[Adopted 2-28-2017 by L.L. No. 1-2017]
The purpose of this article is to afford and provide an exemption from general municipal taxes for developers and building owners to convert nonresidential real property to residential housing units and commercial mixed uses in accordance with New York State Real Property Tax Law § 485-a.
This article is adopted pursuant to New York State Real Property Tax Law § 485-a, Subdivision 2, which expressly authorizes the Town of Massena to enact a local law providing for such exemption. The definition of terms in § 485-a shall apply to the provisions of this article.
Beginning with assessment rolls prepared on the basis of taxable status dates occurring on or after March 1, 2017, pursuant to New York State Real Property Tax Law § 485-a, nonresidential real property, upon conversion to mixed-use property, shall be exempt from taxation and special ad valorem levies levied to the extent set forth herein. For a period of 12 years from the approval of an application, the increase in assessed value of such property attributable to such conversion shall be exempt as provided below. Such exemption shall be computed with respect to the "exemption base." The exemption base shall be determined for each year in which there is an increase in assessed value so attributable from that of the previous year's assessed value. Such exemption shall be computed in accordance with the following table:
Year of Exemption
Percentage of Exemption
1 through 8
100% of exemption base
9
80% of exemption base
10
60% of exemption base
11
40% of exemption base
12
20% of exemption base
A. 
No such exemption shall be granted unless such conversion was commenced subsequent to the date on which this article takes effect; and the cost of such conversion exceeds the sum of $10,000.
B. 
For purposes of this section, the term "conversion" shall not include ordinary maintenance and repairs.
C. 
No such exemption shall be granted concurrent with or subsequent to any other real property tax exemption granted to the same improvements to real property, except where, during the period of such previous exemptions, payments in lieu of taxes or other payments were made in an amount that would have been equal to or greater than the amount of real property taxes that would have been paid on such improvements had such property been granted an exemption pursuant to this article. In such case, an exemption shall be granted for a number of years equal to the twelve-year exemption granted pursuant to this article less the number of years the property would have been previously exempt from real property taxes.
Any exemption pursuant to this article shall be granted only upon application by the owner of such real property on a form prescribed by the State Board of Real Property Services and the Town of Massena. Such application shall be filed with the Assessor of the Town of Massena on or before the taxable status date of March 1.
If the Assessor is satisfied that the applicant is entitled to an exemption pursuant to this article, he or she shall approve the application and such real property shall thereafter be exempt from taxation and special ad valorem levies as provided in the article, commencing with the assessment roll prepared after the taxable status date of March 1. The assessed value of any exemption granted pursuant to this article shall be entered by the Assessor on the assessment roll of the taxable property, with the amount of the exemption shown in a separate column.