TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute a Mills Act Historic Property Contract with Ilsebill Wolfe, owner of 365 Temple Avenue, a qualified historic property in the Bluff Heights Historic District. (District 2)
DISCUSSION
The Mills Act Historic Property Contract for 365 Temple Avenue was recommended by the Cultural Heritage Commission on November 16, 2005, and approved by the Planning Commission on November 17, 2005 (see attached Planning Commission staff report).
The Mills Act was enacted as State legislation in 1972 and amended in 1984. The Mills Act Historic Property Contract is a contractual agreement between the City and a property owner allowing a reassessment and reduction in property taxes in return for maintaining and rehabilitating a qualified historic property. The economic incentive of the Mills Act fosters the preservation of residential neighborhoods and the revitalization of commercial areas. The Mills Act is the single most important economic incentive program in California for the preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of qualified historic buildings by private property owners.
To qualify, a property must be officially designated as historic, either as an individual landmark or as a contributing building in a historic district. In reviewing candidates for Mills Act contracts, the Cultural Heritage Commission seeks owners with a strong commitment to protect, preserve, and maintain their property in accordance with specific preservation standards and other conditions. The resulting tax savings from a Mills Act contract assists.
an owner with the financial burdens of preserving and restoring a historic building.
The subject property is a Craftsman bungalow that was built in 1919. It is a good example of the style and is a contributing property to the Bluff Heights Historic District, which was designated as such in 2004 by Ordinance No. C-7937. Since purchasing the house, the applicant has begun to rehabilitate the property, and has applied for a Mills Act contract.
The style, age and materials of the house make it a challenge to preserve and maintain.
However, the owner is conscientious of the associated obligations and responsibilities to restore, maintain and protect the property, as identified in the contract, and readily accepts them.
The Mills Act program for this property is as follows:
. Term: Ten years
. Option to Renew: Renewed automatically annually, unless or until discontinued by either party.
. Rehabilitation Work Proqram: Over the next ten years the owner intends to restore and paint the house with appropriate colors of the style; repair and restore wood frame windows and surrounds; paint the interior in appropriate colors of the era;
restore the hardwood floors and built-in furniture; landscape with appropriate plantings and install an unobtrusive sprinkler system; remove an inappropriate sunroom at the rear of house and restore the elevation; and continue the general upkeep and maintenance according to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
SUZANNE FRICK
DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND BUILDING