Pullman house gets first tax value cut

The City of Pullman Historic Preservation Commission for the first time has entered into a special tax valuation agreement with the owner of an historic property.

The agreement applies to a Dutch Colonial Revival house built in 1925 for A.A. and Pearl Rounds. It is in the National Register College Hill Historic District. The owner’s extensive rehabilitation included insulation, updated wiring and replacement of siding, windows and doors in a manner that closely replicates the original appearance, according to Jason Radtke, assistant city planner.

The reduced tax valuation agreement will be in effect for a 10-year period that began on Jan. 1. For the duration of the agreement period, the assessed tax value of the property will be reduced by the rehabilitation expenses, which totaled approximately $200,000 spent during the two years prior to the application. The tax savings is likely to exceed $30,000 over the course of the decade-long agreement.

Special reduced tax valuation is permitted only for properties on the Pullman Register of Historic Places. The Commission began taking applications in 2011 and has now accepted 11 properties for the register,―seven private homes and four other structures. Nomination to the register is voluntary, but once a property is listed, alteration requires approval of the commission.

Additional information is available from the city’s planning department.