accordance with Chapter 160D , Article 9 of the General Statutes of North
Carolina and the Orange County Historic Preservation Ordinance, the exterior and site features
of all historic landmarks are always under the purview of the Historic Preservation
Commission ' s Certificate of Appropriateness provisions . In the case of Davis Cotton Gin and
Press , this designation includes the historic gin and press and associated machinery and
components . The site features include the historic landscape surrounding the barn that houses the
gin . The HPC shall determine Certificates of Appropriateness for the Davis Cotton Gin and Press
based on the HPC ' s approved design standards , with reference to the designation ordinance , the
application materials and the designation report .
Section 5 : In accordance with Section 44 - 75 of the Orange County Historic Preservation
Ordinance, there shall be certain delays in demolition . Consistent with that requirement, nothing
in this ordinance shall be construed to prevent or delay ordinary maintenance or repair of any
architectural feature in or on said landmark that does not involve a change in design, material or
outer appearance thereof, nor to prevent or delay the construction, reconstruction, alteration,
restoration, demolition or removal of any feature when a building inspector or similar official
certifies to the Commission that such action is required for the public safety because of an unsafe
condition . Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the owner of the historic landmark from
making any use of the historic landmark not prohibited by other statutes , ordinances or
regulations .
Section 6 . All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed
to the extent of such conflict with this ordinance .
Section 7 . Any part of this ordinance determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to
be in violation of any law or constitutional provision shall be deemed severable and shall not
affect the validity of the remainder .
Section 8 . This ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its adoption .
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the Orange County Board of
County Commissioners do hereby officially designate the Davis Cotton Gin and
Press as an Orange County Historic Landmark .
This the 14th day of November, 2023
JaniZetta Ifedford, Chai
Orange County Board of Commissioners
gtfttense C erk to the Board ,
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